Flat feet occurs when one foot or both feet have a flatter-than-normal arch, says the Institute for Preventive Foot Health. About 18 million adults in the United States have the condition. The institute says cases that aren’t inherited may be prevented by: Wearing well-designed footwear. Looking for wide toe boxes in the front of the…  read on >

Opening all of a person’s clogged arteries after a heart attack can protect their health better than reopening only the one that caused it, a major international clinical trial has concluded. Opening all blockages and not just the “culprit” behind the attack reduces a patient’s risk of dying or having another heart attack by 26%,…  read on >

If you have high blood pressure, getting a flu shot could save your life, researchers say. A new study found that patients with high blood pressure who got a flu shot had a nearly 18% lower risk of dying during flu season. Previous research has found that the stress flu puts on the body may…  read on >

Tired of that spare tire? Low-calorie diets work, but can be difficult to follow. A much simpler approach to losing weight might be to just stop eating every other day. It’s called alternate-day fasting (ADF). As the name implies, you starve yourself by fasting one day and then you feast the next, and then repeat…  read on >

Do you ever think that being more at ease at social and business functions could make you happier or possibly help you get ahead at work? Your personality greatly influences your life because it influences so many aspects of your day-to-day world, from personal to business relationships, from your mental to your physical well-being. The…  read on >

Swedish researchers think they have honed in on why people with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are more likely to die prematurely. Accidental injuries, suicide and substance abuse all play a part, and psychiatric problems fuel these factors, a new study from the Karolinska Institute suggests. To arrive at that conclusion, the researchers examined data from nearly…  read on >

Your lunch leftovers are doing no favors for urban birds’ hearts, new research shows. Fatty food scraps may be boosting the cholesterol levels of crows in U.S. cities, but whether it’s a threat to their health isn’t clear. A team from Hamilton College in Clinton, N.Y., analyzed blood cholesterol levels of 140 crow nestlings in…  read on >

Your dog might be your heart’s best friend, if a new study is any indication. Researchers found that compared with people who had no pets, dog owners tended to have fewer risk factors for heart disease: They got more exercise, and had healthier diets and lower blood sugar levels. Even compared with other pet owners,…  read on >