Health, features and articles | Educational Science

Jul 31, 2017

Quarter-Million Glitter iPhone Cases Recalled for Burn Hazard

More than 260,000 glitter iPhone cases are being recalled because the sparkling mixture inside the cases can leak out and cause skin burns or irritation, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). The iPhone cases, distributed by MixBin Electronics, were sold at a variety of retail outlets, including Amazon,...

Jul 31, 2017

Swipe Left for Sadness: Tinder Users Report More Distress

WASHINGTON — Swiping through Tinder may be taking a toll on your mental health and self-esteem: A new study finds that Tinder users had lower levels of self-esteem and more body dissatisfaction than people who didn't use the dating app. The reason may have to do with the fact that...

Jul 31, 2017

You Thought Your Braces Hurt? This Woman's Dental Wire Tore Through Her Gut

Most people who get their braces off are happy to forget about their years of dental train tracks. But one woman in Australia had her braces come back to haunt her when doctors discovered a piece of dental wire tearing through her abdomen, according to a new report. The wire...

Jul 31, 2017

Opioid Crisis Is a 'National Emergency': What Happens Now?

President Donald Trump has declared the opioid epidemic a national emergency, but what happens now, and could this declaration really help address the crisis? On Thursday (Aug. 10), Trump told reporters that the opioid epidemic is a national emergency. We're going to spend a lot of time, a lot of...

Jul 31, 2017

How One Bodybuilder Died from Drinking Too Many Protein Shakes

A 25-year-old woman in Australia died after consuming too much protein, in the form of protein powder shakes, supplements and protein-packed foods, the New York Post reported yesterday. The woman, a bodybuilder named Meegan Hefford, was found unconscious in her apartment and was taken to the hospital. Hefford was declared...

Jul 31, 2017

Solar Eclipse Injury Risk: Doctors Brace for Rise in ER Visits

As potentially millions of Americans travel to see the total solar eclipse on Monday (Aug. 21), doctors are bracing for a spike in visits to emergency rooms (ERs) across the country, experts say. I suspect there will be an increase in patient traffic to ERs, especially in areas expecting a...

Jul 31, 2017

Did the Solar Eclipse Damage Your Eyes? Here's How to Tell

Many watchers of today's solar eclipse may have glanced at the sun without proper eye protection, if only for a brief moment. This can be dangerous, as looking directly at the sun can cause eye damage. But how do you know if you've hurt your eyes? The solar eclipse wowed...

Jul 31, 2017

How Stress in Your Brain Could Lead to Stress in Your Body

The patterns in your brain may predict how your body physically reacts to stressful situations, a new study finds. That's important, because some people have stronger physical reactions to stress than others: Their hearts beat faster, and their blood pressure rises more, than you'd see in less reactive individuals, according...

Jul 31, 2017

FDA Moves Forward on Ecstasy Ingredient Trials for PTSD

The active ingredient in the drug ecstasy passed an important hurdle on the path to becoming a prescription drug for treating post-traumatic stress disorder. The ingredient, MDMA, was granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation status by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), according to a statement released Aug. 26 by the...

Jul 31, 2017

How Fast Do You Walk? Your Answer Could Predict Your Risk of Heart Disease Death

A simple question — how fast do you walk? — may help researchers determine who has a higher risk of death from heart disease, a new study from the United Kingdom suggests. The study found that middle-age adults who said they typically walk at a slow pace were about twice...

Jun 30, 2017

Parasitic Worm in Walrus Meat Infects 10 People in Alaska

Ten people in Alaska were recently infected with what is now a relatively rare parasitic worm that they got from eating walrus meat, according to a new report. The cases occurred between July 2016 and May 2017, the report said. All 10 were infected with a parasitic worm called Trichinella,...

Jun 30, 2017

How Bad Is Gonorrhea's Resistance to Drugs? Some Cases Are Untreatable

The sexually transmitted disease gonorrhea is becoming increasingly more difficult, or at times even impossible, to treat because strains of the bacteria that cause it have become resistant to antibiotics, according to a new report. In the report, researchers looked at data from gonorrhea cases and antibiotic resistance from 77...

Jun 30, 2017

'Brain Training' Games May Be No Better Than Video Games, Study Finds

Brain-training games such as those from Lumosity may not boost people's overall thinking abilities or help them make smarter decisions, a new study suggests. Researchers analyzed information from 128 young adults who were randomly assigned to play either Lumosity games or computer video games for 10 weeks. The makers of...

Jun 30, 2017

Atorvastatin (Generic Lipitor): Uses, Dosage & Side Effects

Atorvastatin is a prescription medicine used to treat high cholesterol. It is marketed as a calcium salt under the brand name Lipitor (atorvastatin calcium), produced by Pfizer. It is also available as a generic medicine. Atorvastatin is one of the most popular medicines for treating high cholesterol. Tens of millions...

Jun 30, 2017

Eat Better, Live Longer? Small Food Changes Make a Difference

Need an incentive to eat healthier? A new study suggests that people who make even small tweaks in their diet to make it healthier over time may live longer. Researchers found that a 20-percentile increase in people's diet-quality scores was linked with an 8 to 17 percent reduction in a...