It is common and perfectly natural for a young child to feel some separation anxiety when a guardian isn’t nearby, Harvard Medical School experts say. But if separation anxiety is strong enough to interfere with normal activities such as school and friendships, it may be cause for psychological counseling, the school says. In cases of…  read on >

Kids with summer birthdays, especially those who spend long hours playing on smartphones and tablets, might be at greater risk for vision problems, a new study suggests. Nearsightedness, also called myopia, is on the rise worldwide. It’s what eye doctors call a refractive error, meaning the eyes can’t focus light properly. The result: Close objects…  read on >

A newborn can bring a sense of fulfillment to your life … and an equal amount of stress over everything from baby’s health to your own parenting skills. A few simple strategies can help both mom and dad relax. First, expect to feel many different, often contradictory emotions. You might go from pure bliss as…  read on >

Living in noise-saturated neighborhoods might be more than simply annoying, with new research suggesting it seems to raise the risk for serious heart problems. Chronic noise from traffic and airports appears to trigger the amygdala, a brain region critically involved in stress regulation, brain scans have revealed. Noise is also associated with increased inflammation of…  read on >

Some bystanders may avoid performing CPR on women because they fear hurting them, or even being accused of sexual assault, preliminary research suggests. In two new studies, researchers tried to dig deeper into a puzzling pattern that has been seen in past research: Women are less likely than men to receive bystander CPR if they…  read on >

Melanoma skin cancer death rates in men are on the rise in most countries, but are stable or declining for women in some, according to a new study. Researchers analyzed World Health Organization data from 33 countries between 1985 and 2015. Melanoma death rates in men were increasing in all but one nation. In all…  read on >

MONDAY, Nov. 5, 2018When Americans set clocks an hour ahead in the spring for Daylight Saving Time, hospitalizations rise for people with a common type of irregular heartbeat, a new study finds. Atrial fibrillation affects at least 3 million Americans and possibly twice that many. Its main danger is an increased risk for stroke or…  read on >

Opioid users may be putting themselves at increased risk for atrial fibrillation (“A-fib”), an abnormal heart rhythm that can lead to a stroke, a new study suggests. The preliminary finding stems from an analysis of medical records of more than 850,000 military veterans. It found that opioid use increases the likelihood of A-fib by 34…  read on >

The American Academy of Pediatrics is strengthening its recommendation to ban spanking and other forms of corporal punishment, citing new research that says that type of discipline can affect normal brain development. Harsh verbal punishment, such as shaming or humiliation, is also a threat to children, the AAP says in an updated policy statement. “The…  read on >