Smokers who quit the habit soon after being diagnosed with heart disease saw their odds for heart attack or death drop by almost half over the next five years, a new report found. However, those who simply cut back on their smoking saw no risk reduction at all, the same study showed. “I like to… read on > read on >
Classroom cellphone bans should help improve learning environments in schools, a child development expert says. Keeping the devices out of classrooms would help focus attention, improve problem-solving and — by allowing kids to occasionally lapse into boredom — spur creativity, says Jon Piacentini, a child and adolescent psychologist at UCLA Health. “There are more harms… read on > read on >
Almost half of American parents surveyed say they face “overwhelming” levels of stress on a daily basis, and in an advisory issued on Wednesday U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy called parental stress an urgent public health issue. Murthy said he issued the advisory — meant to draw attention to a health issue of national… read on > read on >
The risk of death associated with donating a kidney is at an all-time low, a new study finds. A kidney donor’s risk — already small a decade ago — is now lower by more than half, researchers found. Fewer than one death occurs for every 10,000 kidney donations, according to results published Aug. 28 in… read on > read on >
Diabetes can age the brain by up to four years, a new study based on MRI scans shows. There was one silver lining: Healthy lifestyle changes could help prevent that neurological aging, the Swedish researchers said. “Having an older-appearing brain for one’s chronological age can indicate deviation from the normal aging process and may constitute… read on > read on >
The trees and shrubs in your neighborhood could be giving you a big health boost, a new study finds. People have lower levels of inflammation in neighborhoods where the number of trees and shrubs is more than doubled compared to other nearby locales, University of Louisville researchers reported this week at the International Society for… read on > read on >
Some bats have the highest blood sugar levels ever observed in any mammal, surviving and even thriving with levels that would kill a human, researchers report. These bats could provide insights into treating and managing diabetes, they added. “Our study reports blood sugar levels that are the highest we have ever seen in nature —… read on > read on >
“Rolling stop” laws that let bicyclists treat stop signs as yield signs are not dangerous, a new study demonstrates. Both bike riders and drivers perform safely in intersections once they’ve been informed about how the law works, results from lab experiments involving bicycle and motor vehicle simulators show. “The focus of previous research has been… read on > read on >
A new study supports the notion that women age 40 and older get a mammogram each year rather than every two years, to help catch breast cancers early. The rate at which mammograms revealed a tumor in its later stages was significantly lower among women who got an annual mammogram versus those who spaced the… read on > read on >
Recreational drug users are three times more likely to have repeated heart health emergencies than people who don’t use, a new study has found. About 11% of patients admitted to intensive cardiac care units have been using recreational drugs, said researcher Dr. Raphael Mirailles, a physician with the Hospital Lariboisiere in Paris. Overall, “recreational drug… read on > read on >
