How to Declutter Your Kitchen, According to Marie Kondo

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Professional organizer Marie Kondo has seemingly taken over the world—or at least the closet of someone you know—in the past year. Her bestselling book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up is 213 compelling pages about, you guessed it, the art of tidying.

In Kondo’s newest book, Spark Joy, she breaks down her process of eliminating items that don’t (you guessed it again) spark joy, and expertly organizing and storing ones that do. If The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up was “Tidying 101,” Spark Joy is the ultimate master class in how to perform a systematic room-by-room overhaul. But lest you think you don’t need a guide for cleaning your house, Kondo’s signature KonMari method might convince you otherwise—especially because heeding her organizational advice can potentially aid in helping you stay slim. It all starts with an orderly kitchen.

RELATED: 12 DIY Kitchen Projects to Clean Up Your Eating Habits

Science Says: Clean Kitchen, Clean Eats

Why get your neat freak on in the kitchen? When it comes to healthy habits, even science is on Kondo’s side. A recent study published in the Environment & Behavior Journal suggested that the more cluttered our environments, the more likely we are to overeat. With an organized kitchen, you might be less likely to go on a 20-cookie bender when you’re scrounging for a nighttime snack. “Having a clean kitchen or home makes you feel more in control and primes you to stay in control,” says Dr. Brian Wansink, Director of the Cornell Food and Brand Lab and coauthor of the study. “It’s easier to simply clean your kitchen than to fight it by trying to talk yourself out of unhealthy decisions.”

Lauren Slayton, MS, RD, founder of Foodtrainers in NYC, agrees. “Having a tidy kitchen is stress-reducing, and having lower levels of stress hormones directly translates to more weight loss and less stress eating,” she says. “Plus, who wants to cook in a mess of a kitchen?” Kondo’s goal: Helping you create a kitchen that makes cooking fun. We enlisted Slayton to explain how seven of Kondo’s simple principles can help you find happiness in the kitchen and fewer pounds on the scale.

RELATED: 7 Cheap DIY Props to Pimp Your Home Gym

7 Expert-Approved Ways to Declutter Your Kitchen

1. Focus on ease of cleaning, not ease of use.
After observing a restaurant kitchen, Kondo realized the kitchen was designed so the chefs could easily clean as they cooked, instead of creating a massive pileup of dirty dishes and counters. There was no time-consuming cleanup at the end of their shift—they just had to do one final wipe of the counters. “If you want a kitchen that you can enjoy cooking in, aim for one that’s easy to clean,” she writes.

Slayton points out that we’re more likely to want to be in a space when it’s orderly. “Piles and clutter send us the message that we’re not doing what we should be and, frankly, leave less physical space for working, cooking, and whatever else you want to do,” she says. “But cleanliness and tidiness are examples of self-care. It’s not just about cleaning up—it’s about the positive repercussions from doing so.” Think of organizing your kitchen as the equivalent of getting a massage. You’re more likely to feel taken care of and, as a result, more likely to treat your body better by fueling up with good-for-you eats.

2. Keep your counters as clean and clear as possible.
“Put nothing on the counters or around the sink and stove top,” Kondo writes. “You will be amazed at how easy your kitchen is to use if you design your storage with this aim in mind.” If you’re in a teeny-tiny kitchen where your counter space is a precious commodity, it’s OK to keep some things on the counter so long as they’re away from the oil or water splash zones.

Ever hear the old adage “out of sight, out of mind?” It applies here. If you can see food, you’re more likely to eat it. “If you want to eat less toast, don’t keep the toaster out where you can see it,” Slayton says. “On the flipside, if you’re motivated to make smoothies, keep the [blender] ready and visible on the counter.” She keeps a fruit bowl on her counter because it’s colorful and inviting and it makes her smile—and then she’s more likely to grab an easy-to-reach piece of fruit than a brownie that’s stashed in a cupboard. Be smart about storage, too. “I love my juicer, but I don’t use it much in the winter, so I keep it in the laundry room,” Slayton says. “Teeny spaces force your hand a bit more, but that’s good—use it or lose it.”

RELATED: How to Start Clean Eating in 7 Easy Steps

3. Cut down on your dish supply.
All those fancy dishes you’re saving to use “for guests,” but haven’t actually whipped out in years? It may be time to part with them. “Take a fresh look at every dish you own and see if it sparks joy,” Kondo writes. “Make the dishes you love the ones you use every day.”

Studies have shown that we eat less off of smaller plates and drink more out of larger glasses. So keep that in mind when you’re doing your cupboard purge. Having fun with your food by making it look nice will create more enjoyable mealtime, too. “I encourage clients to plate their food the way they’d like it presented at a restaurant,” Slayton says. “Bento boxes can make your lunch feel more appealing, and—while it may be the Instagram effect—mason jars and glass straws are great for smoothies.” The prettier our food looks, the more likely we are to want to savor every bite or sip.

