It might seem odd to think of pre-kindergarten toddlers as students in need of teachers, but the latest research suggests that some form of instruction may help children to better prepare for school.
New Fat Fighting Machines: Real, FDA Approved
Two new machines that either freeze or deflate fat cells, helping to assist weight loss and even change a person’s overall shape, may be on the market soon. According to the FDA, they are not a gimmick.
Girls Kissing Girls: Explaining the Trend
Britney and Madonna did it; so did Scarlett Johansson and Sandra Bullock. And so do women in bars, at mixers, on the street and, increasingly, in private — especially when those women are college students. The “it” is the kiss, …
FDA Panel Won’t Restrict Cough Syrup
As Healthland noted earlier, the FDA considered imposing an age limit on purchasing cough syrup, due to its abuse among teenagers. But last night, a panel assembled by the FDA voted to keep cough syrups like Robitussin and …
Family MattersPregnancy
Osama Bin Laden as Doting Granddad?
It was hard to know how to feel when I heard that a British surrogate carrying Osama bin Laden’s twin grandchildren had lost the pregnancy in a bizarre, somewhat incomprehensible attack in Syria.
CommittedFamily
More Americans Consider Pets Family, But Not Gay Couples
What makes a family? Do pets count? Same sex couples? Unmarried heterosexual couples? Anybody who lives together? According to a new book out Sept. 15, more Americans think pets count as family members (51%) than same-sex couples …
Study We Didn’t Make Up: Health Reporters Are Better Journalists
We don’t like to toot our own horn over here at Healthland, but we’d be remiss not to bring you the latest in public-health research. According to a five-year University of Toronto review of Australian newspapers, health …
Why Depressed Medical Students Stigmatize Depression
Medical students tend to hold negative stereotypes about depression when they suffer from the disorder themselves. Why? The high-pressure, cutthroat environment of medical school may be to blame.
Are You a Type D Personality? Your Heart May Be at Risk
Stress is a major contributor to heart disease, so it’s no surprise that researchers have associated anxious Type A personalities with a greater risk of heart attack. Now they’ve connected another personality profile with heart …
All Together Now: Eeeeuuuww!
Here’s a tip: If you ever use a public restroom at New York’s Penn Station, consider buying a hazmat suit first and decontaminating before you rejoin the world. Many commuters passing through the station — and the bathroom — …
Family MattersNutrition
Better-Nourished Babies Grow Up to Be Haler, Heartier Don Juans
Who knew that the first six months of life could be so, well, weighty? A new study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences tracked 800 young Filipino men since birth. They found that those who grew quickest from …
CommittedChildhood
It Had to Happen: Breasts in 3D
Several years ago when Jeffrey Katzenberg was doing his full-throttle media tour to sing the praises of 3D cinema, a couple of journalists in the audience had the same question in mind: what does this mean for pornography?
High Fructose Corn Syrup Wants A New Name
High fructose corn syrup — an ingredient in everything from soda to ketchup to pickles — has such a bad reputation that the Corn Refiners Association (CRA) wants to change the name of the popular sweetener to “corn sugar.”