It’s natural for a parent to want to protect their children and keep them from harm. But sometimes this understandable desire crosses over into “helicopter parenting,” an overbearing need to be part of a child’s every decision and dilemma. “A helicopter parent is often fueled by anxiety, and that anxiety can come in different flavors:…  read on >  read on >

Taking steroids more than doubles a person’s risk of developing type 2 diabetes, a new study warns. Patients taking steroid pills, injections or infusions are 2.6 times more likely to develop diabetes than those not on steroids, researchers reported Sunday in a presentation at the annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of…  read on >  read on >

A form of psychotherapy can help women whose libidos have suffered as they go through menopause, a new study finds. Cognitive behavioral therapy significantly improved sexual desire and satisfaction in a small group of middle-aged and older women, researchers said. “To our knowledge, this is the first study that has examined the efficacy of a…  read on >  read on >

The time is now to prepare for a potential pandemic involving the H5N1 bird flu, says a group of international vaccine and public health experts. Avian influenza vaccines need to developed, stockpiled and even delivered to people at highest risk of contracting the bird flu, the experts argue in an editorial published Sept. 4 in…  read on >  read on >

Thinking about quitting smoking? There are three top ways to help you stop, a new review finds. According to the study, folks wanting to quit should turn to: Varenicline, a prescription nicotine-blocking drug sold under the brand names Chantix and Champix Cytisine, a plant-based compound sold as an over-the-counter supplement in Canada and Europe Nicotine…  read on >  read on >