Colic, crying, round-the-clock wakings — is it any wonder that parents experience high rates of depression in the first year after the birth of a child?
The BPA Debate: Bad Reputation and Still No Answers
Bisphenol-A (BPA), the endocrine-disrupting chemical in plastics — and the go-to environmental health villain — has vexed public-health experts for at least a decade. Reams of inconclusive and conflicting studies on the …
Empowering the Patient as Consumer: Health Care Gets Grades
As a journalist, I’m accustomed to doing research online. Before I interview someone, travel somewhere to report or cite data from an organization, I typically do a background search. When I decide to buy something, I operate …
Recipe for Longevity: Social Drinking or Just Going to AA?
We’re so used to thinking of pleasurable things as “sinful” and “bad for you” that when the popular media, or science for that matter, attempts to validate our guilty pleasures — such as my colleague John Cloud’s excellent piece about recent research showing that heavy drinkers outlive teetotalers — skepticism runs high.
American Academy of Pediatrics: Make the Flu Shot Mandatory
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has called for mandatory annual flu shots for all health-care workers, a position similar to that of other organizations, including the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America and the American College of Physicians. Many hospitals and some health-care systems, including the clinical …
A Healthy Rosh Hashanah: A Sweet New Year, Without the Sugar
At sundown Wednesday Jewish families will ring in Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, by feasting on sweet foods like apples and honey, rugelach cookies and round honey cakes. The holiday tradition is that a sweet meal will lead to a sweet new year. So what about the diabetics and health conscious relatives at your table?
The …
For Hoarders and Addicts, Drama is Trauma — Not Therapy
Good drama relies on conflict and confrontation — but that is not true of good therapy. In fact, if you are trying to change human behavior, kindness, empathy and support are far more effective than tough love and quick fixes.
The Daily Dose: Weight Loss Can Be Toxic, But Obesity Is Expensive
FDA Takes On Green Tea: Dr Pepper Snapple Group’s Canada Dry and Unilever’s Lipton are in hot water for overextended health claims on labels and promotional websites for their green tea products, reports the Los Angeles Times.
Why City Life Adds to Your Risk of Psychosis
Life in the big city can be tough, and as many urban dwellers know, it can lead to feelings of isolation and even promote a greater risk of developing a mental disorder such as depression.
But what accounts for that increased …
Study: Exercise Can Protect People at High Risk of Alzheimer’s
Staying active is good for the body, and the latest research shows it might benefit the mind as well.
In a study of individuals who carried a high-risk gene for Alzheimer’s disease, researchers found that those who exercised …
A Study Links Kids’ Cholesterol and Nonstick Coating on Cookware
Chemicals in nonstick cookware and waterproof fabrics could be raising cholesterol levels in children and teens, according to a new study appearing in the Sept. issue of the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine. The study …
Does Lack of Sleep for Children Mean Obesity?
As if parental sleep deprivation weren’t bad enough, now there’s something else to fret about when your tyke doesn’t get enough Z’s.
A new study in September’s Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine reports …
As Suspected, Women’s Memories Last Longer than Men’s
It’s one of the oldest marital spats in the books: you remember an event one way and your spouse remembers it completely differently. That, then, spirals into an argument about who has the best memory. It’s such a chestnut, …