From the hills of Hollywood to the halls of Congress, it’s now clear that sexual harassment in the workplace has long been a fact of life for working women. But while the media highlights high-profile firings — NBC anchor Matt Lauer and NPR showman Garrison Keillor among the latest — little attention has been given…  read on >

What makes a poem touch your heart? New research suggests that poetry that triggers vivid mental images and positive emotions tends to be the most enjoyed. For the study, researchers had more than 400 people read and rate two types of poems — haikus and sonnets. “People disagree on what they like, of course,” said…  read on >

Add one more reason to why you should brush and floss regularly: Gum disease bacteria are now tied to higher odds of esophageal cancer. The study tracked the oral health of 122,000 Americans for 10 years. It found that the presence of two types of bacteria linked with gum disease may hike the risk of…  read on >

A little knowledge can go a long way in the fight against cervical cancer. In fact, the more women know about the disease, the greater their chances of being able to prevent it, say cancer experts from the City of Hope, a cancer treatment and research center in California. Death rates from cervical cancer have…  read on >

“Sexting” refers to sending a text message with pictures that are inappropriate, especially involving nudity. According to a recent survey by the American Academy of Pediatrics, about 20 percent of teen boys and girls have acknowledged sending such messages. The AAP suggests how to talk about sexting with your child: Discuss the issue with your…  read on >

Teens fixated on their smartphones experience changes to their brain chemistry that mirror those prompted by addiction, a new study suggests. Kids who compulsively used the internet or fiddled with their phones tended to have increased neurotransmitter activity in the anterior cingulate cortex, a region tied to the brain’s systems of behavior reward, control of…  read on >

The epidemic of opioid abuse in the United States has put hospital ERs on the front line, with staffers increasingly battling infections tied to the problem. ERs are seeing an increasing number of patients seeking care for severe infections resulting from injected use of heroin, fentanyl, oxycodone and the like, new research shows. ER radiologists…  read on >

THURSDAY, Nov. 30, 2017More stringent gun laws might spur a decline n domestic violence murders, new research suggests. Thirteen states and federal law prohibit people convicted of domestic violence from buying guns. But the study found that states that extended this ban to people convicted of any violent crime had 23 percent fewer domestic violence…  read on >

A new treatment that aims electrical pulses at irritated nerves around the spinal cord appears effective at relieving chronic lower back pain and sciatica, a preliminary study suggests. The minimally invasive procedure, called image-guided pulsed radiofrequency, eased lingering pain in 80 percent of 10 patients after a single 10-minute treatment. Ninety percent were able to…  read on >

Even if he’s a good boy, don’t put bone treats in your dog’s stocking this holiday season because they can pose a serious health risk to your pooch, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warns. The FDA said it has received reports of 68 pet illnesses and 15 deaths caused by bone treats. The reports…  read on >