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Playing With Dogs Reduces Stress, Heart Rate
Playing with a dog for just 15 minutes can significantly reduce a person's stress, a new study reports. Stressed students who interacted with a friendly dog reported less stress, had a reduced heart rate and had lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol in their saliva,...
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Expert Advice on How Much Sleep We Really Need
Chances are, if you're reading this, you got some sleep last night. But are you feeling rested? Experts say it's an important question to consider. Most of us spend a third of our lives sleeping, but you may need more or less than eight hours a night. The number of hours...
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Low Birth Weight Kids Lag in School Readiness
Most low-birth-weight toddlers are not on track to be ready to attend school, a new study says. Only one-third of babies born weighing less than 5.5 pounds are ready to attend school by ages 3 to 5, researchers reported in the journal Academic Pediatrics. They tend to lag in...
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Nostalgia Promotes Friendships, Mental Health
Nostalgia might be met by eyerolls from some, as the emotion might inspire insipid images of rose-tinted glasses, gooey sentimentality and living in a time-lost past. But people prone to nostalgia have an edge when it comes to their health and well-being, a new study...
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Concussion Damage Lingers in Athletes Up to a Year
Concussion damage could linger in an athlete's brain for at least a year, long after they've rejoined their sport, a new study says. Concussed college athletes had brain changes that remained visible in brain scans up to a year after they'd been cleared to return to play,...
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Spouse Benefits When Partner Has Joint Replacement
Knee or hip replacement is a major surgery, and many people must lean hard on their spouses to care for them during weeks to months of recuperation. But all that hassle is absolutely worthwhile for the one providing care for their temporarily disabled partner, a new study...
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Parenting Keeps the Brain Young
Having more children may be worth the extra grey hairs. A new study reveals that parenting, especially having multiple children, enhances brain connectivity, particularly in the areas associated with cognitive decline. Both mothers and fathers experienced the benefits,...
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1 in 15 Americans Have Survived a Mass Shooting
A startling number of Americans have witnessed a mass shooting in their lifetime, a new study suggests. About 1 in 15 adults have been present at the scene of a mass shooting, and more than 2% have been injured in one, researchers say in JAMA Network Open. "This study...
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Swearing Boosts Strength and Pain Tolerance
Letting a stream of four-letter words fly may do your body good. According to a new study, researchers found that swearing is "a drug-free, calorie-neutral, and cost-free means of self help." U.K. researcher Richard Stephens found that swearing is linked to hypoalgesia, or...
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Pregnancy Diet Might Increase ADHD, Autism Risk
A mother's diet during pregnancy can influence her child's risk of ADHD and autism, a new study says. In particular, the unhealthy hallmarks of a typical Western diet appeared to increase a child's risk of developmental disorders, researchers reported in the journal Nature...
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Menopause Therapy Linked to Alzheimer's Marker
Hormone replacement therapy during menopause appears to be linked to a toxic brain protein that's a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease. Women over 70 had a faster accumulation of tau in their brains if they'd taken hormone therapy for menopause symptoms more than a decade...
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Parkinson's Cases Expected to Double By 2050
The number of people with Parkinson's disease will more than double by 2050, driven by the aging of the global population, a new study suggests. In all, 25.2 million people will be living with Parkinson's by 2050, researchers project in The BMJ. "An urgent need exists for...
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Music Soothes Depression in Dementia Patients
Music therapy can help lift the spirits and ease depression in people with dementia, a new evidence review has found. Findings suggest that music-based therapy probably improves depressive symptoms and might even improve behavioral issues by the end of treatment, researchers...
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Novo Nordisk to Study GLP-1 Drugs for Addiction
Novo Nordisk will explore how GLP-1 drugs could help patients struggling with addiction, its head of development Martin Holst Lange told an online press conference on Thursday. GLP-1 drugs on the market include Novo Nordisk's diabetes drug Ozempic, its weight-loss treatment...
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Difficult Menopause Could Signal Future Dementia
Hot flashes, night sweats and other symptoms of a difficult menopause could be early warning flags for dementia, a new study suggests. Women who exhibit more menopause symptoms are more likely to develop early signs of dementia like decreased mental function and mild...
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NSAIDs Linked to Lower Dementia Risk
Over-the-counter drugs like aspirin or ibuprofen might help protect against dementia, a new study suggests. These NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) might help protect the brain by quelling inflammation that contributes to dementia, researchers reported in the...
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How to Prepare to Spring Forward This Weekend
Most of America "springs forward" Sunday for daylight saving time and losing that hour of sleep can do more than leave you tired and cranky the next day. It also could harm your health. Darker mornings and more evening light together knock your body clock out of whack -...
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Gen Zers Are Suffering From Telephobia
Tech-savvy Gen Z individuals are suffering from telephobia. The fear of making or receiving phone calls, telephobia, can lead to anxiety and stress in daily life. Now, universities are offering classes to overcome this fear. Telephobia classes use various techniques,...
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Seniors Overlooked By Suicide Prevention Programs
Suicide prevention campaigns are overlooking seniors, even though people 75 and older have the highest rates of suicide for any age group, a new study says. None of the seven most prominent suicide prevention programs include any messaging aimed at at-risk seniors on their...
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Harsh Flu May Be Linked to Child Brain Complication
This year's harsh flu season - the most intense in 15 years - has federal health officials trying to understand if it sparked an increase in a rare but life-threatening brain complication in children. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates 19,000 people...
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COVID Hospitalization Raises Death Risk for 2 Years
People hospitalized for a severe bout of COVID-19 are far from in the clear after they've recovered enough to return home, a new study says. COVID hospital patients have an increased risk of death from any cause for at least two and a half years following their initial...
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Exercise Linked to Better Mental, Brain Health
Moving your body helps your brain, a new study suggests. Folks who regularly exercise have better mental and brain health, researchers will report in early April at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology in San Diego and online. Moderate to vigorous physical...
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Half of Women Have Menopause Symptoms Before 35
Many young women entering menopause suffer needlessly from symptoms related to the transition, a new study suggests. More than half of women aged 30 to 35 have already developed moderate to severe symptoms of impending menopause, researchers found.These include mood swings,...
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Study: GLP-1 Drugs Do Not Raise Suicide Risk
GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic/Wegovy don't increase a person's risk of suicidal actions or thoughts, a new study has concluded. Earlier research had potentially linked these drugs - which are used to treat Type 2 diabetes and obesity - with suicidal thoughts and self-harm,...
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Study: Some Belly Fat May Be Good for You
If you can "pinch an inch" of fat around your middle, that may be a good thing. A groundbreaking study conducted by Japanese researchers has revealed that maintaining a small amount of belly fat can have beneficial effects on your health. Contrary to the common belief that...