The silent symptoms of stress can be easily overlooked, but they’re important to recognize to protect one’s mental health, experts say. Visible symptoms of stress are fairly obvious – irritability, anger, impatience, muscle tension. “You may not be able to hide those for a long time. Immediately, people will notice it – family, friends and…  read on >  read on >

Folks struggling to quit smoking might need a bump up on the dose of medication they’re using to help them stop, according to new clinical trial results. Patients are more likely to successfully quit if the dose of their smoking cessation treatment is increased in response to an initial failure, researchers report in the Journal…  read on >  read on >

A looming presidential election, continued economic struggles and the threat of gun violence have a rising number of Americans more anxious this year compared to last, a new poll finds. The survey, conducted in early April among 2,000 adults by the American Psychiatric Association (APA), found 43% of respondents saying they were more anxious this…  read on >  read on >

Getting the HPV shot in adolescence can spare kids a lifetime of risk for cervical and other cancers related to the virus, but only half of American kids are up-to-date on these shots. Now, a new review suggests that if schools mandate HPV shots as an entry requirement for students, immunization rates rise. “A majority…  read on >  read on >

The benefits of physical fitness for kids spill over into their mental health, new research shows. Getting plenty of exercise may guard against depressive symptoms, anxiety and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a new study published April 29 in the journal JAMA Pediatrics found. And the more exercise, the better: Higher performance in cardiovascular activities, strength and…  read on >  read on >

Teens who vape frequently are exposing themselves to harmful metals like lead and uranium, a new study finds. Lead levels in urine are 40% higher among intermittent vapers and 30% higher among frequent vapers, compared to occasional vapers, results show. And urinary levels of uranium were twice as high among frequent vapers as occasional vapers,…  read on >  read on >

Kids who don’t like vaccination shots might soon have an alternative in a painless skin patch, researchers say. More than 90% of 190 Gambian infants were protected from measles and all were protected from rubella after receiving a single vaccine dose through the patch, early trial results show. The patch contains an array of microscopic…  read on >  read on >