Health, features and articles | Educational Science

May 31, 2014

Cancer-Fighting Diet: 6 Tips to Reduce Your Risk

Following six diet guidelines can reduce your cancer risk, researchers say. The advice is a combination of what foods to limit or avoid, and which ones to eat. The recommendations, which appear in the June 30 issue of the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, were spearheaded by the...

Apr 30, 2014

Deaths Decline after Massachusetts Healthcare Reform

Massachusetts' near-universal health coverage has resulted in reduced death rates in the state, particularly lowering the death rates among people with diseases, such as stroke and cancer, who benefit from timely health care, a new study has found. During the four years after Massachusetts instituted a health care overhaul in...

Apr 30, 2014

Frequent Family Spats Linked to Risk of Early Death

People who frequently argue with family and friends, or worry too much about their loved ones, may have triple the risk of dying early in middle age, compared with those who are less argumentative, a new Danish study suggests. The researchers found that unemployed men in particular seemed most vulnerable...

Apr 30, 2014

Why the World Still Faces a Threat from Polio

Polio, the devastating disease that had been nearly vanquished due to widespread public health efforts to vaccinate children in recent decades, is now spreading to countries that had been polio-free. The re-emergence of polio is not a surprise to experts, because although the disease has been brought under control in...

Apr 30, 2014

Circumcision Complications Are Very Rare, Study Finds

The percentage of boys in the United States who develop complications related to circumcision is less than 0.5 percent, according to a large new study. The risk is the lowest for newborns, but increases 10 to 20 times for boys who are circumcised after age 1, the researchers also found....

Apr 30, 2014

Magellan Echo: Smartwatch Review

The Magellan Echo is a relatively stripped-down, sports-focused smartwatch that pairs with a growing list of apps for running, cycling, golf, hiking and other activities. A few of the basics: The Echo is currently compatible only with iPhone. At a retail price of $149, or $199 with a heart rate...

Apr 30, 2014

3rd MERS Virus Infection in US Reported in Illinois Man

A man in Illinois is the third person in the U.S. now confirmed to have been infected with the relatively new and deadly virus known as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced today (May 17). The man is reported to be feeling well,...

Apr 30, 2014

In Women with Gestational Diabetes, Exercise Lowers Type 2 Diabetes Risk

Women who have gestational diabetes — a type of diabetes that occurs during pregnancy and usually ends after the baby's delivery — can lower their risk of later developing type 2 diabetes by starting up an exercise routine, a new study has found. Having gestational diabetes may provide an opportunity...

Apr 30, 2014

Splash! How to Save a Wet Fitness Tracker

Some fitness trackers on the market are waterproof; some, you can even wear while swimming. Others resist a little water, for example sweat, splashes or showers, and a few are built only for dry activities and might get damaged if submerged in water. But accidents happen. Here are some tips...

Apr 30, 2014

Comfort Food Myth: Ice Cream May Not Boost Your Mood

SAN FRANCISCO — The idea that eating certain foods make us feel better when we're down may be a myth, psychologists say. In fact, we may simply feel better after some time has passed, regardless of what food we eat, a new study says. In the study, people were asked...

Feb 28, 2014

We'll Never Know if Statins are Safe While Commercial Interests Come First (Op-Ed)

This article was originally published at The Conversation. The publication contributed the article to Live Science's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. What we know about statins comes almost entirely from commercial interests. So what we take for knowledge about their harms and benefits is actually information designed to optimise the...

Feb 28, 2014

What Is Neuropathy?

Peripheral neuropathy (often referred to simply as neuropathy) refers to any condition that damages or disrupts nerves in the peripheral nervous system. The peripheral nervous system is the network of nerves that connects the central nervous system, which consists of the brain and spinal cord, to the rest of the...

Feb 28, 2014

To Live Longer We Have to Change Outdated Ideas of What It Means to Grow Old (Op-Ed)

This article was originally published at The Conversation. The publication contributed the article to Live Science's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. Despite being called a “grand challenge” alongside climate change and terrorism, the fact of an ageing society isn’t new; it has been proceeding quietly across all developed countries for...

Feb 28, 2014

Make It 7: More Fruit and Veggie Servings Needed?

Eating seven or more servings of fruits and vegetables a day reduces people's risk of dying, a new study suggests. The study also found that fresh vegetables may be slightly more protective than fresh fruit, and canned fruit may actually increase the risk of death. Researchers analyzed information from more...

Dec 31, 2013

Meditation, Mindfulness and Mind-Emptiness (Op-Ed)

This article was originally published at The Conversation. The publication contributed the article to LiveScience's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. Ever been unable to sleep because you can’t switch off that stream of thoughts that seems to flow incessantly, mercilessly through your head? When your mental noise distracts you from...