Play is a child’s most important work, preschool teachers like to say, and a new American Academy of Pediatrics report wholeheartedly agrees. Play is a crucial way for kids to develop social and mental skills, head off stress and build a healthy bond with parents, the child health experts say. “We’re recommending that doctors write… read on >
While the total number of U.S. deaths from heart disease has declined in recent years, it has stayed the same for younger women. This prompted researchers from Harvard and Indiana universities to look for lifestyle factors that could promote heart health. They analyzed 20 years of records from 89,000 women, aged 27 to 44, who… read on >
Maybe it’s time to retire the office cubicle. A new study suggests that open workspaces without partitions between desks encourage employees to be more active and help curb stress. “We are becoming an increasingly sedentary workforce, and anything that we can do, even passively, to nudge physical activity up will have enormous benefits,” said lead… read on >
Nearly 40 percent of teen drivers in the United States say they text while driving, a new survey finds. Researchers analyzed survey data from teen drivers aged 14 and older in 35 states and found that more than a third said they’d texted while driving at least once in the month before the survey. In… read on >
Some simple steps can reduce danger when you venture into the great outdoors, an expert says. “Knowing your limits, not trying to do too much, knowing where you’re going and what you might encounter there and being aware of the environment you’re in are the best ways to avoid problems outdoors,” said Dr. Henderson McGinnis,… read on >
U.S. Navy veteran Lisa Conway was having trouble coping with mobility issues related to two newly diagnosed autoimmune diseases when her therapist suggested equine-assisted therapy. “I rode horses mainly as a youngster and a couple of times as an adult. When my therapist suggested equine therapy, I thought, ‘Are you kidding me? How am I… read on >
You’ve probably heard about the high-carb diet and the low-carb diet, but a new study suggests a moderate-carb diet could be the key to longevity. Researchers followed more than 15,000 people in the United States for a median of 25 years and found that low-carb diets (fewer than 40 percent of calories from carbohydrates) and… read on >
Your calendar might be filled with play-dates for your kids, but it’s important to ink in some get-togethers of your own. Existing friendships may take a back seat to other priorities, and making new friends might seem like mission impossible, but research suggests that friends may be more important to well-being than even romantic and… read on >
Trying to restore blood flow may be better than amputation for patients with a serious leg circulation problem called critical limb ischemia, a new study contends. Critical limb ischemia is the most severe form of peripheral artery disease (PAD) and can lead to ulcers, gangrene and amputation, the researchers said. “Many patients who are diagnosed… read on >
Women whose mothers lived a long and healthy life have a good chance of doing the same, a new study suggests. A long-term study of about 22,000 postmenopausal women in the United States found that those whose mothers had lived to age 90 were 25 percent more likely to reach that milestone without suffering serious… read on >