4. Toss anything that’s past its prime.
Kondo says to discard food that’s past its expiration date, or to simply eliminate anything you wouldn’t actually want to consume. (Hint: It may be time to toss that specialty hot sauce lurking in the back of your fridge.)

Creating a system for tossing overdue items can help with that. “For ingredients like spices and baking items, date them with a Sharpie and discard them by their first anniversary,” says Slayton. “And try to use ingredients up. If you’re making pesto turkey burgers one night, have pesto pasta the next. It makes me crazy to use a tablespoon of something and then have it sit around. Waste sparks the opposite of joy in me.”

RELATED: You Could Save $43 a Month By Cutting Food Waste

5. Keep your refrigerator 30 percent empty.
Not only will this strategy better help you see the actual contents of your fridge, it’ll also allow for extra room to store leftovers or unexpected gifts.

Keep what you want to eat at eye level in the fridge, says Slayton. She recommends working by category, and only keeping two to three items per category, like hot sauces, jams or vinegars, on hand at a time. “And keep things presented nicely within the fridge, like a tray for your eggs or a glass bottle to keep water cold,” she says.

6. It’s OK to have a lot of kitchen stuff.
The key is making sure you’re hanging onto items you actually use and love. If you’re a frequent spiralizer, smoothie-maker, or food processing whiz, by all means hang onto those bulky appliances even if they hog your shelf space. “What matters is the ability to see where everything is stored,” Kondo writes. Never underestimate the power of a label-maker, clear storage containers, or categorically organized pantry shelves.

Pro tip: Be smart about what you choose to keep around. “I cook, and I like my kitchen to reflect that,” Slayton says. “But if you registered for a paella pan when you got married but haven’t made paella by your fifth wedding anniversary, you can probably get rid of the pan.” Regardless of aesthetics, you need to be able to find the cumin or grab a mixing bowl without major effort.

7. Make your eating space a happy place.
Yes, it seems like a lot of effort to roll out a placemat and whip out the napkin rings, but if you have them, use them to enrich your mealtime, Kondo says. Your dining area should be free from distractions (sorry, Jeopardy) and filled with your favorite things.

“I turn on music and light my favorite candle whenever I enter the kitchen,” says Slayton. It sets the mood for more enjoyable meals. “Remove the eyesores and obstacles and include the scents, sounds and ingredients that make you happy. If standing at the counter, eating out of the package is at one end of the spectrum—and that isn’t the positive side — sitting at the table, using utensils and a placemat is different. I would predict very few binge episodes happen in placemat situations.”

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Life by Daily Burn is dedicated to helping you live a healthier, happier and more active lifestyle. Whether your goal is to lose weight, gain strength or de-stress, a better you is well within reach. Get more health and fitness tips at Life by Daily Burn.

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More Evidence Diabetes Drug Actos Raises Bladder Cancer Risk a Bit

By Dennis Thompson
HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, March 30, 2016 (HealthDay News) — More evidence linking the diabetes drug Actos to an increased risk of bladder cancer has surfaced in a new study that also finds the risk rises with increased use.

Actos (pioglitazone) appears to increase risk of bladder cancer by 63 percent, Canadian researchers say. The findings, published March 30 in The BMJ, stem from an analysis of nearly 146,000 patients treated between 2000 and 2013.

The data also showed that bladder cancer risk increases if Actos is used for more than two years, or if someone takes more than 28,000 milligrams over the course of their lives.

The overall risk is small, however. Still, “the more you accumulate the drug into your system, the higher the risk,” said senior researcher Laurent Azoulay, an associate professor of oncology at McGill University in Montreal.

Azoulay and his colleagues did not find a similar link between bladder cancer and Avandia (rosiglitazone), another diabetes drug in the same class of medication as Actos.

“It appears to be a drug-specific effect, not a class effect,” Azoulay said.

The maker of Actos, Takeda Pharmaceuticals, issued a strong statement in response to the study.

“Takeda is confident in the positive benefit-to-risk profile of pioglitazone. Two large, long-term observational studies found no significant increase in the risk of bladder cancer in diabetic patients taking pioglitazone. This data includes a 10-year, prospective cohort study, conducted by the University of Pennsylvania and Kaiser Permanente Northern California and … a large epidemiological study utilizing five European Union databases … to investigate the potential risk of bladder cancer with pioglitazone use,” said Elissa Johnsen, head of the company’s Global Product and Pipeline Communications.

Actos and Avandia are thiazolidinediones, a class of drug that helps lower blood sugar by helping the body’s cells more effectively use insulin.

