Breastfeeding can deliver long-term heart benefits to both mother and child, a new statement from the American Heart Association (AHA) says. The immune systems of newborns and infants can be strengthened by breast milk, which has long been acknowledged as an ideal nutrient during those first months of life. But scientists also discovered recently that…  read on >  read on >

This year’s hurricane season has been quiet so far, but if and when it cranks up many American cities won’t be prepared to execute mass evacuations, a new study finds. After Hurricane Katrina slammed into New Orleans in 2005, the country bore witness to the pitfalls of not having an effective evacuation plan. Since then…  read on >  read on >

Smoking is even worse for your heart than you might already think, new Danish research warns. “It is well known that smoking causes blocked arteries, leading to coronary heart disease and stroke,” said researcher Dr. Eva Holt, of Herlev and Gentofte Hospital in Copenhagen. “Our study shows that smoking also leads to thicker, weaker hearts,”…  read on >  read on >

An experimental antibody therapy for multiple sclerosis can cut symptom flare-ups by half, versus a standard treatment, a new clinical trial has found. The drug, called ublituximab, beat a standard oral medication for MS in reducing patients’ relapses — periods of new or worsening symptoms. It also proved better at preventing areas of inflammatory damage…  read on >  read on >

Lori McClintock, the wife of Northern California congressman Tom McClintock, died late last year after taking white mulberry leaf, a herb used to treat diabetes, obesity and high cholesterol, a recently released report shows. The cause of death listed in the report was dehydration due to gastroenteritis caused by “adverse effects of white mulberry leaf…  read on >  read on >