Working toward a healthier environment involves more than separating glass and plastic. Try a new take on the three “R’s” — recycle, reduce and reuse — to save money, energy and natural resources. Start in your pantry. Donate packaged foods you know you’re not going to eat to a local food bank or soup kitchen.… read on >
If you think having just one cigarette a day won’t do any harm, you’re wrong. British researchers say lighting up just once a day was linked to a much higher risk of heart disease and stroke than might be expected. The bottom line: “No safe level of smoking exists for cardiovascular disease,” wrote the team… read on >
Performing CPR can save a life, but it may be difficult to remember exactly what to do during an emergency, the American Red Cross says. Here’s what the agency recommends: Place your hands, one on top of the other, in the middle of the chest. Use your body weight to administer compressions that are at… read on >
Many workplace vehicles have backup alarms, but the alarms don’t prevent backover accidents altogether. The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) suggests how to help prevent backover accidents: Ensure that trained spotters use hand signals to alert drivers about when it’s safe to proceed. Drivers should remain in visual contact with spotters while backing… read on >
While you might think most people would try to change unhealthy behaviors after a major health scare like a stroke, new research suggests most people don’t. They may even pick up worse habits. Fewer than 1 in 100 stroke survivors met all seven heart-health goals identified by the American Heart Association. And just 1 in… read on >
Commuting by car doesn’t just try your patience. An Australian study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine found that it can also lead to weight gain, even if you’re active on the weekends. One answer is to turn at least part of your commute into a workout. As cities with municipal bike programs… read on >
As a nasty flu season rages throughout the United States, new research finds that one particularly vulnerable population often misses out on tests for the illness. Among hospitalized people, older patients are much less likely to be tested for flu than younger patients, the new study found. That’s important, because the U.S. Centers for Disease… read on >
Attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) tends to make a person more impulsive, inattentive and hyperactive. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration suggests how to help manage ADHD in children: Train parents, teachers and other caregivers in a setting where problem behaviors often occur. Behavior therapy to teach the child new behavior to replace undesirable… read on >
Smokers often think their habit won’t have health consequences until far into the future, a small survey suggests. Researchers found that compared with nonsmokers, those who smoke generally believe that any health problems — from yellow teeth to lung cancer — would strike later in life. It’s a perception, researchers said, that might delay some… read on >
Survival rates are rising for people who have cardiac arrest while in the hospital, a new study finds. But if cardiac arrest happens at night or on a weekend, you’re more likely to die than if it happens on a weekday. The odds of surviving an “off-hours” cardiac arrest are nearly 4 percent lower than… read on >
