Health News

Health News for 08/09/11

August 09, 2011

Health Tip: Risk Factors for Fainting

Fainting occurs when you temporarily lose consciousness because of a sudden drop in blood flow to the brain.

Health Tip: Is Your Child Being Cyberbullied?

Cyberbullying involves harassing, threatening or embarrassing young people through the use of technology, such as computers (especially Facebook) or cell phones.

Healthy Lunch and Breakfast Keep Students Alert

As parents prepare to send their children back to school, they need to remember that nutrition is an important factor in academic performance, an expert advises.

High-Fiber Diet Might Lower Risk for Colon Polyps

People who regularly eat legumes, brown rice, cooked green vegetables and dried fruit have a reduced risk of colon polyps, a precursor to colon cancer.

More American Kids Eating Fast Food

Kids' meals at fast-food restaurants are high in fat, calories and sodium, a new study shows.

Survivors of Brain Hemorrhage May Experience PTSD

One-third of people who survive a nearly fatal subarachnoid hemorrhage -- a type of stroke that involves bleeding into the brain -- experience the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), researchers have found.

Kids Taught to Wash Hands in School Avoid Sick Days: Study

Good knowledge of hand hygiene among students reduces school absenteeism, researchers report.

Going Full-Tilt Into Turns May Ease Motion Sickness on Trains

Motion sickness on the world's tilting trains could be eliminated by changing the way cars take curves, researchers say.

Costs Soar for Kids With Poorly Controlled Asthma

Children with poorly controlled asthma face significantly higher medical costs and miss many more school days than kids with asthma that is better managed, a new study indicates.

Regular Exercise Helps Keep Leg Arteries Clear

People with low lifetime levels of physical activity are at increased risk for peripheral artery disease (PAD), a new study has found.

Elderly Lung Cancer Patients Can Gain From Two-Drug Chemo: Study

Countering conventional wisdom, researchers in France say that elderly lung cancer patients can gain significant benefit from an aggressive, double-barreled chemotherapy that's often used in younger patients.

Intelligence Largely Rooted in the Genes

New research indicates that up to half of human intelligence can be explained by genetics, but this involves small contributions by many different genes and not one overarching "smart" gene.

Health Highlights: Aug. 9, 2011

Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by the editors of HealthDay:

Factors Before Birth Can Determine Child's Risk of Allergies: Study

Key factors that affect a child's risk of developing allergies by age 2 include race, a mother's exposure to pets during pregnancy and the method of delivery, a new study suggests.

Younger Blacks Fare Worse on Dialysis, Study Finds

A new study appears to upend the long-held belief that black patients with kidney failure do better on dialysis than whites.

Bad Economic News Taking Toll on Americans' Emotions

With headlines using words like "plummet" and "dive" to describe steep stock market declines this week, experts say many Americans' emotions are also in a downward spiral.

Sleep Apnea Could Up Risk of Dementia In Elderly Women

Elderly women who experience sleep apnea have a higher risk of developing mild cognitive impairment or dementia, new research finds.

An Older Man's Sex Life May Suffer When She's Close to His Friends

When an older man's wife or girlfriend has a stronger bond with his friends than he does, his performance in the bedroom tends to suffer, a new study shows.

Maternal Blood Test Can Determine Sex of Fetus at 7 Weeks

A simple blood test from mom can spot the sex of a fetus as early as seven weeks into a pregnancy, researchers report.