Pierced ears may be all the rage, but they can lead to infection if not properly cared for. The American Academy of Dermatology Association suggests how to reduce your risk: Always wash your hands after touching your ears. After you pierce your ears, leave the earrings in for at least six weeks to prevent the…  read on >

MONDAY, March, 26, 2018Poverty may be fueling America’s opioid crisis, a new study suggests. Of the more than 515,000 Americans who have died from drug overdoses since 2006, most lived in poor areas where there were few job opportunities, researchers discovered. It turns out that economic and social conditions appear to be driving the geographic…  read on >

Teen boys in the United States are less likely than girls to be vaccinated against human papillomavirus (HPV) because many doctors don’t recommend the shots to boys’ parents, researchers say. HPV is a sexually transmitted virus that can cause cervical, vulvar, vaginal, penile, anal, mouth and throat cancers. The HPV vaccine is recommended as a…  read on >

Stress can be triggered by workplace tension, a new baby, an upcoming event or even day-to-day traffic or long lines. Chronic stress may put you at risk for a host of health issues, including digestive problems, anxiety, headache, depression, sleep problems, weight gain, memory problems, high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke, the American Heart…  read on >

Tree care workers have one of the nation’s most perilous jobs, and the danger could grow as climate change increases the risk to trees from major storms, diseases, insects, drought and fire, experts warn. Better training and safety in tree care operations are essential, according to researchers from Rutgers University in New Brunswick, N.J. Every…  read on >

Simply climbing a single set of stairs, walking around the block or taking a three-minute jog can improve a middle-aged person’s health, even when such activity is spread across the day, new research suggests. After tracking the activity habits and health of more than 4,800 adults 40 years old and up for four years, researchers…  read on >

Quicker action to cut fossil fuel emissions and slow climate change could prevent as many as 153 million premature deaths worldwide this century, new research contends. That’s how many lives could be saved in 154 of the world’s largest cities through immediate action to reduce emissions and limit the global temperature increase to 2.7 degrees…  read on >

In the battle of the bulge, it’s not just getting exercise that matters — what you do when you’re not formally working out counts, too. Research shows that even getting 30 minutes of focused exercise a day may not be enough to ward off health woes if most of your leisure time is spent sitting.…  read on >

After American women began to adopt annual mammography screening in the 1980s, a very healthy thing happened: the average size of newly discovered breast tumors got smaller. That’s the finding from a new look at data on more than 386,000 U.S. women who were diagnosed with breast cancer between 1983 and 2014. The average size…  read on >

Millions of Americans buy marijuana online illegally, a new study found. “Anyone, including teenagers, can search for and buy marijuana from their smartphone, regardless of what state they live in,” said study leader John Ayers. He’s an associate research professor at San Diego State University’s School of Public Health. In the study, Ayers’ team examined…  read on >