Health News

Health News for 01/23/12

January 23, 2012

Health Tip: When Stress Becomes Dangerous

Stress can contribute to a number of serious health problems, so it's important to visit your doctor when you notice warning signs that stress is affecting your health.

Health Tip: Help Calm a Cough

If you're plagued with a cold or another respiratory illness that's causing a cough, there are things you can do to help tame the beast.

Certain Seniors at Risk for Infection After ER Visit: Study

Seniors in long-term care facilities have a roughly threefold increased risk for respiratory or gastrointestinal infections if they visit a hospital emergency department in the fall, winter or spring, according to a new study.

Living Together May Be Mentally Healthier Than Marriage: Study

Marriage offers few well-being advantages compared to living together, a new study contends.

Pain Intensity Greater for Women Than Men, Study Finds

According to the results of a study in which researchers examined pain scores from tens of thousands of patients in the United States, women experience more intense pain than men.

Hip Fracture Patients Often Have Other Health Problems

Weight loss and malnutrition are among the medical conditions that increase treatment costs and the length of hospital stays for older adults with hip fractures, a new study finds.

Bosses Have Big Impact on Workplace Well-Being

If you're unhappy at work, it may be because your psychological needs aren't being met by your manager or company, a new study suggests.

Parents May Hold Key to Treating Kids' Obesity

Parents and caregivers should be involved in treatment programs for obese children and should lead by example, praise children's progress and use setbacks as learning opportunities, experts say.

Only 1 in 4 Young Teens Uses Sunscreen Regularly, Study Finds

Despite the fact that sunburn in childhood greatly raises a person's lifelong risk for skin cancer, just 25 percent of 14-year-olds in a new U.S. study said they used sunscreen regularly.

New Genetic Clues to Breast Cancer?

Researchers have identified three new genomic regions they believe are linked with breast cancer that may help explain why some women develop the disease.

Severe Brain Injury When Young May Have Long-Term Effects

Although many people believe young children are extremely resilient after they are seriously hurt, the opposite may be true with traumatic brain injuries.

'Co-Occurring' Disorders May Explain Change in Autism Diagnosis

Many children with autism also have other developmental or psychiatric conditions, including learning disabilities, speech delays, attention or seizure disorders and anxiety.

Dyslexia's Brain Changes May Occur Before Kids Learn to Read

New imaging research shows that the reduced brain activity associated with the onset of dyslexia appears to develop before, not after, a child starts to read.

Study Shows How Stress Triggers Immune System

Shedding some light on why stress might be bad for you, a new study finds that parts of your immune system ramp up when you get into personal conflicts with others.

Narcissism Especially Bad for Men's Health, Study Says

The inflated sense of self-importance common to narcissism can be toxic to relationships, but a new study suggests the personality trait may also harm men's health.

Health Highlights: Jan. 23, 2012

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

Small Stem Cell Study Claims Early Success in Treating Eye Disease

Using human embryonic stem cells to treat the eye disease macular degeneration appears to be safe and leads to some vision improvement, a small, early-stage study found.

Steady Diet of Mental Stimulation Might Reduce Alzheimer's Risk

People who engage in activities such as reading and playing games throughout their lives may be lowering levels of a protein in their brains that is linked to Alzheimer's disease, a new study suggests.

Abortion Safer for Women Than Childbirth, Study Claims

Since the U.S. Supreme Court legalized abortion in 1973, opponents have questioned the safety of medical procedures used to terminate pregnancy. Now, a new study contends that having a legal abortion is safer than carrying a baby to term.

Alcohol OK in Housing for Formerly Homeless, Study Says

Allowing homeless people who are heavy drinkers to consume alcohol when they were provided with housing actually decreased their heavy drinking by more than one-third over two years, a new study has found.