Both drugs have been around since the late 1990s in the United States, Azoulay said, and each has had a troubled history.

Previous studies have linked Avandia to heart failure and heart disease, while in 2005 a clinical trial unexpectedly showed an increase in bladder cancer cases among patients taking Actos, he said.

Since then, the association between Actos use and bladder cancer has been controversial, with studies reporting contradictory findings, the study authors said in background notes.

For the study, they explored the link between Actos and bladder cancer by analyzing data from the UK Clinical Practice Research Database for 145,806 patients newly treated with diabetes drugs between 2000 and 2013. They took into account other risk factors such as age, sex, duration of diabetes, smoking status and alcohol-related disorders.

When compared with other classes of diabetes drugs, the higher risk of bladder cancer linked to Actos was significant, the study found.

The reason Actos, but not Avandia, is associated with bladder cancer may come down to the fact that there are key differences between the two drugs, Azoulay said.

Actos targets two different receptors to make cells more sensitive to insulin, while Avandia targets only one. The additional receptor influenced by Actos could be the reason for increased bladder cancer risk, he said.

The controversy over Actos and Avandia is largely moot at this point, diabetes experts say, because newer and safer medications have supplanted them.

“When these drugs were first approved in the U.S., they were one of the very few options we had,” said Dr. Kevin Pantalone, an endocrinologist with the Cleveland Clinic. “Now, largely because of the controversy surrounding these agents in recent years, their prescription pattern has declined.”

In 2008, thiazolidinediones accounted for 20 percent of diabetes drug prescriptions handed out by the Cleveland Clinic, Pantalone said. Five years later, in 2013, they accounted for only 7 percent of diabetes prescriptions.

Dr. Caroline Messer, director of the center for pituitary and neuro-endocrine disorders at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, agreed there’s little call for either Actos or Avandia these days.

“I don’t think I’ve used Actos since 2005, to be honest, or I’ve used it rarely,” Messer said. “I have so many other medications at this point, there’s not a lot of reason for me to reach for this.”

Actos already carries an FDA-mandated warning on its label about bladder cancer risk, Azoulay said.

But even with this new evidence, diabetes experts said they still want Actos available as an option for treatment.

Bladder cancer is a rare disease, and remains rare even after Actos increases its risk, Pantalone said.

Decisions about its use should be made according to the individual patient, said Dr. Robert Courgi, an endocrinologist with Northwell Health’s Southside Hospital in Bay Shore, N.Y.

“Actos is a potent, inexpensive oral drug for diabetes that should not be pulled off the shelves,” Courgi said. “The clinician must decide if Actos is the right drug for the patient. Obviously, patients with a history of bladder cancer or who are at high risk should not get Actos.”

More information

For more on diabetes medications, visit the American Diabetes Association.

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5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Beautyblender Could Do

Photo: Beautyblender

The beautyblender was a magnificent invention, and as makeup lovers and appreciators of a truly flawless finish, we will forever be grateful to its superb blending powers. May we never have to go another day with unblended foundation, forever and ever, amen.

RELATED: Here’s Why You Should Look Inside Your Beautyblender

Turns how, though, your blending sponge is good for more than just nailing that contour or giving you perfect skin. Here are five more ways you can use your beautyblender (or similar tool) that you might not have thought of:

Lipstick Application

Yep, you can use it for highlighter, contour, blush, concealer, and of course foundation, but don’t stop there. The beautyblender also serves as the perfect tool for applying lip color. Apply lipstick or gloss to the tip of the blender, then dab it onto your lips to create a stained effect. You can also strategically dab the color to the center of your lips to create a gradient effect.

Applying Skin-Care Products

Use your beautyblender to apply moisturizing skin-care products after cleansing, and you’ll find that it distributes the product more evenly than your fingertips can. We especially like it for ampoule, essence, and serum application, three products that have major slip and often prove tricky to apply. Tip: fill your sponge with clean water, first. If it’s saturated then it won’t suck up all the product. After it’s wetted, apply your product to the sponge and then apply to your face.

RELATED: 6 Ways You’re Ruining Your Beautyblender

Smoky Eye

After you apply your eyeliner with a pencil, use the tip of your blending sponge to smudge and smoke it out. You can maneuver the sponge around the outer corners and eyelids, too, to create an even more blended, smoky eye. The result is a perfectly blended, super sultry eye.

Highlighting and Dying Your Hair

Let’s move beyond the confines of your face and onto something completely different: your hair. Yep, you can use your blender on your hair to add color or highlight anywhere you desire. The technique, though not completely new, was recently demonstrated by hairstylist jamiestevens7 on Instagram. Get more information on the how-to here.

