For many people, the holiday season inspires feelings of joy, gratitude and charity. For others, the added duties of shopping, cooking, wrapping and hosting lead to feelings of stress, anxiety and loneliness. (In, all likelihood, most people experience both happiness and increased stress levels in November and December.) [Read more…]
What We Know About The Measles Comback
December 13, 2019 By Leave a Comment
The measles is back. This viral illness – one of the most contagious known – can cause serious complications and death among young children. Although eradicated in the U.S. in the year 2000, it has been staging a steady comeback. [Read more…]
Philanthropy Is Good For You
December 9, 2019 By Leave a Comment
You may have heard the buzz this week about Giving Tuesday, a nationwide movement to encourage Americans to donate to charities the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. Or maybe you came across an iconic bell ringer standing next to a bucket to collect donations at your local shopping center. [Read more…]
The Evidence on Giving Thanks
November 27, 2019 By Leave a Comment
Millions of people will gather with family and friends this week to celebrate what may be one of the most quintessential American holidays – Thanksgiving.
As its name implies, Thanksgiving is all about giving thanks – or showing appreciation or gratitude. It turns out there is a significant body of scientific literature demonstrating that thankfulness. [Read more…]
The Health Risks of Vaping
November 14, 2019 By Leave a Comment
Since their debut in 2004, electronic cigarettes or e-cigarettes have steadily grown in popularity. Approximately 9 million U.S. adults regularly use e-cigarettes, and that includes a growing number of teenagers. In 2015, one in six high school students reported using an e-cigarette in the past month. [Read more…]
What Can We Do About Youth Homelessness?
November 7, 2019 By Leave a Comment
Somewhere between 1 and 1.7 million youth under the age of 18 are homeless in the United States, with often destructive consequences. Young people who experience homelessness are at high risk for a variety of physical and mental health problems, violence and early death. [Read more…]
What Interventions Help to Prevent Suicide?
October 30, 2019 By Leave a Comment
Every suicide is heartbreaking, leaving loved ones wondering what went wrong and how they could have prevented such a tragedy.
And yet suicide rates are currently at their highest level since World War II, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. In 2017, there were more than 47,000 recorded suicides in the U.S. – a 33 percent increase compared to 1999.
But what can we do about the devastating problem of suicide? [Read more…]
Urging a Healthier Choice? Use Motivational Interviewing
October 29, 2019 By Leave a Comment
Most of us have had periods of our lives when we did not make the healthiest choices. Maybe you needed to lose weight, or your cholesterol was too high. Maybe you went through a stressful period when you drank too much, smoked cigarettes, or didn’t get enough sleep. [Read more…]
Is Vitamin D A Worthwhile Supplement?
October 26, 2019 By Leave a Comment
There are three main ways that people obtain vitamin D—by eating foods rich in vitamin D, by ultraviolet rays from the sun reaching the skin, and by taking a supplement. Over the past 10 years, doctors have worried that people living in northern latitudes don’t absorb enough sunlight to prompt their bodies to manufacture their own vitamin D. [Read more…]
Are the Germs in Your House Making You Sick?
September 17, 2019 By Leave a Comment
Germs surround us everywhere; that’s a fact of life. But there are some places—even in your own home—that are breeding grounds for bacteria. Let’s take a careful look at what the evidence says about where the germs live in your house. [Read more…]
Do Obesity Treatments for Youth Lead To Eating Disorders?
September 13, 2019 By Leave a Comment
One-fifth of all school-aged children in the United States are obese – triple the rate measured in the 1970s.
If you think about this carefully, you realize its staggering implications. People who are obese are more likely to experience a broad range of health problems including diabetes, breathing problems, cancer, heart disease and joint problems. They are more likely to be victims of bullying, have low self-esteem and experience depression. And they are more likely to be obese as adults, which is linked to more of the same health problems. [Read more…]
If you follow news about nutrition, you’ve likely heard the recommendations to avoid eating red and processed meats including beef, sausages and deli meats.