Health, features and articles | Educational Science

Apr 30, 2017

Jessica Simpson Has an IUD: 7 Things to Know About This Form of Birth Control

Jessica Simpson isn't planning to have more children anytime soon — the singer and mother of two recently revealed that she has an intrauterine device (IUD). While appearing on The Ellen DeGeneres Show today (May 22), Simpson — who was on the show twice previously while pregnant — announced that...

Apr 30, 2017

Woman Has Sextuplets: The Science of Multiple Births

A woman in Virginia recently gave birth to sextuplets, after she and her husband had tried to conceive for nearly two decades. But how does such a high-order pregnancy happen? The six babies — three boys and three girls — were born on May 11 at VCU Medical Center in...

Apr 30, 2017

Why Do Men Run Faster Than Women?

Running is a sport that both men and women enjoy, whether they're racing in a 5K or a marathon, or competing for a team or their country while speeding around a track. But no matter the venue, it's pretty common to see men clock faster times than women do. Given...

Feb 28, 2017

Migraine-Fighting Arm Patch Shows Small Effect

People who have migraines may one day get help from an experimental new device that is worn like a patch around the upper arm and stimulates the nerves, a new preliminary study suggests. Researchers in Israel found that 64 percent of participants who used the device reported that it reduced...

Feb 28, 2017

Full List: US Communities Ranked by Well-Being

A new poll ranks nearly 200 U.S. communities based on the well being of their residents. The results are based on a survey of well-being conducted in 2015 and 2016 by Gallup-Healthways. The survey included people in 189 metro areas, and the scores were averaged over a two-year period. For...

Feb 28, 2017

'Pokémon Go' Players May Double Their Daily Step Counts

The doctor's orders are in: Catch a Pokémon a day. The popular smartphone game Pokémon Go can increase people's physical activity and appears to be particularly beneficial for overweight players, according to a new study. Pokémon Go is an augmented-reality game —it lays an image over a user's view of...

Feb 28, 2017

Bacteria-Enriched Lotion Battles Skin Infections

Human skin is home to a multitude of microbes, including some that are helpful and some that could potentially be harmful. Now, a small pilot study shows that it might be possible to harness the good bacteria, put them into a lotion and then spread that lotion onto the skin...

Feb 28, 2017

3 Women in Florida Left Blind by Unproven Eye Treatment

Three women went blind after receiving an unproven stem cell treatment on their eyes at a Florida clinic, according to a new report of the cases. The women, in their 70s and 80s, all had macular degeneration, a progressive eye disease that leads to damage of the retina, and can...

Feb 28, 2017

These 3 Superbugs Pose the Greatest Threat to Human Health

The World Health Organization is issuing a warning about a group of deadly bacteria: Recently, the WHO released its first-ever listof priority pathogens, a list of antibiotic-resistant bacteria that the organization says pose the greatest threat to human health. The list is divided into three categories: critical-, high- and medium-priority....

Feb 28, 2017

'Alternative facts': A Psychiatrist's Guide to Distorted Reality

This article was originally published at The Conversation. The publication contributed the article to Live Science's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. The phrase alternative facts has recently made the news in a political context, but psychiatrists like me are already intimately acquainted with the concept – indeed, we hear various...

Feb 28, 2017

Breast Implants Linked to Cancer: How Does It Happen?

Women with breast implants are at increased risk of developing a rare type of cancer, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said. But how do these implants increase the risk of cancer? On Tuesday (March 21), the FDA said that, in light of new data, the agency now recognizes that...

Feb 28, 2017

Nearly Two-Thirds of Cancers Are Due to Random DNA 'Mistakes'

Cancer is caused by mistakes in DNA, and a new study finds that in most cancer cases, these mistakes are completely random; they're not due to heredity or environmental factors, but rather the result of random errors. The mistakes, or mutations, cause cancer to happen because even a tiny error...

Feb 28, 2017

Why One Woman Had Oil in Her Lung for Decades

An elderly woman in Florida had oil in her lungs — for decades — from a now-outdated procedure she received in her 20s to treat tuberculosis (TB), according to a new report of the woman's case. The 86-year-old woman went to the doctor because of a burning pain in her...

Feb 28, 2017

Why Breathing Deeply Helps You Calm Down

Deep breaths can settle your nerves, and now scientists have discovered the neural pathway in the brain that controls this process. In an experiment on mice, scientists identified a circuit of neurons — a tiny cluster of a mere 350 nerve cells, among millions in the mouse brain — that...

Jan 31, 2017

Here's Why Synthetic Marijuana Isn't Safe

Synthetic marijuana compounds, sometimes called K2 or Spice, are actually chemically different from marijuana, and are more dangerous than pot, according to a new review of studies. Synthetic marijuana compounds are linked to a number of serious side effects, including seizures, psychosis and even death, the review's authors said. These...