From a fall to an auto accident, many activities can lead to a dislocation, says Mayo Clinic. Dislocations happen when the ends of your bones are removed from their normal positions. If you believe you have a dislocated joint, seek medical care immediately. Until getting help, splint the joint into a fixed position. Do not…  read on >

Using “synthetic pot” is rolling the dice with your health, experts warn, pointing to a healthy 26-year-old woman who ended up in the ER after smoking a batch laced with rat poison. Synthetic pot is created in a lab. It’s supposed to safely mimic marijuana by targeting the same cannabinoid receptors as the real thing.…  read on >

Your lunch leftovers are doing no favors for urban birds’ hearts, new research shows. Fatty food scraps may be boosting the cholesterol levels of crows in U.S. cities, but whether it’s a threat to their health isn’t clear. A team from Hamilton College in Clinton, N.Y., analyzed blood cholesterol levels of 140 crow nestlings in…  read on >

Tearing a nail from the nail bed can be very painful. From infection to a jam, nail separation can have a variety of causes, says the University of Wisconsin. To treat a torn nail, the school suggests: Trim or file any sharp edges. Trim off the detached part of a large tear. Soak your finger…  read on >

A quirk in quality testing could mean that pot-laced chocolates are more potent than their label indicates, researchers report. Many states that allow the sale of marijuana-infused edibles — gummy bears, cookies and chocolates — require package labeling that shows the products’ level of THC, the compound that gets you high. But potency testing on…  read on >

Books, tablets, lunch: Stuff can really start to weigh heavily in your kid’s school backpack. And so experts at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) are offering tips on backpack safety to parents as a new school year begins. That’s because heavy and improperly worn backpacks can trigger back, neck and shoulder-related pain in…  read on >

Your dog might be your heart’s best friend, if a new study is any indication. Researchers found that compared with people who had no pets, dog owners tended to have fewer risk factors for heart disease: They got more exercise, and had healthier diets and lower blood sugar levels. Even compared with other pet owners,…  read on >

Critically ill kids are far more likely to survive if they’re treated at hospital emergency rooms that are well-equipped to care for children, a new study finds. Researchers analyzed data on more than 20,400 critically ill youngsters seen in ERs at 426 hospitals in Florida, Iowa, Massachusetts, Nebraska and New York state. The risk of…  read on >

Norovirus is the most common cause of foodborne diarrhea and vomiting, says the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Those with norovirus may feel sick for several days before getting better. To help prevent norovirus, the CDC suggests: Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water. Carefully wash fruits and vegetables before eating them.…  read on >