Singing in a choir may be good for your soul, but it can also spread COVID-19 far more easily than conversation does. A new study also found that the louder and person sings or talks, the more particles are spewed into the air, and that more particles are released by men than women, and by…  read on >  read on >

A holiday visit with older relatives might be a good chance to help them remove fall risks in their home, an expert suggests. Older adults’ risk of falling may have increased during the pandemic due to declines in physical activity and mobility, along with increased isolation, a University of Michigan poll shows. Many also became…  read on >  read on >

A return to a more normal holiday season may also mean higher stress levels, so an expert offers some coping tips. Don’t get too focused on buying the perfect presents, making the best dinner or planning the perfect party. Try to be mindful of pleasant things and moments, suggested Jennifer Wegmann, a health and wellness…  read on >  read on >

Women getting vaccinated against the cancer-causing human papillomavirus (HPV) now need two or three shots, but an African clinical trial suggests a single dose is just as effective. The finding could speed up the immunization process in developing countries with high levels of HPV-related cancers and protect many more women more quickly. “These findings are…  read on >  read on >

When it comes to helping others and your health, it might be better to give than to receive, a new study suggests. Researchers surveyed more than 1,000 Americans between 34 and 84 about their social involvement and how much they thought they could rely on their family, friends or a spouse if they needed help.…  read on >  read on >

There is a very low risk that pregnant women with COVID-19 will pass the virus to their unborn babies, researchers say. The study should reassure expectant parents, said the British investigators. To find out if and how the virus could pass from an infected pregnant women to her fetus, the team examined various fetal organs…  read on >  read on >

Parents and children who were separated under the Trump administration’s “zero tolerance” immigration policy have shown lasting psychological trauma — even after being reunited, a new study finds. Between 2017 and 2018, more than 5,000 children were separated from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border under the policy, which aimed to deter asylum seekers. The…  read on >  read on >

Republican lawmakers in several states are pushing vaccine mandate exemptions for workers who have so-called natural immunity due to a previous COVID-19 infection. That’s despite evidence that vaccination can reduce the risk of COVID-19 even for those with a history of infection, and the fact that there’s no easy way to assess the protection provided…  read on >  read on >

Debate rages over access to abortion, but experts say the collected medical evidence makes one thing clear — it is a fundamentally safe procedure for women. Abortion is safer than childbirth and it’s also safer than a host of other common procedures — colonoscopy, tonsillectomy and plastic surgery, said Dr. Sarah Prager, a professor of…  read on >  read on >