Sunless Tanner Application

Looking for a streak free, self-applied sunless tan? The answer lays in your beautyblender, kid. Beautyblender actually makes a larger sized blender, dubbed the “bodyblender,” and it’s the perfect tool to seamlessly apply sunless tanner. You can also use a regular sized blender to get into tiny places, like between your fingers and toes and behind your ears.

This article originally appeared on MIMIchatter.com.

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Study: Longer-Term Antibiotics Won’t Ease ‘Chronic Lyme Disease’

By Steven Reinberg
HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, March 30, 2016 (HealthDay News) — People with persistent symptoms associated with Lyme disease are unlikely to find relief from longer-term antibiotic therapy, according to a new Dutch study.

Although antibiotics are the correct therapy to treat Lyme disease when it is diagnosed early, longer-term use appears ineffective against the symptoms linked to the tick-borne illness and may carry the risk of side effects, the researchers said.

“Most patients with Lyme disease are cured after initial antibiotic therapy. But, up to 20 percent of patients report persistent symptoms, such as muscular or joint pain, fatigue or concentration problems, despite initial antibiotic therapy,” said study senior researcher Dr. Bart-Jan Kullberg. He is a professor of infectious diseases at Radboud University Medical Center in Nijmegen, the Netherlands.

Treating these patients with longer courses of antibiotics has been controversial, Kullberg said. “Previous clinical trials have not shown that prolonged antibiotic treatment has beneficial effects in patients with persistent symptoms attributed to Lyme disease. Nonetheless, the debate about this issue has continued,” he said.

The major conclusion from this new study is that three months of antibiotic therapy does not provide additional benefits to patients reporting persistent symptoms of pain, fatigue or mental confusion, he said.

“These patients need customized care, not just a prescription for antibiotics,” Kullberg said.

The study findings were published March 31 in the New England Journal of Medicine.

The debate over what’s often called chronic Lyme disease dates back almost as far as the discovery of the illness 40 years ago. Many sufferers insist that chronic Lyme is a very real disease. But many medical experts say the symptoms could be those of an undiagnosed illness in patients.

The new study included 280 patients in Europe who suffered from symptoms such as muscle and joint pain, fatigue and concentration problems, and were previously diagnosed with Lyme disease.

During the first two weeks of the trial, all the patients were given the antibiotic ceftriaxone (Rocephin). Then they were randomly divided into three groups. The first group was given the antibiotic doxycycline (Doryx) for 12 weeks; the second group was given a combination of the antibiotics clarithromycin (Biaxin) and hydroxychloroquine (Plaquenil); and the third group was given a placebo.

Before and after treatment, the patients completed questionnaires about their symptoms, their fitness level, quality of life and well-being, Kullberg said. Patients answered the questions after 26, 40 and 52 weeks. They also took memory tests and used a pedometer to record their movement, he said.

The researchers found no clear differences between the groups at any of these evaluations.

Despite these findings and others, some groups believe that antibiotics are the treatment for what is sometimes called chronic or late-stage Lyme disease. For example, the Global Lyme Alliance says: “Late-stage Lyme may be treated with combinations of oral, injected (shots) or intravenous antibiotics over extended periods.”

However, the Infectious Diseases Society of America recommends against using antibiotics to treat the symptoms.

One Lyme disease researcher said he doubts that most patients with so-called chronic Lyme disease ever had Lyme disease in the first place.

“In my experience most of the patients I see who carry a diagnosis of chronic Lyme didn’t have any evidence of ever having Lyme,” said Dr. Gary Wormser, director of the Lyme Disease Diagnostic Center at Boston Children’s Health Physicians in Valhalla, N.Y.

“My hope is that studies would focus on trying to find out what’s causing these symptoms, and coming up with a better treatment approach,” said Wormser, who is a spokesman for the Infectious Diseases Society of America. “These patients are suffering, and we need much more research into this area.”

Phillip Baker is executive director of the American Lyme Disease Foundation. He said the results of the new study mesh with results of four U.S. National Institutes of Health-supported clinical trials that showed extended antibiotic therapy was of no benefit for the treatment of Lyme disease syndromes that “some people refer to as ‘chronic Lyme disease.'”

Baker added, “Obviously, in the case of Lyme disease, it is not prudent to treat with antibiotics until all symptoms disappear as recommended by some.”

Lyme disease is caused by the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi, which is transmitted by a tick. The disease is characterized by a red “bulls-eye” rash.

Only a small proportion of people with a tick bite actually develop Lyme disease, the study authors said. In many patients, the disease is cured completely by treatment with antibiotics lasting between 10 days and four weeks, the researchers said.

In some cases, late onset of the disease can occur if the infection isn’t detected at an early stage or is not treated with antibiotics, the study authors said.

