Roughly 20% of Americans are diagnosed with skin cancer at some point in their lives, but it’s not inevitable. Skin cancer is not only the most common cancer, it’s also the most preventable. Most of the time, too much sun exposure is to blame. “When it comes to skin cancer, prevention is key,” surgical oncologist…  read on >  read on >

Going to the gym is good for your overall health, but if you and the gym aren’t practicing good hygiene you could still catch a nasty illness, an expert says. “Good hygiene prevents sicknesses like a cold, influenza and even salmonella, but cleanliness can also indicate that a gym is well-maintained overall, including the quality…  read on >  read on >

Simple exercises performed during rounds of chemotherapy can help people avoid nerve damage normally associated with the cancer-killing drugs, a new study suggests. About twice as many cancer patients on chemo wound up with long-lasting nerve damage if they didn’t exercise, compared with two groups assigned different exercise regimens, researchers reported July 1 in the…  read on >  read on >

Parks and lakes aren’t just good for your soul — new research suggests they also appear to protect your arteries. Living near green space and “blue” water space lowers a person’s odds of hardened arteries in middle-aged urban dwellers, researchers found. For every 10% increase in access to green space, the odds of having coronary…  read on >  read on >

Tai Chi appears to improve sleep, and as a result reduces inflammation and boosts the immune systems of breast cancer survivors, a new study says. The ancient Chinese martial arts practice relies on slow, precise movements performed as the person breathes deeply and focuses attention on the body. This mind-body practice appears as good as…  read on >  read on >

Youth sports are important for the development of children and teenagers, but there’s no sure way to ensure a youngster doesn’t get hurt while competing. That’s why it’s important for parents to spot and appropriately respond to their children’s sports injuries, Dr. Eileen Crawford, an orthopedic surgeon with the University of Michigan Health C.S. Mott…  read on >  read on >

Role models are important in health as well as in life, but such inspiration is more likely to come from your mom than a celebrity like Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, a new study says. People had greater motivation to reach their health goals if they looked to a person in their everyday life – a…  read on >  read on >

A tough-to-treat, drug-resistant fungal infection may be as close as your local garden center, new research shows. Investigators at the University of Georgia (UGA) in Athens found high levels of multidrug-resistant fungi in compost, soil and flower bulbs sold at popular retailers. “Gardening is a nice, stress-relieving hobby. But I’m nervous for people who may…  read on >  read on >