Friday, April 25, 2014

Marijuana may cause heart problems in young adults

Journal of the American Heart Association



Young adults who smoke marijuana may be at risk for serious or even fatal heart problems, according to a study by French researchers.

The findings in the Journal of the American Heart Association raises new concerns about the safety of marijuana, just as many parts of the world are relaxing laws on its use and medicinal marijuana is gaining popularity for treating certain health conditions.

http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2014/04/24/3991791.htm

Thursday, April 24, 2014

Pot Smoking May Pose Heart Dangers, Study Suggests

Pot Smoking May Pose Heart Dangers, Study Suggests: Marijuana use might contribute to heart and artery disease among young and middle-aged adults, particularly those already at risk for cardiovascular problems, a small French study reports.

By reviewing reported cases of marijuana abuse in France between 2006 and 2010, researchers identified 35 users who suffered heart disease -- including 20 heart attacks and nine deaths.

CDC: Childhood vaccines prevent 322 million illnesses | Modern Healthcare

CDC: Childhood vaccines prevent 322 million illnesses | Modern Healthcare: An estimated 322 million illnesses, 21 million hospitalizations and 732,000 deaths will be prevented thanks to routine childhood vaccinations, according to new statistics released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Thursday.

Unvaccinated infants fueling disease epidemics, researchers say | Fox News

Unvaccinated infants fueling disease epidemics, researchers say | Fox News: Epidemics of the measles virus still pose a threat to children worldwide – but due to the recent anti-vaccine movement, the virus is making a comeback in the United States as well.






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As a result, a husband-and-wife research team from the University of Michigan is strategizing ways to improve vaccination campaign strategies – and they believe one interesting set of data could help: seasonal birth rates.

Unvaccinated infants fueling disease epidemics, researchers say | Fox News

Unvaccinated infants fueling disease epidemics, researchers say | Fox News: Epidemics of the measles virus still pose a threat to children worldwide – but due to the recent anti-vaccine movement, the virus is making a comeback in the United States as well.






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As a result, a husband-and-wife research team from the University of Michigan is strategizing ways to improve vaccination campaign strategies – and they believe one interesting set of data could help: seasonal birth rates.

Measles outbreak puts spotlight on vaccine-preventable diseases | Windsor Star

Measles outbreak puts spotlight on vaccine-preventable diseases | Windsor Star: Today, around the world, slightly more than 80 per cent of all children get basic life-saving vaccines preventing millions of deaths a year and giving many of them the chance to achieve their fullest potential.

However, roughly 22 million of the poorest children in the most remote areas are not reached. And, as in Canada, when a few are not vaccinated, disease spreads.

Benefits of breastfeeding far outweigh challenges | Tallahassee Democrat | tallahassee.com

Benefits of breastfeeding far outweigh challenges | Tallahassee Democrat | tallahassee.com: Breastfeeding decreases the chances of babies getting Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), ear infections, diabetes and allergies, according to Dr. Tanya Evers, board certified doctor of obstetrics and gynecology at Tallahassee Memorial Family Medicine Residency Program. Also according to Evers, breastfeeding helps decrease the chances of mothers developing breast and ovarian cancer, postpartum obesity and bone health.

Monday, April 21, 2014

Young Dads at Risk of Depressive Symptoms, Study Finds

Young Dads at Risk of Depressive Symptoms, Study Finds: Young fathers may be at increased risk of depression symptoms after their baby arrives, all the way through to the child's kindergarten, a new study suggests.

Researchers found that for men who become fathers in their 20s and live with their children, depression symptoms tend to rise during the first five years of the child's life.

Too much TV tied to less sleep in kids - National Children's Health | Examiner.com

Too much TV tied to less sleep in kids - National Children's Health | Examiner.com: New research confirms the findings from earlier studies on television viewing and its impact on children’s sleep. According to a study published in the April 14 online Pediatrics, there is a consistent association between kids’ increased TV viewing and shorter sleep duration.

NewsRoomAmerica.com - Study Supports Detrimental Effects Of Television Viewing On Young Childrens Sleep

NewsRoomAmerica.com - Study Supports Detrimental Effects Of Television Viewing On Young Childrens Sleep: A study following more than 1,800 children from ages 6 months to nearly 8 years found a small but consistent association between increased television viewing and shorter sleep duration.

The presence of a television in the room where a child sleeps also was associated with less sleep, particularly in minority children.

Investigators from MassGeneral Hospital for Children (MGHfC) and Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) report their results – the first to examine the connection between television and sleep duration over several years – in the May issue of Pediatrics.

