Could wearing two masks be better than one? The emergence of new and more infectious COVID-19 variants has led health experts to consider “double masking” as a potential way to better protect yourself and those around you. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is investigating whether donning a medical mask underneath a typical… read on > read on >
Heart surgery can be stressful, but researchers may have found a way to reduce patients’ anxiety and postoperative pain — without any extra side effects. A team from the Netherlands found that the simple act of listening to music around the time of surgery may help patients as they recover. “This is a fascinating question… read on > read on >
Current and former smokers are at risk for a lung disease called pulmonary fibrosis, but many aren’t aware of the threat, the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation says. There is no cure for the disease, which affects more than 200,000 Americans. A recent foundation survey found that more than 80% of smokers are unfamiliar with pulmonary fibrosis.… read on > read on >
Why does one person take a lot of risks and another proceed with more caution? Researchers came closer to that answer with a new study that shows risk-taking behavior may be related to characteristics in the brain. The study found there is no one risk area in the brain. Instead, there are many regions where… read on > read on >
As many as one in five U.S. children has special health care needs, and some of their caregivers are struggling to get them the support, care and services they need, new research shows. Kids with special health care needs may have physical conditions (such as asthma or diabetes), mental health issues (including attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder or… read on > read on >
While pandemic lockdowns may have initially triggered feelings of isolation and worry, stay-at-home stress dissipated with time as people adjusted to their “new normal,” research suggests. In the study, scientists did a state-by-state analysis of Google search trends between January and June of 2020, covering topics such as COVID regulation policies, mental health concerns and… read on > read on >
Enlarged spaces in the brain that fill with fluid around small blood vessels may be a harbinger of impending dementia, a new Australian study suggests. Typically, these so-called perivascular spaces help clear waste and toxins from the brain and might be linked with changes in the aging brain, researchers say. “Dilated perivascular spaces, which are… read on > read on >
There have long been theories that women’s menstrual cycles align with the moon, and now a new study suggests there’s some truth to that. Using years of records kept by 22 women, researchers found that for many, menstrual cycles “intermittently” synced up with the phases of the moon. The link happened only about one-quarter of… read on > read on >
Think your dog is smart? New research suggests one way to find out. Most dogs can’t learn words without extensive training, but a few with exceptional abilities learn words without any formal training, researchers report. They learn words simply by playing with their owners. The team of Hungarian researchers investigated how quickly two of these… read on > read on >
Vitamin D is an essential nutrient, and recent research has suggested it may also help guard against severe COVID-19. But how much is enough, and how hard is it to get the right amount of vitamin D? “We know that a large percentage of the population has suboptimal levels of vitamin D. In fact, as… read on > read on >
