If your preteen or teen skips school activities and social events, it may be more than the typically moody behavior of adolescence, new research warns. Being socially withdrawn and having physical discomforts such as headaches, nausea or stomachaches as a preteen may boost the risk of having suicidal thoughts by age 16, researchers report. Dr. John Duffy,… read on > read on >
If your dog is looking like he needs to drop some weight, a new study shows probiotics might do the trick. Researchers identified two strains of probiotics that helped obese canines shed pounds. “The strains we carefully selected demonstrated remarkable success in reducing the body fat percentage in dogs,” said principal researcher Younghoon Kim, a… read on > read on >
It’s long been thought that it takes more time for a woman to recover from a concussion than a man. But a new national study of U.S. college athletes refutes that notion, finding that women and men recover from sports-related head injuries at about the same pace. Recovery patterns for both genders were similar on… read on > read on >
While largely eliminated in more affluent nations, typhoid remains a deadly scourge in developing countries, killing more than 110,000 children every year. Children in endemic areas — mainly sub-Saharan Africa and southeast Asia — have new reason to hope, however, with the advent of a one-shot vaccine that appears to provide long-term protection against the… read on > read on >
Babies born even slightly early have a higher long-term risk of developmental difficulties that could affect their behavior and learning ability, a new study finds. Infants born moderately (32-33 weeks) or late preterm (34-36 weeks) are more likely to have epilepsy or problems with brain function, motor skills, vision or hearing, according to analysis of… read on > read on >
“Stay in school” slogans tend to focus on the money, status and freedom that more education can provide. Now there’s another argument for getting as many degrees as you can — having a longer life. The higher a person’s level of education, the lower their risk of premature death, claims a new global study published… read on > read on >
The old saying “feed a cold, starve a fever” is baloney, doctors say. People fighting off a seasonal respiratory virus need adequate nutrition, regardless of their symptoms, according to advice from the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. Fever is just one of the many defense mechanisms the human body uses to stave off any… read on > read on >
Exposure to toxic heavy metals could cause middle-aged women to have more health problems as they grow older, a new study finds. The study links toxic metal exposure to women having fewer eggs in their ovaries as they approach menopause. This condition — known as diminished ovarian reserve — could cause worse health problems during… read on > read on >
Reiterating a warning first issued in November, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is urging Americans to stay away from supplements containing tianeptine, known on the street as “gas station heroin.” The supplements, sold under the brand name Neptune’s Fix online and at gas stations and convenience stores, can cause seizures, unconsciousness and even death.… read on > read on >
If you ever find yourself losing weight, even though you’re not dieting or upping your exercise, go see a doctor. It can be a sign of cancer, researchers report. “Unexpected weight loss can come from cancer or many other conditions,” said study senior author Dr. Brian Wolpin. He directs the Gastrointestinal Cancer Center at the… read on > read on >
