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Kids Wait a Half-Day for Mental Health Care in ER
Troubled children and teenagers are languishing hours in chaotic hospital emergency rooms, waiting for a psychiatric bed to open, a new study says. About 1 in 3 kids who go to an emergency room (ER) amid a mental health crisis wait at least 12 hours to be transferred to...
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How Low-Calorie Diets Affect Mood
Counting calories isn't simply a bummer, it might actually increase your risk of depression, a new study says. People on low-calorie diets scored higher for symptoms of depression, compared with those not dieting, researchers reported June 3 in BMJ Nutrition Prevention &...
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Scientists May Have Discovered the Reason We Age
Scientists believe they have uncovered the reason we age. Pausing cell death could slow the aging process, prevent cancer and ward off brain deterioration, according to a new study from researchers from the University of Cambridge. Taming cell necrosis may be the key....
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Improving Diet in Middle Age Lowers Dementia Risk
It's never too late to start eating right as a means of protecting your brain health, a new study says. People who improved their healthy eating in middle-age had a 25% lower risk of lower risk of dementia, compared to those whose diets got worse, according to findings...
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How Caffeine Affects Your Brain During Sleep
Your morning cup of coffee might help you power through the day - but could it be keeping your brain too alert at night, even while you sleep? A new study suggests that caffeine doesn't just affect your energy levels. It may also change how your brain functions during sleep,...
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Why You Can't Tickle Yourself
The inability to tickle oneself is a curious phenomenon that has puzzled many, including brilliant minds like Socrates, Aristotle and Charles Darwin. Neuroscientist Konstantina Kilteni argues in a scientific article published this month in Science Advances that we should...
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Military Service Might Protect Against Depression
The mentally scarred, deeply depressed combat veteran is an indelible stereotype promoted by movies and TV. The post-traumatic stress and despair that some suffer following military deployment have prompted concerns that service members are highly vulnerable to...
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Teen Depression Jumps With More Social Media Use
A University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) study found that pre-teens who increased their usage of social media experienced a 35% rise in symptoms of depression. The study was published in JAMA Network Open. According to Breitbart, the study highlights the potential...
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New Treatments for Billy Joel's Brain Disorder
Singer-songwriter Billy Joel, 76, announced he was forced to cancel his upcoming concert tour due difficulties walking and thought processes. The "Piano Man" has been diagnosed with normal pressure hydrocephalus, or NPH, a condition that is often treatable and may be...
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Staying Social Boosts Longevity
Seniors who stay socially engaged are much more likely to have longer lives, a new study says. Social engagement among seniors is associated with a lower risk of death, when compared to seniors who are loners, according to findings published May 21 in the Journal of the...
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Study: E-Cigarettes Reinforce Nicotine Addiction
Pod-style e-cigarettes appear to be more addictive than nicotine gum, making it harder for vapers to kick the habit, a small-scale lab study has found. E-cigarettes reinforced nicotine addiction more than nicotine gum among young adults who regularly vape, results...
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9 In 10 US Teens Have Been Cyberbullied
Cyberbullying is widespread among U.S. teens and is linked to post-traumatic stress symptoms in middle- and high-school students, a new study says. Nearly 9 of 10 teenagers have experienced cyberbullying, according to the study's survey of nearly 2,700 U.S. middle- and...
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Swim Classes for Kids With Autism Can Be Lifesaving
In an airy indoor pool with fish cutouts on the walls, a group of small children bobbed, floated and tentatively flutter-kicked. It was what it looked like, a starter swimming class. But here, instructors worked one-on-one or even two to a child. Some held cards to help kids...
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FDA Approves First Blood Test to Detect Alzheimer's
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Friday it has cleared Fujirebio Diagnostics' blood test to diagnose Alzheimer's disease, making it the first of its kind to detect the condition. Blood testing is initially likely to be used to rule out Alzheimer's, with positive...
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Sitting Too Much Shrinks Your Brain
More than 1 in 9 Americans aged 65 and older has Alzheimer's disease. A new study reveals that increased sedentary behavior, either sitting or lying down, may increase the risk of developing this dreaded disease. Researchers from Vanderbilt University's Memory and...
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Alzheimer's Drug Safe When Administered in Clinics
The 2023 approval of the first drug shown to slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease came with no small amount of concern from skeptics. Lecanemab (Leqembi) modestly slows Alzheimer's by helping the body flush out amyloid beta proteins associated with toxic plaques in...
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'Mini-Strokes' Linked to Long-Lasting Fatigue
A temporary "mini-stroke" can have a lasting effect on the victim's life for as much as a year, a new study says. Prolonged fatigue is common in people who've suffered a transient ischemic attack (TIA), researchers reported May 14 in the journal Neurology. More than half of...
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US Overdose Deaths Fell 27 Percent Last Year
There were 30,000 fewer U.S. drug overdose deaths in 2024 than the year before - the largest one-year decline ever recorded. An estimated 80,000 people died from overdoses last year, according to provisional Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data released Wednesday....
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Walnuts for Breakfast Boosts Afternoon Brain Power
There is a reason why walnuts are shaped like our brains. A recent study found that eating walnuts for breakfast improved performance on cognitive tasks. However, the benefits only appeared six hours later, according to Study Finds. So, eating a handful of walnuts in the...
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Study: Hearing Aids Alleviate Loneliness in Seniors
Could loneliness occur for some older folks because they can't hear well enough to maintain essential social connections? Hearing aids appear to be an effective method of countering an epidemic of loneliness among U.S. seniors, a new study says. Seniors given hearing aids...
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Curiosity Helps Preserve Aging Brain Health
Curiosity might have killed the cat, but maintaining such inquisitiveness could be key to preserving brain health as we grow older, a new study says. Some forms of curiosity increase well into old age, and seniors who keep wanting to learn new things might be able to offset...
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HIV, Hepatitis Drugs May Lower Alzheimer's Risk
Drugs that battle HIV and hepatitis B might be able to help people avoid Alzheimer's disease, a new study says. Nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) are used to prevent HIV and hepatitis B from replicating and spreading inside a person's body. Now, a new...
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GLP-1 Meds Cut Alcohol Cravings By Two-Thirds
Cutting-edge weight-loss drugs like Ozempic/Wegovy can cut alcohol intake dramatically in a short amount of time, a new study says. People taking semaglutide or liraglutide reduced their alcohol consumption by two-thirds within four months, according to results recently...
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Talk Therapy Rising, Psychiatric Med Use Declining
More talk and fewer pills are being employed to help Americans maintain their mental health, a new study says. Psychotherapy is assuming a larger role in mental health care, while medications prescribed without accompanying therapy are becoming less common, according to...
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The Brain Benefits of Forgiveness
When you feel like you have been wronged, letting go of anger is hard. But it is worth it. Experts from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health say studies have found that forgiveness may lower levels of depression, anxiety and hostility. It's also linked to reduced...