A half-hour of morning exercise can help control blood pressure in overweight and obese people for the entire day, a new study finds. And for women in particular, adding frequent short breaks from sitting through the day can offer additional benefit, the Australian researchers said. “For both men and women, the magnitude of reduction in…  read on >

As excited as you are that your teen’s going to college, it’s normal to have mixed emotions, such as anxiety, sadness and possibly depression. It’s even normal to feel envious that his or her life is just beginning while yours is on the wane. For most parents, this rush of emotions will pass, but both…  read on >

There are plenty of ways to encourage kids to eat more fruits and vegetables, the U.S. Department of Agriculture says. Here are the agency’s suggestions: Create smoothies with fat-free or low-fat yogurt with fruit pieces and crushed ice. Use fresh, frozen, canned or even overripe fruit, such as bananas, berries, peaches or pineapple. Let your…  read on >

While the vast majority of American parents support legal medical marijuana, they want pot dispensaries banned near schools or day care centers, according to a new national survey. The C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital poll was conducted by the University of Michigan. Not only did three-quarters of parents support legalizing marijuana for medicinal use, a third…  read on >

Codeine is one of the drugs at the center of the opioid epidemic affecting adults and teens across the United States. There are also concerns about its effects on very young children — not addiction, but life-threatening events and deaths due to codeine’s side effects. Codeine has often been prescribed to kids to ease pain…  read on >

Infertility affects about 1 in 10 couples that are trying to have a baby, the U.S. National Institutes of Health says. Advancing age is a prime cause of infertility, but there are other factors that are more under a person’s control, the agency says, including: Alcohol consumption. Smoking. Environmental toxins, including pesticides and lead. Certain…  read on >

Is the dinner table a battleground at your house? Getting your kids to eat better doesn’t have to cause a fight if you follow these fast and easy strategies to enhance dishes that they already know and love. In some households, veggies and kids just don’t mix. But carrot fries have serious visual appeal plus…  read on >

An average of two children die from burns and more than 300 are treated for such injuries in U.S. emergency departments every day, a burn expert says. Burns are one of the leading causes of death and injury in the United States, and children are particularly vulnerable. Young children are at increased risk for accidental…  read on >

Infants who are given general anesthesia for an hour are unlikely to suffer harm, but the safety of longer and repeated exposure remains unknown, a new study says. Among more than 700 infants in seven countries, the researchers didn’t find any measurable neurodevelopmental or behavioral problems up to the age of 5. “Nearly half the…  read on >

Marijuana legalization has been sweeping across the United States, raising concerns that more teens will start toking as pot smoking gains in legitimacy. A new study suggests that’s not the case. Researchers actually found fewer teen marijuana users in states that have adopted medical marijuana laws. States with medical marijuana laws had 1.1 percent fewer…  read on >