Dr. Paul Auwaerter is a professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore and co-author of an accompanying editorial in the journal. “This is the fifth trial to date that has not suggested patients benefit from extra antibiotics,” he said. “This is contrary to what is often a popular practice of some physicians.”

The prolonged use of antibiotics can be dangerous, Auwaerter said. “Antibiotics can have collateral damage. They can disturb your natural microbiome — that is the good bacteria that are in the body. Some antibiotics have side effects, including allergies and irritation of the liver,” he added.

Antibiotics probably aren’t the right treatment for persistent symptoms associated with Lyme disease, Auwaerter said.

His advice is to “work with a doctor who is willing to roll up his sleeves to find the most accurate diagnosis for your condition, and individualize therapy based on that diagnosis.”

More information

For more on Lyme disease, visit the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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Anti-Addiction Drug May Help Curb Painkiller, Heroin Dependence

By Maureen Salamon
HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, March 30, 2016 (HealthDay News) — The newer anti-addiction drug naltrexone may become an important weapon in the country’s escalating addiction to opioid painkillers and heroin, a new study suggests.

Researchers found that monthly injections of extended-release naltrexone — which blocks the euphoric effects of opioids — resulted in a significantly lower relapse rate among treated addicts compared to a similar group that didn’t receive the drug. Additionally, during the six-month study there were no overdoses in the naltrexone group compared to five in the other group.

Opioids — including prescription painkillers such as OxyContin, Vicodin and Percocet, as well as the street drug heroin — killed more than 28,000 people in 2014, a record high, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“We thought this was a good approach to relapse prevention . . . but I was surprised by how clearly effective this medication was,” said study author Dr. Joshua Lee, an associate professor in the department of population health at NYU Langone Medical Center, in New York City.

“We haven’t had another study like this in the United States,” Lee added. “This is potentially a very important study if a [health care] provider wasn’t convinced before that they should offer naltrexone. They may be less skeptical now.”

The study is published in the March 30 online issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

An extended-release version of naltrexone, known also by the brand name Vivitrol, is the most recently approved product by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat opiate addiction, and the only drug labeled for relapse prevention. Other anti-addiction medications include methadone and buprenorphine.

At five sites in four major U.S. cities, Lee and his team administered monthly injections of naltrexone to 153 opioid-addicted adults who had had some criminal justice involvement. A similar group of 155 participants did not receive the drug but were referred for “usual care” consisting of brief counseling and referrals to community treatment programs.

After six monthly injections, 43 percent in the treatment group had relapsed, compared to 64 percent of those who didn’t receive naltrexone. The average time elapsing before relapse was double in the naltrexone group.

Follow-up one year after the treatment ended found both groups were using opioids at a similar rate. And two additional overdoses had occurred in the non-naltrexone group and none in the treatment group.

Lee and another addiction expert agreed that these results suggest naltrexone therapy should be used longer than six months.

“Addiction is a chronic brain disorder, and the brain changes under the influence of drugs,” said Dr. Terry Horton, chief of addiction medicine at Christiana Care Health System, in Wilmington, Del. Drugs “hijack” critical parts of the brain involved with motivation and reward, and “those changes take a long time to heal,” he said.

“So medications facilitate moving toward recovery,” he said, “but this requires a long-term effort, as with all chronic diseases.”

Horton said the new research provided “hopeful” results that were similar to those done in other countries.

“My hope is this will provide another tool in the tool chest to help care for individuals who are in the criminal justice system and moving back into society so they can address their opiate dependence,” Horton said. “The models of care we see in the prison population can also be generalized to the greater population. Opiate dependence is, sadly, a disease that’s cutting across all socioeconomic, racial and gender boundaries. It’s affecting everyone.”

In an effort to curb the national epidemic of prescription painkiller abuse, the FDA and CDC announced new initiatives this month. The FDA moved to label certain drugs with “boxed warnings” that notify users of the dangers of misuse, while the CDC instituted tough new guidelines for doctors prescribing prescription painkillers.

Lee and Horton agreed that more research on anti-addiction treatments is necessary, particularly to compare the effectiveness of naltrexone to other anti-addiction drugs.

“But I don’t know that we need a ton more research on this to say, why don’t we use these?” said Lee.

“Right now, there’s no debate or argument that going on medications is a better approach,” he added. “If you’re not using medications, you’re not really practicing effective evidence-based medicine.”

More information

The U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse offers more information on opioids.

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Zoe Saldana Reminds Us All to Take a Moment to Breathe

We are all busy, and finding time to take a moment for yourself can be extremely challenging—but it is necessary. And Zoe Saldana, mom of two adorably cute twin boys, reminds us of just that. In her latest Instagram post, the actress, dressed in gym clothes, is sprawled on the floor in a wide-legged Child’s Pose, with her face and arms slathered in green makeup. Clearly she’s on the set of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, which is currently filming.

