Poor sleep may make your children more than just grumpy, a new study suggests. Kids who don’t get enough sleep are more likely to be obese later on, researchers report. And that might even boost their odds for cancer decades later. The study of 120 U.S. children, average age 8, linked poor sleep quality to… read on >
Acquiring an infection during pregnancy is bad for both the pregnant woman and her unborn baby. The American Academy of Pediatrics stresses the importance of making healthy choices and taking extra precautions to prevent infections during pregnancy. The AAP suggests: Wash your hands often, especially when around children. Cook meat until it’s well done. Avoid… read on >
Attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) tends to make a person more impulsive, inattentive and hyperactive. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration suggests how to help manage ADHD in children: Train parents, teachers and other caregivers in a setting where problem behaviors often occur. Behavior therapy to teach the child new behavior to replace undesirable… read on >
Millions of American families struggle to find and keep stable housing — and the fight to do so may end up harming kids’ health. Researchers found that when families faced various types of “housing instability,” moms had a higher risk of depression and kids were more likely to be in “fair” to “poor” health. It… read on >
In yet another example of how far-reaching the fallout from America’s opioid epidemic is, researchers report that babies exposed to these narcotics while in the womb run the risk of certain head and neck abnormalities. One is a twisting of the neck (torticollis) and the other is a flattening of the head (plagiocephaly), which often… read on >
About 1 in every 160 pregnancies in the United States ends in stillbirth. Now, a new study suggests many of these tragedies are “potentially” avoidable. With better prenatal and obstetric care, that stillbirth rate might improve, researchers say. “We found that about 25 percent of U.S. stillbirths were potentially preventable,” said study senior author Dr.… read on >
The flu is causing widespread misery across the United States this winter, but the American Lung Association says there are things you can do to avoid being felled by the virus. In what is being described as the worst flu season in years, 49 states are now experiencing widespread activity. So far, only Hawaii and… read on >
Up to 75 percent of women experience PMS (premenstrual syndrome) with symptoms like anxiety, irritability and fatigue, health experts say. PMS is thought to be the result of a chain reaction that starts with the drop of the hormone progesterone near the end of every monthly cycle. In lab studies, an international team of researchers… read on >
You’ve gotta be kidding me. That’s gotta be fake. That’s the understandable first reaction of many to the viral phenomenon dubbed the “Tide Pod Challenge.” Sad to say, it’s real. Prompted by internet dares, dozens of U.S. teenagers in recent weeks have popped liquid laundry detergent packets from a variety of manufacturers into their mouths… read on >
More American women started getting recommended mammography screening after an “Obamacare” rule made the tests free, a new study finds. The rule meant that Medicare and most private insurers could no longer require women to foot part of the bill — whether through copays or requiring them to pay a deductible first. After the rule… read on >
