Health in a Heartbeat

As the story goes, Ponce de León never found the fabled Fountain of Youth. The Spanish explorer, however, didn't have a molecular biologist on his team. He could have used...

Ever looked at a photo of a river and instinctively known you would be able to swim in it? Or seen a trail on your drive to work and thought,...

July is the peak of the heat. The month brings the scorching “dog days” of summer, a season of perspiration. When most of the northern hemisphere isn't taking refuge in...

The next time you curse out the driver who cut you off or mutter expletives at the speed demon next to you, consider the fact that the driver might be...

Ulcerative colitis is one of those chronic conditions that doesn't just cause discomfort — it can deeply disrupt daily life, with symptoms like abdominal pain, nausea and weight loss. Now,...

Walking up a flight of stairs won't just get you to the second floor. It might also help get you to your golden years. The elevator apparently doesn't stop on...

Are you feeling sleepy today? Already on your second cup of coffee and still fighting a yawn? You may be inclined to think it stems from tossing and turning on...

You might want to sit down for this. It turns out, while too much sitting can be bad for your health, not all kinds of sitting are equal. How's that?...

It takes a microbiologist to answer this one. For good hygiene and health, what is better, showering in the morning or the evening? Think there isn't a difference? Not according...

Scientists have discovered a nanoparticle produced by jet engines that could be endangering human health. The pollutant reminds some researchers of an onion. An international team of investigators discovered “onion-like”...

About 16 million Americans deal with chronic back pain issues, a whopping 8% of the population. And a staggering 65 million report dealing with some kind of lower back discomfort...

Some of us are lucky enough to see our parents and grandparents enjoy healthy lives well into old age. You'd probably feel as if you'd won the genetic lottery if...

Your heart takes a licking, and most of the time, it keeps on ticking. But there are several screenings you can get to be sure that it does. According to...

Loneliness is becoming especially prevalent in the digital age. With our faces glued to computer and smartphone screens, face-to-face time with friends and family has fallen. Being lonely is about...

You use it to freshen your breath. Baseball players blow big bubbles between pitches on the baseball diamond. Kids swap it between classes. But each stick of chewing gum has...

They say an apple a day keeps the doctor away. But what about an apple, some berries, a cup of tea and a piece of dark chocolate? As nutrition science...

In June, the United States Army adopted new fitness standards for its combat soldiers. The biggest change? The new standards are the same for men and women. The test has...

Does this sound familiar? You're following a generally healthy diet, eating your vegetables and carefully avoiding unhealthy, fatty foods. The weekend arrives, or maybe a holiday. Like a reformed card...

Weight loss solutions are a dime a dozen. Some swear by dieting, others by intense exercise. But for those who struggle with feelings of satiety, a new solution may be...

When it comes to the lifelong pursuit of happiness, dieting rarely comes up. Now a new study using data from over 28,000 adults finds that calorie-restricted diets may come with...

Despite being beloved by most folks with a deadline, caffeine's effect on the brain when they are asleep is far from universal. A new study from researchers in Montreal dives...

They creak, they crunch, they catch. But mostly they hurt. Every year, about 800,000 of us have such bad knees that we have them surgically replaced. That number has been...

Before antibiotics became widely available in the first half of the 20th century, we humans were vulnerable to all kinds of ailments. An infected tooth could take you out. So...

Several years ago, researchers at the University of Oxford studied the relationship between people's self-reported alcohol intake and their brains. They concluded that, when it comes to brain health, there...

  Artificial intelligence, or AI, went from a science-fiction trope to a pervasive phenomenon found in people's daily lives in the blink of an eye. And while this new, digital-based...

Much like feeling behind in class, comparing how hard you work to everyone else doesn't always help — and a new study suggests it might even hurt. Researchers at The...

Do you feel that? It starts with a throbbing pain in your head and becomes so much more. The headache leads to nausea, a ringing sensation in your ears, maybe...

Some people are just built differently. In the case of the Haenyeo [hen-yeo], however, the formula is a little nature, a little nurture and a whole lot of cold water....

We've all been there. You climb into bed, needing to sleep before a big day at work. Your mind races, one thought interrupting another. Hours go by while you toss...

You do it at work. You do it at home. Sometimes you even do it while out with friends or family. Everyone knows that yawning is a common sign of...

Close your eyes. When you think of the word “vacation,” where are you? A tropical island, lying on the beach with a drink in your hand as waves gently wash...

Anybody who's ever tried to rouse a sleeping teenager (or who has been a teenager themselves) is probably aware that it can be a tough task. But it's not without...

For years, the longstanding medical treatment for inflammation-related lost sense of smell was to prescribe oral vitamin D supplements. But sometimes you just have to turn convention on its head....

There's nothing quite like a heaping portion of sauerkraut to accompany a nice sausage or potato dish. While the tangy, fermented cabbage dish is deeply rooted in German culture today,...

It's June, and that means it's Paul McCartney's birthday. On June 18, the former Beatle turns 83. Happy birthday, Paul. So, it's a great time to remind the world about...

Does a big, juicy steak for breakfast sound appealing? Perhaps not, but finding ways to boost your protein intake during breakfast and lunch might be a good idea. A new...

What if we put a bit of the stuff found in antiseptic mouthwash on our walls to protect our health? That may sound like a harebrained scheme or like a...

In the last two decades, the average rate of obesity among adults in the United States has risen about 30%. But the rate of those with the most serious, life-threatening...

Wrinkles on one's face are an obvious, unavoidable sign of aging. But your heart might be aging, too, faster than you think — and now, scientists have a way to...

Much like sleep or sunlight, good mental health may come down to the little things we do every day — like chatting with a friend or taking a moment to...

Finding ways to shed a few pounds has become an American obsession. Now, researchers have hit on an idea that will be music to the ears of anyone trying to...

There's nothing quite like slipping into our ugliest, most comfortable sweatpants and settling in to binge a new TV show while snacking on the tastiest-but-unhealthiest foods possible. But let's face...

Lots of studies have looked at how mom's mood can affect childhood behavior and development, but what about Dad? A new study suggests paternal depression during a child's first year...

Men have a distinct advantage over women in physical strength. But a new study from scientists in a couple of cold-weather states discovered something surprising. In extremely cold weather, female...

If your doctor has told you to lower your blood pressure, you might want to consider buying bananas in bulk. A new study suggests potassium can lower blood pressure, even...

The way we create snake antivenom hasn’t changed much in a century. Using the standard methods leaves us with a concoction of antivenom that gets the job done. But there...

If you're struggling to curb sugar cravings, you might have your intestines to blame. A new study has found that a high consumption of soda and other sugary drinks can...

For those who love sushi, here's something to remember: Japanese wasabi might boost short- and long-term memory in older adults. We all know the sushi condiment from the often-pungent blast...

  A green, leafy canopy benefits more than just the birds. Trees planted along the street, or in high numbers across a neighborhood, are pleasing to the eye and offer...

Millions of Americans battle a persistent, annoying ringing in their ears. The malady, known as tinnitus [tin-nuh-tuhs], receives relatively little research funding and has no consistently effective treatment. Tinnitus has...

Tattoos are now mainstream. Once relegated to tough guys and the biceps of sailors who wanted to celebrate anchors and good ol' Ma, those days are over. Today, they are...