RELATED: Zoe Saldana Doesn’t Want Her Pre-Pregnancy Body Back

Saldana’s caption: “Work hard, relax harder…This so far is the message of today that is worth sharing. Treat yourself with kindness. Give yourself time to breathe, walk, eat, sit. #Be present during those quick moments to do these things. Your “self” will appreciate it and will reward you, trust that it will.”

Feeling overhlemed? You too might want to drop down into this restful pose. (Green makeup is optional.) Not only does it stretch out the hips, thighs and ankles, but it also calms the brain and helps relieve stress and fatigue.

RELATED: 5 Yoga Poses You Can Do at Your Desk

But if you need more than a few deep breathes to get a handle on things, try this guided meditation video. In just seven minutes, you should feel as cool as a cumber…or at least a little less wound up.

Thanks for encouraging us to take a little “me” time, Zoe.

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Doctors Report Groundbreaking HIV-to-HIV Organ Transplants

By Steven Reinberg
HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, March 30, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Trailblazing liver and kidney transplants from an HIV-positive donor to HIV-positive recipients were announced Wednesday by surgeons at Johns Hopkins University.

“A couple of weeks ago, we performed the first HIV-to-HIV liver transplant in the world and the first HIV-to-HIV kidney transplant in the United States,” Dr. Dorry Segev said during a midday media briefing.

Before 2013 and passage of the HIV Organ Policy Equity Act, this kind of medical advance would not have been possible, because it was illegal for HIV-positive patients to donate organs in the United States. The act allows HIV-positive donors to donate organs to patients infected with the AIDS-causing virus, Segev said.

Until the law was changed, thousands of patients with HIV in need of organ transplants often risked death while waiting for a donated organ, he said.

At the same time, “we were throwing away organs from donors infected with HIV just because they were infected. These were potentially good organs,” said Segev, a professor of surgery and director of the epidemiology research group in organ transplantation at the Baltimore-based medical school.

Dr. Christine Durand, an assistant professor of medicine and oncology at Hopkins, said the transplant operations went well and both patients are doing “extremely well.”

The patient who received the kidney has already gone home, and the liver transplant patient is expected to leave the hospital in a couple of weeks, she said.

Both the liver and kidney came from a deceased HIV-infected donor, the doctors said.

Now that HIV can be controlled with medications, there’s no reason why donor organs from HIV-positive people can’t be used for HIV-positive patients in need of transplants, Segev said.

According to Segev, approximately 122,000 people are on transplant waiting lists in the United States at any time. Each year, about 500 to 600 potential organ donors who are HIV-positive die, he said.

Segev said his team is now teaching transplant centers across the country “the protocols we put together and sharing our experience and safety measures.”

At the moment, these protocols only cover deceased donors, but Segev said he and his colleagues have started researching the possible use of organs from living HIV-positive donors.

“It’s a tremendous advancement that will help the HIV population,” said Dr. David Bernstein, chief of the division of hepatology at Northwell Health in Manhasset, N.Y., who was not involved in the transplants.

“This should open up transplantation to a significant segment of the population that has had a difficult time getting transplants,” he said.

HIV-positive patients aren’t restricted to getting organs from HIV-positive donors. They can opt to accept an organ from a non-HIV-infected donor, potentially cutting their waiting time for a transplant, Durand said.

Transplanting organs from HIV patients carries some risks, Durand said. “These patients will be exposed to a second strain of HIV from the donor and may be infected with that strain,” she said.

It’s important, therefore, to consider if the donor has drug-resistant HIV, she said. “All the recipients are on HIV medications already, so we have to take into account matching regimens of drugs,” she said.

In addition, it’s important to ensure that the immunosuppressant drugs needed to prevent rejection of the transplanted organ don’t interfere with the HIV drugs, Durand said.

“We are encouraged by these first transplants and now it is our hope and our aim to extend this possibility to other patients who are waiting on the transplant list,” she said.

More information

To learn more about organ transplants, visit the United Network for Organ Sharing.

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FDA Eases Restrictions on Abortion Medication

By Margaret Steele
HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, March 30, 2016 (HealthDay News) — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is making it easier for women to obtain a medication that induces abortion.

Under changes announced Wednesday by the agency, women in most states who want the drug, called mifepristone (Mifeprex), will need to make just two trips to a doctor, instead of three.

They’ll also have 10 weeks from the start of their last period to use the medication to terminate pregnancy, up from the prior cutoff of 49 days, The New York Times reported.

