A small daily dose of nature may be the perfect prescription for stress. An eight-week study found that people who spent at least 20 minutes a day in places that made them feel connected to nature had significantly lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol. This so-called “nature pill” could be a low-cost antidote to… read on >
About 100 kids a day are rushed to U.S. emergency rooms after accidentally swallowing a toy piece, battery, magnet or other foreign object, according to new research. That’s almost twice as many as in the mid-1990s. “The sheer number of these injuries is cause for concern,” said Dr. Danielle Orsagh-Yentis, lead author of the study… read on >
Privacy curtains in hospital rooms might offer patients some personal dignity, but they can also harbor dangerous, drug-resistant bacteria. That’s the claim of a new study where researchers took more than 1,500 samples from privacy curtains in 625 rooms at six skilled nursing facilities in Michigan. The samples were collected from the parts of the… read on >
A tragedy can happen in any swimming pool without proper supervision, says Intermountain Healthcare. Following water safety guidelines can prevent children from drowning. Intermountain Healthcare urges parents to: Always watch children who are in the water. Be alert. Learn infant and child CPR. Have a phone nearby in case of emergency. Never leave children alone… read on >
Mindlessly switching from your smartphone to other media devices and back again might lead to added pounds, scientists say. A small, new study found that heavy-duty media multitaskers also tended to be heavier, weight-wise. It’s possible that these devices are actually changing the brain, theorized lead author Richard Lopez, a postdoctoral fellow in psychology at… read on >
Almost one in five multiple sclerosis patients may be misdiagnosed with the autoimmune disease, according to a new study. Of 241 previously diagnosed multiple sclerosis (MS) patients referred to two major Los Angeles medical centers for treatment, nearly 18% did not actually have the autoimmune disease, the researchers found. Those patients spent an average of… read on >
Sunscreen may do double duty when you’re outside on a summer day, keeping you cool as it protects your skin from the sun’s harmful rays. New research suggests how: When unprotected skin is exposed to the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays, skin cells typically see a drop in levels of nitric oxide. This compound helps the… read on >
Are you neglecting or even unaware of the muscles in your back? If so, you’re putting yourself at risk. The trapezius is the diamond-shaped muscle that runs from neck to middle back and from shoulder to shoulder across the back. The latissimus dorsi — or “lats” — are the large back muscles that run from… read on >
Traffic pollution causes about 4 million new asthma cases in children worldwide each year, new research shows. Two-thirds of these kids live in urban areas, according to the study by researchers at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. “Our findings suggest that millions of new cases of pediatric asthma could be prevented in cities around… read on >
When babysitting, it’s important to know what to do in an emergency, says Safe Sitter. Sometimes, unfortunate incidents can happen, even if you’re careful. Being prepared is the safest precaution for anyone watching children. Safe Sitter offers this guidance to sitters: For fires and break-ins, stay calm, stay low and call 9-1-1. If the power… read on >
