Smoking is associated with 1 in 5 deaths in the United States, according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. The agency suggests these methods that may help you quit: Commit to quitting and get motivated to make a change. Get support from friends and family. Consider using medicine to help you quit, and… read on >
Frolicking in the sea may torpedo your health, new research suggests. It found a twofold increased risk for general ear problems, a 77 percent increased risk for earaches and a 29 percent increased risk for diarrhea and other gastrointestinal illnesses among people who swam in the sea. The findings came from an analysis of 19… read on >
With spring allergy season just around the corner, it’s time to start thinking about how to deal with your symptoms, experts say. “Bottom line, very few people suffer from the same allergies or symptoms,” Dr. Bradley Chipps, president of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI), said in a news release from the… read on >
A new British study of nearly 300,000 people dismantles the “obesity paradox,” a theory that claims being obese does not necessarily raise heart risks. Instead, the researchers found, obesity increases the risk for heart attacks, strokes and high blood pressure, and the risk increases the more fat one carries around the waist. “The higher total… read on >
Think you could taste the difference between recycled toilet water, bottled water or tap water? It’s unlikely, results of a blind taste test suggest. Years of drought in California have given momentum to household use of recycled wastewater. Six water agencies in the state already use wastewater that’s produced through a technology called indirect potable… read on >
Thinking about a vasectomy? Now — as March Madness begins — might be just the time for the procedure. The NCAA basketball tournament and other major “sporting events are a popular time for men to schedule a vasectomy because we advise them to take it easy for two to three days after the procedure,” Dr.… read on >
You can add hearing loss to the many health risks of smoking, new research suggests. For the study, researchers analyzed eight years of health data on more than 50,000 people in Japan. After accounting for work-related noise exposure and other hearing loss risk factors, the investigators found that smokers were 1.2 to 1.6 times more… read on >
Eating one serving of green leafy vegetables per day is associated with slower age-related cognitive decline, recent research suggests. Reported in the journal Neurology — the study involved 960 adults with an average age of 81 and no sign of dementia. The difference between those who ate the greens and those who did not was… read on >
A large study has confirmed what many public health experts have long believed: Colonoscopy saves lives. The study looked at roughly 25,000 patients in the Veterans Affairs (VA) health system, where colonoscopy is widely used. The VA views it as the main screening test for patients aged 50 and older who have average odds for… read on >
People who’ve had a heart attack are more likely to be prescribed and take recommended blood-thinning drugs if they get vouchers to waive their co-payments, a new study shows. The finding comes from a study of 11,000 people treated for heart attack at 300 U.S. hospitals. All of the patients had health insurance: 64 percent… read on >