Additionally, the FDA is reducing the drug’s dosage from 600 milligrams to 200 mg, reportedly reducing the cost of mifepristone and its potential side effects.

Abortion-rights advocates welcomed the label changes.

“Unlike state and federal anti-choice laws that restrict a woman’s access to an abortion, the FDA decision to make mifepristone available to more women in this country is based on science that shows this usage is safe and medically sound,” said Ilyse Hogue, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, in a statement. “It is high time to put medicine back into the hands of medical professionals and take it out of politicians’ hands.”

An anti-abortion group took a different view, however.

“The new label affirms the deadly realities of chemical abortion and underscores the need for in-person patient examination and follow-up care as well as the fact that the abortion drug regimen presents serious risks to women’s health,” Anna Paprocki, staff attorney for Americans United for Life, told the Washington Post.

But abortion rights advocates and many physicians said the original abortion-medication labels were outdated and contradicted sound medical practice. They also had argued that states such as Texas, North Dakota and Ohio — which required physicians to follow the label restrictions — erected barriers to abortion, the Times said.

“This is a huge step in increasing access to medication abortion and it comports with the scientific evidence,” Elizabeth Nash, a senior state issues associate at the Guttmacher Institute, which tracks women’s reproductive health issues, told The Times. According to the institute’s latest figures, medication abortions accounted for about 25 percent of all abortions in 2011, she said.

The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists also backed the FDA decision. “The updated FDA-approved regimen for mifepristone reflects the current available scientific evidence and best practices,” it said in a statement.

The drug, formerly known as RU-486 and approved by the FDA in 2000, works by blocking receptors of progesterone, a hormone needed in pregnancy, and is used with the drug misoprostol to end a pregnancy.

More information

The U.S. National Institute of Health talks about the signs of pregnancy.

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FDA Approves Experimental Zika Test for Blood Donations

WEDNESDAY, March 30, 2016 (HealthDay News) — An experimental test to check blood donations for the Zika virus has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The decision to allow use of the test in areas with active mosquito-borne transmission of the virus means that collections of whole blood and blood component donations will be able to resume in Puerto Rico, agency officials said.

“The availability of an investigational test to screen donated blood for Zika virus is an important step forward in maintaining the safety of the nation’s blood supply, especially for those U.S. territories already experiencing active transmission,” Dr. Peter Marks, director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, said Wednesday.

“In the future, should Zika virus transmission occur in other areas, blood collection establishments will be able to continue to collect blood and use the investigational screening test, minimizing disruption to the blood supply,” he explained in an FDA news release.

Zika is a mosquito-borne virus that’s been tied to thousands of cases — mainly in Brazil — of a severe birth defect called microcephaly. In microcephaly, a newborn’s head is smaller than normal, with the potential for long-term neurological damage.

The Zika virus has now spread to over 38 countries and territories, most in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Due to the Zika outbreak, local blood collection in Puerto Rico was suspended earlier this year. On March 7, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said shipments of blood and blood products would be sent from the continental United States to Puerto Rico.

The FDA is still recommending that anyone who has traveled recently to an area where the Zika virus is active to defer donating blood.

The blood test is made by New Jersey-based Roche Molecular Systems, Inc.

Zika infection is usually a transient, mild illness in adults, and many cases may occur without symptoms, experts say. However, because of the risk to babies, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is advising that men with known or suspected infection with Zika refrain from sex — or only have sex with a condom — for six months after a diagnosis.

The agency also advises that, for couples involving a man who has traveled to or resides in an area endemic for Zika:

• The couple refrain from sex, or use condoms during sex, throughout the duration of a pregnancy.
• They refrain from sex, or use condoms during sex, for eight weeks if the man has returned from travel to a Zika-endemic area but has not shown signs of infection.
• For couples living in a Zika-endemic area, they refrain from sex or engage in sex only with a condom for as long as active Zika transmission persists in that area.

The latest guidelines also recommend that women who know they’ve been infected, or who have no symptoms but have recently been to a Zika-endemic area, or who think they might have been exposed via sex, should wait at least eight weeks before trying to get pregnant.

The CDC has also advised that all pregnant women consider postponing travel to any area where Zika virus transmission is ongoing. If a pregnant woman must travel to or live in one of these areas, she should talk to her health-care provider first and strictly follow steps to prevent mosquito bites.

The Zika virus was first discovered in Uganda in the late 1940s and wasn’t thought to pose major health risks until last year, when it became clear that it was a potentially devastating threat to pregnant women.

The virus is not expected to pose a significant threat to the U.S. mainland, federal health officials have said in the past.

In Puerto Rico, however, the situation is “of great concern,” CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden said earlier this month.

More information

For more on Zika virus, visit the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

To see the CDC list of sites where Zika virus is active and may pose a threat to pregnant women, click here.

