“Mindfulness” practices may help parents of young children with autism manage their daily stressors, and it could benefit their kids in the process, a preliminary study suggests. Parenting is stressful, and studies show that parents of kids with autism often have particularly high stress levels. Autism is a developmental brain disorder that, to varying degrees,… read on > read on >
Brain cancers are notoriously difficult to treat because most chemotherapy drugs can’t breach the blood-brain barrier, a microscopic layer of cells that protect the brain from toxins. But researchers now say they can temporarily open that barrier and get more chemo to brain tumors, using an experimental ultrasound device. The technology led to a four-… read on > read on >
Half of U.S. parents think social media is bad for their kids’ mental health, a new survey reveals. The finding highlights growing concerns about how these platforms affect children’s and adolescents’ well-being, according to the On Our Sleeves Movement for Children’s Mental Health, which had the Harris Poll conduct the survey. The program encourages parents… read on > read on >
Add airplane noise to the list of issues keeping people up at night, at least for those who live near U.S. airports. Researchers found that exposure to airplane sounds — even at moderate levels — increased the odds of short sleep. They reported that people exposed to airplane noise levels as low as 45 decibels… read on > read on >
In U.S. states that provide financial assistance for low-income families, the difference is evident in children’s brains, researchers report. Their study found disparities in brain structure between children from high-income households compared to low-income households. However, the disparity was more than a third lower in states offering greater cash assistance to low-income families, compared to… read on > read on >
When the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a woman’s constitutional right to abortion in June, internet searches for information related to abortion and contraception surged. Searches for abortion-related terms increased much more in U.S. states where access to reproductive health care faced imminent restrictions, according to a new study. Lead researcher Sumedha Gupta, an associate… read on > read on >
Could an electronic chest “tattoo” — wireless, lightweight and razor-thin — upend heart monitoring and lower the odds of heart disease for folks who are at high-risk? Just possibly. The clear patch in question is not quite 4 by 5 inches in size, weighs less than an ounce, and is powered by a battery no… read on > read on >
Physical activity after a stroke may be crucial to a more successful recovery, according to a study by Swedish researchers. They found that patients who increased and sustained their exercise in the six months after their stroke were functioning better than those who didn’t. “People who have experienced a stroke can gain functional benefits by… read on > read on >
U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy has declared war on what he calls a “loneliness epidemic” in the United States. Murthy announced a “National Strategy to Advance Social Connection” to address this “epidemic of loneliness and isolation.” “In recent years, about one-in-two adults in America reported experiencing loneliness,” Murthy said in an advisory released Monday… read on > read on >
Of all the skin cancers, melanoma is the one that scares doctors and patients the most. Luckily, there are now several options for treatment should you be diagnosed with this aggressive, sometimes deadly, cancer. Melanoma affects over 1 million Americans, and its rates have risen significantly in the past 30 years, according to the American… read on > read on >
