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Articles from Contributor
Study: parenting style can rein in teen drinking
It’s one of the epically frustrating truths of family life — and the plot point that starts a thousand teen movies: parents have very little say over whether or not their teen children decide to do stuff. Especially stuff that might hurt them, like drinking alcohol or playing dangerous ball games.
But a new study from Brigham …
A swinger’s risk of sexually transmitted infections
As well as skeeving us all out, swingers — couples who regularly swap partners at organized parties or clubs — may have rates of sexually transmitted infection (STI) that are higher than those in high-risk groups, like female prostitutes, a Dutch study found. Middle-aged swingers, over the age of 45, were particularly vulnerable to …
Study: morning-after pill doesn’t reduce unwanted pregnancy
When the emergency contraception—or the morning-after pill—became available to adult women without prescription in the U.S. in 2006, it predictably whipped up a public health controversy. Some commentators said it would encourage unprotected sex and raise the rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs). The Food and Drug …
Beverage makers voluntarily cut soda sales to schools
Even former President Bill Clinton, not always the model of healthy eating, admitted he was surprised by the results of a three-year program to remove full-calorie soft drinks from schools. At a press conference in New York City on Monday, Clinton announced that since 2006, 88% fewer beverage calories were shipped to U.S. elementary, …
Lung-cancer patients who quit smoking survive longer
There’s no question that quitting smoking benefits your health, not least by reducing your risk of developing lung cancer. But what if you’re a smoker who has already been diagnosed with lung cancer — will quitting give you any advantage in fighting the disease?
Trial run: testing the barefoot running trend
I don’t particularly enjoy running. On the other hand, I don’t particularly enjoy being overweight and out of shape either, so I do it — usually about three times a week, depending on my work schedule and willpower. But over the years I’ve developed chronic soreness in my knees and lower back, which I attribute at least in …
Can blueberry juice boost your memory?
It’s hard to find fresh blueberries this time of year, but you might consider buying blueberry juice, particularly if you’re having chronic trouble remembering where you put the car keys. According to a small new study in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, drinking blueberry juice can actually improve your …
Can Cheap Sunglasses Be Bad for Your Eyes?
As people eagerly head out into the sun to soak up the last weeks of summer, inevitably some will end up picking up a cheap pair of sunglasses — because you left your good ones at home, or in the back of an airplane seat or in a cab, or just because those ones the street vendor is hawking are so cute. Yet, according to …
Why Are More Kids Getting Hurt in Gym Class?
Between 1997 and 2007, the annual number of gym class injuries grew by 150%, according to a study published in this week’s edition of the journal Pediatrics. In 1997, there were an average 4.39 trips to the emergency room per every 10,000 kids; a decade later, that was up to 10.9 visits. “This is a really big increase,” says Lara …
Marriage 101
Getting married during challenging times — say, during a global economic downturn — can put stresses on your budding relationship that most couples aren’t forced to endure for years. Yet, according to researchers, there may be an upside to testing your bond early on.
Is Giving Young Doctors More Rest Good for Patients?
A European regulation put into effect August 1 limiting junior doctors from working more than 48 hours a week — down from a 56-hour week set in 2007 — has stirred up turmoil in the U.K.’s medical community.
Does It Matter If Rorschach Blots Are Online?
When an emergency room doctor from Saskatchewan posted the 10 Rorschach inkblots on Wikipedia recently, it sparked a controversy over whether access to the images — and patients’ common interpretations of them — could enable mental health patients to “cheat” on the diagnostic test. What do you think? Should Wikipedia take them down? …