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3 Easy Dishes That Helped One Woman Lose 135 Pounds

If you read the New York Times bestselling memoir It Was Me All Along ($24; amazon.com), then you already know about Andie Mitchell’s inspiring 135-pound weight loss journey. Her secret? Balance. Although she eats healthy for the most part, she doesn’t completely deprive herself of the rich treats (cakes, pasta, nachos) she loves.

If you’re wondering how Mitchell strikes that balance, you’re in luck. She has come out with a new cookbook called Eating in the Middle ($28; amazon.com), which she describes as “mostly wholesome with a sprinkling of decadence…exactly how I live my life.”

Read on for three of her easy, flavorful recipes.

All the Greens Frittata

Serves: 4

6 large eggs

1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium shallot, finely chopped (about ¼ cup)

½ lb. asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces (about 1 cup)

2 large leeks, white and light-green parts only, halved lengthwise and cut into ½-inch-thick pieces (about 2 cups)

½ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper

2½ oz. baby spinach leaves (2 packed cups)

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 oz. goat cheese, crumbled (about ½ cup)

2 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh basil leaves

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs.
2. In a 10-inch ovenproof nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the shallots, asparagus, leeks, salt, and pepper, and cook until beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the spinach and cook, stirring frequently, until wilted, 1 to 2 minutes. Lower the heat to medium, add the garlic, and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, 30 seconds.
3. Add the eggs and stir. Cook, without stirring, until just set on the bottom, 30 to 45 seconds. Using a plastic spatula, lift the frittata edge nearest to you and tilt the skillet gently so that the eggs run underneath the cooked bottom. Swirl the pan to evenly distribute the egg in the skillet and continue to cook for 1 minute. Lift the pan once more to repeat the process until the egg on top is no longer runny. Scatter the goat cheese on top.
4. Bake until the top is set and the cheese begins to melt, 5 to 7 minutes. Sprinkle the basil over the top. Run a spatula around the sides of the frittata and transfer it to a large serving plate. Cut into four pieces and serve warm, at room temperature, or even chilled.

Cashew and Basil Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Serves: 4

½ cup unsalted cashews

¼ cup low-sodium chicken broth

3 Tbsp. hoisin sauce

2 Tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce

1 tsp. sugar

1 tsp. cornstarch

2 tsp. canola oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 lb. ground chicken breast

2 scallions, white and light-green parts, chopped

½ cup roughly chopped fresh basil leaves

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spread the cashews on a baking sheet and toast until golden and fragrant, about 10 minutes. Let cool slightly, then chop the cashews. In a small bowl, whisk together the broth, hoisin, soy sauce, sugar, and cornstarch.
2. In a 12-inch nonstick skillet set over medium-high heat, heat the oil. Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the chicken and cook, breaking up the meat with a spatula, until browned, 4 to 6 minutes. Add the scallions and the hoisin sauce mixture and cook, stirring frequently, until the sauce thickens slightly, about 2 minutes. Stir in the basil and cashews.
3. To serve, divide the lettuce leaves among 4 plates and spoon the chicken mixture into each of the leaves.

Creamy Farro with White Beans and Kale

Serves 4

1 cup dry farro

3 cups low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth

1 bay leaf

1 15-oz. can white beans, rinsed and drained

2 oz. Gruyère, shredded (about ½ cup)

3 Tbsp. grated Parmesan

4 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil

8 oz. portobello mushroom caps, stems and gills removed, sliced into ½-inch pieces

1 medium shallot, thinly sliced (about ¼ cup)

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 small bunch kale, leaves chopped (about 4 cups chopped)

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper

2 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1. In a medium saucepan set over medium-high heat, bring the farro, broth, and bay leaf to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the grains are tender but still chewy, about 30 minutes.
2. Stir the beans into the hot grains. Add the Gruyère and Parmesan and stir until melted. Cover to keep warm.
3. Meanwhile, in a 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat 2 tsp. of the oil over medium-high heat until very hot. Add the mushrooms and cook until browned on one side, 3 to 4 minutes, then stir and cook until browned and tender on the other side, 3 to 4 minutes more. Transfer the mushrooms to a warm plate. Add the remaining 2 tsp. of oil to the skillet along with the shallots and garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until the garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the kale and cook, stirring frequently, until wilted, about 3 minutes. Season with the salt and pepper.
4. Stir the kale, mushrooms, and parsley into the farro and beans and serve immediately.

Recipes reprinted from Eating in the Middle: A Mostly Wholesome Cookbook. Copyright 2016 by Andie Mitchell. Photographs copyright 2016 by Aran Goyoaga. Published by Clarkson Potter, an imprint of Penguin Random House, LLC.

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