While some people may be ready and eager to reconnect with family and friends at social gatherings post-pandemic, it’s OK to feel apprehensive. As restrictions loosen because infection rates are plummeting and more people are getting vaccinated, many people are experiencing feelings that they didn’t expect — such as anxiety about returning to social situations,…  read on >  read on >

A combination of poor sleep and diabetes significantly increases a person’s risk of early death, a new study finds. The analysis of data from nearly 500,000 middle-aged adults in the United Kingdom showed that compared to other folks, the risk of death from any cause over nearly nine years was 87% higher among those with…  read on >  read on >

In rural America, more people die from chronic health conditions and substance abuse than in suburbs and cities, and the gap is widening. Researchers report in a new study that the difference in rural and urban death rates tripled over the past 20 years mostly due to deaths among middle-aged white men and women. “We…  read on >  read on >

ADHD medications might help lessen the risk of suicide in children with serious behavioral issues, a new study suggests. Researchers found that medications like Ritalin and Adderall, commonly prescribed for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), were linked to a lower risk of suicidal behavior among 9- and 10-year-olds with substantial “externalizing” symptoms. That included children with high…  read on >  read on >

Fewer temptations at checkout? People may spend more money when they buy their groceries online, but they also tend to buy fewer unhealthy, “impulse-sensitive” foods like candy and cookies, new research shows. For the study, the researchers looked at the shopping habits of 137 primary household shoppers in Maine to compare their in-store and online…  read on >  read on >