In the aftermath of Hurricane Florence, residents of the Carolinas are facing a new health threat: mold. Mold-related illnesses are a serious concern following severe flooding in North and South Carolina, say experts from the University of Connecticut School of Medicine. “Where there’s dampness and water, there’s mold,” said Paula Schenck, of the division of… read on >
All Health and Wellness:
Boys Lag Behind Girls in Reading by 4th Grade
By fourth grade, girls in the United States read and write better than boys, a new study reveals. Australian researchers found this gender achievement gap appears in standardized tests and worsens over time. “The common thinking is that boys and girls in grade school start with the same cognitive ability, but this research suggests otherwise,”… read on >
Mom-to-Be’s High-Gluten Diet Linked to Type 1 Diabetes in Baby
If a pregnant woman eats a lot of high-gluten foods, the odds that her child will have type 1 diabetes rise significantly, new research suggests. In the study, pregnant women who had the highest consumption of gluten had double the risk of having a child with type 1 diabetes compared to those who ate the… read on >
Health Tip: A Nutritious Diet Can Help Your Heart
Add another benefit to eating right: A highly nutritious diet can do wonders for your ticker, a new study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association finds. People with heart failure who lacked seven or more micronutrients had about double the risk of dying or being hospitalized than those who had fewer deficiencies… read on >
30 Million Americans Now Have Diabetes
1 in 7 Americans has diabetes, and many don’t even know they have the blood sugar disease, a new report shows. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 14 percent of U.S adults have diabetes — 10 percent know it and more than 4 percent are undiagnosed. “Diabetes remains a chronic health… read on >
Acupuncture: A New Look at an Ancient Remedy
Widely practiced in Asia for thousands of years, acupuncture is one of the key components of traditional Chinese medicine. Yet it’s still viewed with some skepticism in the Western world. And for the squeamish, just the idea of needles can be a turnoff. But, depending on what ails you, it might bear trying. Acupuncture uses… read on >
Smog Might Cloud Your Memory
The very air you breathe may make you vulnerable to developing dementia, a new study suggests. British researchers found that people exposed to higher levels of air pollution had 40 percent higher odds of developing dementia. “We found that older patients across greater London who were living in areas with higher air pollution were more… read on >
Injected Drug May Be New Weapon Against Gout
A new approach to preventing gout attacks looks promising for people not already helped by existing treatments. Researchers are looking at an anti-inflammatory drug called canakinumab (Ilaris) to treat this painful form of arthritis. Instead of targeting excessively high uric acid levels as existing gout drugs do, the new strategy aims to reduce overall inflammation.… read on >
Parents Blame Smartphones, Tablets for Teens’ Sleep Troubles
Many American teens are sleep-deprived, and parents blame their attachment to electronics, new survey results show. Researchers at the University of Michigan conducted a national poll of more than 1,000 parents with at least one child between 13 and 18 years old. “This poll suggests that sleep problems are common among teens and parents believe… read on >
Health Tip: Coping With ADHD
Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) makes it difficult for a person — most often a child — to pay attention and stay focused. A child with ADHD can be a more impulsive, which can lead to issues with learning and maintaining friendships. If your child is diagnosed with ADHD, he or she may have difficulty organizing… read on >