The numbers surrounding the continuing cat video craze are astounding. In one year alone, more than 2 million cat videos were posted on YouTube and had close to 26 billion views. What’s even more astounding is that all that time spent watching funny and adorable cat videos can actually be a positive use of your…  read on >

Some risk factors for diabetes are under a person’s control, such as maintaining a healthy weight, eating a nutritious diet and getting enough exercise, the American Heart Association notes. The AHA says additional risk factors that are under a person’s control include: Managing stress. Avoiding smoking. Limiting alcohol. Getting quality sleep every night. Source: HealthDay

Dairy foods might be your ticket to better heart health, even if you’re drinking whole milk and eating rich cheeses, a new study suggests. The study couldn’t prove cause-and-effect, but folks who ate three servings of dairy per day had an overall lower risk of death during the study period than people who ate no…  read on >

With Hurricane Florence barreling toward the Carolinas, the National Safety Council offers steps to stay safe. As mass evacuations begin in coastal North Carolina, and states of emergency are declared in Virginia and North and South Carolina, the council urges those along the East Coast to monitor the storm’s path and heed government warnings. Florence,…  read on >

It may seem counterintuitive, but eating bread, pasta and cereal may actually help prevent type 2 diabetes, as long as those foods are made from whole grains, new research suggests. The study found that each serving of whole-grain foods per day was linked to as much as an 11 percent drop in the risk of…  read on >

The United States is in the grip of an epidemic of opioid painkiller addiction. But now, research shows that in nearly a third of cases there’s no medical reason documented for opioids prescribed in an outpatient setting. The findings show the need for stricter rules on recording patients’ needs for the highly addictive drugs, the…  read on >

Survivors of serious bloodstream infections called sepsis are at increased risk for stroke and heart attack for four weeks after leaving the hospital, a new study finds. The study included roughly 42,300 sepsis patients in Taiwan. Of those, 22 percent died within 30 days of hospital admission. Among the survivors, 1,012 had a cardiovascular event,…  read on >

Home blood pressure monitoring can improve control of high blood pressure and reduce health care costs. That’s the conclusion of a preliminary study that included 2,550 adults with uncontrolled high blood pressure. They each received free home blood pressure monitors, online and print resources for tracking their blood pressure readings, and reminders to check their…  read on >

Heart disease is the leading cause of death among women in the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says. About one in four women is predicted to die from heart disease, the agency laments. As women age, their risk rises. But the Food and Drug Administration says there are things women can…  read on >

Starting college can be daunting, but there are a number of things new students can do to ease into this experience, a psychologist suggests. “As freshman — and their parents — begin the first semester of college, it’s important to realize that not all learning takes place in the classroom,” said Luis Manzo, executive director…  read on >