Health Advice

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Health

High blood pressure spells trouble for kids and young adults

High blood pressure (HBP) can come from lack of sleep or sleeping too much, eating too much or not eating enough healthful foods, and from being sedentary. But whatever the cause, the consequences are increased cardiovascular woes. And that's true for anyone of any age.

These days, nearly 14% of kids ages 8-18 have elevated or high blood ...Read more

The benefits of taking the new diabetes/weight loss medications

John Lennon sang: "You say you want a revolution/Well, you know/We all want to change the world." Well, you could say the revolutionary new weight loss and diabetes management medications semaglutide (Ozempic) and tirzepatide (Mounjaro) are doing just that: Changing the world of disease management in ways that weren't imagined when semaglutide ...Read more

Stressing the importance of de-stressing

True, we're stressing that anxiety and stress are major health concerns. But it's not to add stress to your life but to help you manage it.

Recently, the surgeon general issued a public health advisory highlighting the damaging emotional and physical effects of chronic parental stress, fueled by long working hours, financial pressures, and the ...Read more

Give a whooping to the increasing risk of whooping cough

Whooping cough, AKA pertussis, was first described during an epidemic in Paris in 1578 and up until the 1940s when the vaccine was developed, it was a major cause of infant death. This "cough of 100 days" affected more than 180,000 Americans in 1940, but the number plummeted to around 3,000 by 1991. Since then, cases have crept back up and this ...Read more

Yoga and urinary incontinence

Let's pose a question: What could yoga poses (called "asanas") have to do with managing urinary incontinence? Quite a bit according to a new study that found that both general physical conditioning and doing pelvic floor yoga (yes, that's a thing) reduce urinary leakage significantly. FYI: Pelvic floor muscles control the flow of urine and the ...Read more

Managing allergic reactions to foods

There are nine major food allergens -- milk, egg, peanut, tree nuts, wheat, soy, sesame and fish and crustacean shellfish -- that cause about 90% of serious food allergy reactions in the U.S. They affect about 33 million Americans, including almost 6 million children, and cause around 500 deaths annually.

The treatment for a severe allergic ...Read more

Fuel your quest for a healthier, longer life -- try mindfulness

Around half of the 12 million folks in the U.S. who say they have practiced meditation chose mindfulness -- a technique that has you tune into what you are feeling, thinking or experiencing in the present moment and then accepting your feelings without judgment and letting them float away.

According to the American Psychological Association, ...Read more

Dump the slumps

From getting glasses for the first time to gaining weight, seeing thinning hair and, for women, having hot flashes, the 40s can be a time of surprising physical changes. You may also notice another burst of physical changes that usher in a loss of strength and increased susceptibility to chronic disease in your early 60s. That's the conclusion ...Read more

Are you dumb about your smartphone use?

We're constantly hearing about how social media use is harming kids who get bullied, shamed, and lead astray by the onslaught of "advice" they pick up on their phones from TikTok, Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram.

Well, Mom and Dad, you're not exempt from harmful digital obsessions and having them do harm to ... your kids! A new study in JAMA...Read more

Are you a sheet cheat?

Did you know that you're going to spend 36 years of your life either hanging out or sleeping in bed? That's a lot of time wrapped in your sheets and snuggling with a blanket or comforter. But a recent survey found that most folks only change their sheets every 24 days and pillowcases every 25 days. (It's too much work to do them together?!)

...Read more

 

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