Friday, April 18, 2014

How owning a dog can improve your health | Fox News

How owning a dog can improve your health | Fox News: Simply put, having a dog changes your life. These furry co-dependents fill our lives with meaning, and can teach us about love, loyalty and companionship. Despite their sometimes frenetic nature, dogs have a particular serenity about them. They are keenly in tune with human emotion at times of loss, strife, illness or other challenges, and may experience some of these same profound feelings themselves. Animal behaviorists note that dogs "mourn" in their own way, sleeping more, eating less and moving slower after long periods of time away from those they are bonded to, human or canine. And anyone lucky enough to love a dog can tell you about their profound ability not only to sympathize, but to help heal; it is no coincidence that dogs are brought into hospitals and rehabilitation centers to make people feel better, physically and spiritually.

Thursday, April 17, 2014

Obesity Linked to Increased Odds of Losing Baby, Study Finds - Health News and Views - Health.com

Obesity Linked to Increased Odds of Losing Baby, Study Finds - Health News and Views - Health.com: Women who are overweight or obese when they get pregnant may be at increased risk for miscarriage, stillbirth or infant death, researchers say.

The danger is greatest for severely obese women, who appear to have about double or triple the risk of losing their baby, although that risk is still small, the study authors noted.

The findings, based on a review of previously published studies, underscore the need for women who plan pregnancy to try to maintain a healthy weight, the researchers suggested.

Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Why Pregnant Women Shouldn’t Gain Too Much or Too Little Weight

Why Pregnant Women Shouldn’t Gain Too Much or Too Little Weight: The researchers studied 4,145 women, who filled out a health survey while they were pregnant, between 2007 and 2009, and then subsequently gave birth.

For obese women (BMI of 30 or greater), the recommended weight gain during pregnancy is 11 to 20 pounds; for overweight women (BMI between 25 and 29), it is 15 to 25 pounds; for normal weight women (BMI between 18.5 and 25), it is 25 to 35 pounds; and for underweight women (BMI less than 18.5), it is 28 to 40 pounds.

Childhood overweight/obesity was defined as a body mass index (BMI) z-score of the 85th percentile or greater of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) child growth standards.

Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Casual marijuana use linked with brain abnormalities, study finds | Fox News

Casual marijuana use linked with brain abnormalities, study finds | Fox News: For the first time, researchers at Northwestern University have analyzed the relationship between casual use of marijuana and brain changes – and found that young adults who used cannabis just once or twice a week showed significant abnormalities in two important brain structures.






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The study’s findings, to be published Wednesday in the Journal of Neuroscience, are similar to those of past research linking chronic, long-term marijuana use with mental illness and changes in brain development.

Study Links Casual Marijuana Use to Changes in Brain - US News

Study Links Casual Marijuana Use to Changes in Brain - US News: Recreational pot use by a small group of young adults caused significant changes to the shape and density of both the nucleus accumbens, a region of the brain involved in reward and addiction, and the amygdala, which helps process emotion and form long-term memories, the study authors reported.

These changes show that pot users' brains adapt to even low-level marijuana exposure, potentially making a person more vulnerable to drug addiction or changing their thought processes and emotions in unknown ways, the researchers said.

Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Stay-at-Home Moms Rise in Reversal of Modern Family Trend (1) - Businessweek

Stay-at-Home Moms Rise in Reversal of Modern Family Trend (1) - Businessweek: The share of mothers with children under age 18 who don’twork “outside the home” rose to 29 percent in 2012, up from amodern-era low of 23 percent in 1999, according to a reportreleased today by the Pew Research Center.

The trend follows a decline in stay-at-home moms recordedin most years from 1970 to 1999, as more women entered theworkplace, spurred both by a sense of empowerment and familyfinancial demands.

Sunday, April 6, 2014

13 rules for working out while pregnant | Fox News

13 rules for working out while pregnant | Fox News: Working out during pregnancy is not only beneficial for you (and baby!) now, the benefits pay off after you give birth, too. While The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends 30 minutes of exercise on most or all days of the week, that may not be the best for you. Your body is changing constantly, which means you have to reevaluate what’s safe and your effort level as your baby grows.

Here, find out the answers to your fitness questions so you stay safe as you work out.

In our opinion: A mom and a dad | Deseret News

In our opinion: A mom and a dad | Deseret News: “Research clearly demonstrates that family structure matters for children, and the family structure that helps children the most is a family structure headed by two biological parents in a low-conflict marriage,” wrote Kristen Anderson Moore, Susan Jekielek and Carol Emig in a research summary for ChildTrends. “(I)t is not simply the presence of two parents, as some have assumed, but the presence of two biological parents that seems to support children’s development.”

There is widespread agreement about this fact when looking at traditional marriage. Now, as courts, legislators and social scientists turn to the hotly contested issue of same-sex marriage, should this wealth of existing evidence about family structure be ignored? No. In fact, family structure research is more relevant than ever before.