If you or a family member has asthma, your doctor has most likely mapped out the steps you need to take to treat an asthma flare. Creating a healthier home by minimizing your triggers can be as effective as medication for reducing symptoms and flares, according to a study from the American Academy of Pediatrics.…  read on >

If your loved one’s crooning is music to your ears, the reason appears to rest with part of brain that is super-sensitive to pitch. That’s the upshot of a new study offering a fresh look into what makes us human. For the research, which aimed to understand the role of music in health, researchers compared…  read on >

Allergy medications often contain an antihistamine. Some antihistamines can make users feel drowsy, unfocused and slow to react, says the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. When taking allergy medication, the FDA suggests: Follow directions, and read all package warnings. Use caution when driving or operating machinery. Avoid using alcohol, sedatives and tranquilizers after having taken…  read on >

For most insect stings, a person can be treated at home, says MedlinePlus. For non-severe reactions, first aid is as follows: Do not use tweezers. Scrape a straight-edged object across the stinger for removal. Wash the site with soap and water. Apply ice on the site for 10 minutes. Take an antihistamine, or apply cream.…  read on >

Vitamin supplements don’t appear to prevent type 2 diabetes in those at highest risk for the disease, a new study finds. Some studies have suggested that low vitamin D levels might increase the odds of developing diabetes and that boosting levels could prevent it, but these findings throw cold water on these assumptions. In this…  read on >

The waning effectiveness of a flawed whooping cough vaccine is the main culprit in recent outbreaks of the highly contagious bacterial infection, a new study reports. More than four out of five confirmed whooping cough (pertussis) cases strike children who are fully vaccinated, the study authors said. That’s because the vaccine for whooping cough loses…  read on >

Shingles isn’t usually considered a kids’ disease, but children can get this painful condition. Fortunately, the chickenpox vaccine can also protect them against it, a new study finds. “The virus that causes chickenpox also causes shingles. It’s pretty uncommon in kids, but we wanted to see what would happen to the rates of shingles among…  read on >

The kind of foods you eat, and even the order in which you eat them can affect your odds of developing type 2 diabetes, three new studies suggest. The studies — being presented to the American Society for Nutrition — found: Switching to a mostly plant-based diet (but one that could still include meat and…  read on >

Got a stuffy nose? If you vape, that might be why. Research in animals suggests vaping makes it harder to clear your nose of mucus, a new study reports. Experiments in sheep showed electronic cigarette vapor can cause a condition called mucociliary dysfunction, which makes it harder to move mucus or phlegm. Sheep were chosen…  read on >