Some have claimed that tobacco and alcohol are “gateway” drugs that people use before turning to illicit substances. While causal conclusions are hard to draw, at least one new study in mice shows that smoking may indeed increase …
A Powerful New Cystic Fibrosis Drug Shows Promise
For the first time, cystic fibrosis patients may have a drug that treats the underlying cause of their disease rather than just its symptoms. According to a new clinical trial, the experimental drug helped patients breathe …
The Healthland Podcast: Spanking, Drinking and Mind Control
Welcome back to the Healthland Podcast. This week, we discuss the harrowing “spanking” case in Texas, the benefits and risks of alcohol, and a new device that allows you to control images on your screen only by concentrating. …
Family MattersParenting
The Case of the Texas Judge: When Does Spanking Cross the Line to Abuse?
Much of the nation has spent seven minutes watching slack-jawed as a Texas judge beat his teenage daughter with a belt in a YouTube video that’s burning up the blogosphere. The video, made in 2004, was recorded with a hidden …
8 Ways to Beat the Winter Blues
As the days get shorter and winter closes in, many people feel like hibernating. We start sleeping more, eating more and avoiding social contact. The effects can be particularly oppressive for people with depression, many of whom feel escalating dread as the end of daylight saving time approaches. Here are eight ways to keep the black …
Consumers Try to Supersize Their Status By Eating More
Is a triple cheeseburger the poor man’s limousine? According to a new study, consumers who feel powerless in society — often those with low socioeconomic status — may be likely to choose bigger food portions, given the …
Family MattersInfertility
The Sperm Bike: Cycling to Drum Up Sperm Donations
It’s not every day that you see a really large sperm on a really large bike. But starting next week, it’s going to become commonplace — at least in Seattle.
Trying To Quit Smoking? Don’t Start With Chantix, Say Some Experts
The psychiatric side effects of a popular quit-smoking drug make it too dangerous to use as a first attempt to kick the habit, according to a new study. The authors suggest the drug should eventually be taken off the market altogether.
Clearing Away Old Cells Delays Aging in Mice
Could the effects of aging be delayed or even prevented simply by clearing the body of old cells? Scientists report in Nature that they were able to do just that in a study of mice.
Study: Legal Medical Marijuana Doesn’t Encourage Kids to Smoke More Pot
Despite warnings from opponents of medical marijuana, legalizing the drug for medical purposes does not encourage teens to smoke more pot, according to new research that compared rates of marijuana use in Massachusetts and Rhode …
Study: ADHD Medications Don’t Increase Heart Risks
In the largest safety study conducted to date, researchers have found that drugs used by millions of children to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, do not raise the risk of serious heart problems.
Family MattersAIDS
Pediatricians Group Urges Routine HIV Testing for Teens
This week the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) released a policy statement called “Adolescents and HIV Infection.” The title alone garners attention. Teens and HIV?
Are Doctors Really to Blame for the Overdose Epidemic?
Forty people die each day from what Dr. Thomas Frieden, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), calls an “epidemic” of prescription drug overdose. Frieden largely attributes the rise in overdose …