Seeing too many social media posts from friends about their fitness activity can harm your body image, a new study contends. “When people received more posts about exercise, it made them more concerned about their weight — more self-conscious — and that’s not a good thing,” said study co-author Stephen Rains. He’s a professor of… read on >
Heart disease used to be thought of as a man’s issue, but women are unfortunately catching up. And though it’s still also thought of as an older person’s disease, lifestyle factors in your younger years can make you more susceptible. So it’s never too soon to protect heart health. Young women in particular aren’t always… read on >
Temporarily boosting the dose of inhaled steroids may not do much to reduce the frequency of severe asthma flare-ups in children, according to two new studies. Short-term increases in inhaled steroids might even be tied to slightly slowed growth in kids, one of the studies suggested. Asthma flare-ups in children are common and many doctors… read on >
Women who’ve had a friend or relative die of breast cancer say they’re likely to opt for aggressive prevention measures if they develop the cancer, according to new research. “The cancer of someone you care about is a lens through which you interpret your own risk,” study lead author Tasleem Padamsee said in a news… read on >
The brutal flu season continues to ease its grip on the United States, with the latest government data showing that doctor visits are still dropping and less severe strains of the flu are starting to account for more infections. But hospitalizations for flu are still rising, as are pediatric deaths. For the third week in… read on >
Nonfatal gun injuries in the United States are becoming more severe, increasing pressure on the health care system, researchers say. Since the 1990s, the severity of nonfatal gun injuries treated in U.S. hospitals has risen 1.4 percent a year, the new study found. “Both males and females and all types of intents of firearm injury… read on >
American soldiers who have babies after a recent deployment are at increased risk of preterm birth, a new study suggests. The finding comes from the analysis of data on nearly 12,900 births to U.S. soldiers from 2011 to 2014. Overall, just over 6 percent of the births were premature — three or more weeks early.… read on >
If you’re pregnant and want to exercise in warm weather or take hot baths or short saunas, that’s safe, according to new research. Australian researchers said that doing so — within limits — should not raise your body temperature to a point that would put your baby at risk. The findings come from an analysis… read on >
If people with sleep apnea who’ve been hospitalized for any reason don’t use their breathing treatments when they return home, they’re much more likely to end up back in the hospital. They were 3.5 times more likely to be readmitted for any reason within 30 days, a new study found. And those who didn’t comply… read on >
Though the dangers of smoking during pregnancy to both mother and baby are well-known, just over 7 percent of women still light up while pregnant, a new government report shows. Younger and less educated moms-to-be were the most likely to continue puffing on cigarettes while pregnant, according to the National Center for Health Statistics, part… read on >
