Many of us make choices about whether to eat healthy or not-so-healthy foods based on whether we’re in a good or not-so-good mood. When a bad mood strikes, we often tend to reach for junk food. And that can be a recipe for disaster when you’re trying to lose weight. Here’s how to keep your…  read on >

Cramps are a better-known symptom of a woman’s period, but about 20 percent of women are also prone to migraine headaches during menstruation. The Office on Women’s Health suggests seeing a doctor if you have any of these symptoms during menstruation: Your headaches change. Treatments that once worked no longer help. You have side effects…  read on >

Researchers say they are one step closer to testing a heroin vaccine in humans — in what they hope will become an additional weapon in fighting America’s opioid epidemic. Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute, in California, have developed an experimental vaccine that appears safe and effective in animals. It also has a long enough…  read on >

Palliative care is designed to improve the quality of life and help manage the symptoms of a serious iilness, the U.S. National Institutes of Health says. The focus is on keeping a person comfortable and happy, and can be provided alongside treatment. Palliative care can be provided in nursing homes, outpatient clinics, residences and hospitals,…  read on >

There’s some good news for expecting moms who are trying to weather a brutal flu season — a new study shows that getting the flu vaccine during pregnancy causes no harm to newborns. Researchers reviewed records on more than 400,000 infants born between 2004 and 2014, and found no increased risk of infant hospitalization or…  read on >

An opioid addiction treatment program for Rhode Island prison inmates appears to have significantly reduced overdose deaths among those who are released, researchers say. The program screens all inmates for opioid addiction and provides medications to treat the addiction. It was launched in 2016 and is the only program of its kind in the United…  read on >

An electronic health record, or EHR, is the digital version of the paper records documenting your health care. These online records are an advance in health management in many ways. These records mean fewer and shorter forms to fill out at appointments. Your information gets to all of your providers so they can coordinate your…  read on >

Vaccination is the best way to prevent whooping cough, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says. Whooping cough (pertussis) is a very contagious disease that causes about half its victims aged 1 or younger to end up in the hospital, the agency says. The CDC offers these suggestions to help protect your baby: Vaccinate…  read on >