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The Checkup: October, 2011

Posted at 12:07 AM ET, 10/03/2011

An upbeat look at life with Down Syndrome
By Jennifer LaRue Huget
Raising awareness of the syndrome’s benefits has become a mission for Brian Skotko, a clinical fellow in genetics who has a sister with DS.

By Jennifer LaRue Huget  |  12:07 AM ET, 10/03/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)

Posted at 12:01 AM ET, 09/29/2011

Psilocybin from ‘magic mushrooms’ can change personality, study finds
By Rob Stein

By Rob Stein  |  12:01 AM ET, 09/29/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)

Posted at 07:00 AM ET, 09/28/2011

Men, women may need colon cancer screening at different ages
By Jennifer LaRue Huget
A new study questions whether 50 is the optimal age for that first colonoscopy -- and whether men and women should be screened at different ages.

By Jennifer LaRue Huget  |  07:00 AM ET, 09/28/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)

Posted at 06:30 PM ET, 09/27/2011

Low blood sugar levels does not protect brains of diabetics, study finds
By Rob Stein
Keeping blood sugar levels very low apparently does not prevent the loss of thinking abilities of elderly people with type 2 diabetes, a major federal study has found.

By Rob Stein  |  06:30 PM ET, 09/27/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)

Posted at 07:00 AM ET, 09/27/2011

Picking a better snack chip
By Jennifer LaRue Huget
To commemorate the passing of Doritos inventor Arch West last week, let’s take a closer look at his famous snack chip -- and its nutrition profile.

By Jennifer LaRue Huget  |  07:00 AM ET, 09/27/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)

Posted at 04:00 PM ET, 09/26/2011

Coffee cuts women’s depression risk
By Jennifer LaRue Huget
Here’s some good news I came across while drinking my third cup of coffee today: the more coffee women drink, the lower their risk of depression.

By Jennifer LaRue Huget  |  04:00 PM ET, 09/26/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)

Posted at 07:00 AM ET, 09/26/2011

Teens who eat dinner with families less likely to use drugs, alcohol
By Jennifer LaRue Huget
Eating dinner as a family may be easier said than done for many families. But there’s evidence that breaking bread together as often as possible is a good idea.

By Jennifer LaRue Huget  |  07:00 AM ET, 09/26/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)

Posted at 07:00 AM ET, 09/23/2011

YouTube depictions of movement disorders often inaccurate
By Jennifer LaRue Huget
In a letter to the editor in the New England Journal of Medicine, physicians say that many YouTube videos depicting movement disorders are inaccurate and misleading.

By Jennifer LaRue Huget  |  07:00 AM ET, 09/23/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)

Posted at 02:00 PM ET, 09/22/2011

Supposed XMRV virus, chronic fatigue link undermined by new research
By Rob Stein
New research has further undermined an already widely questioned supposed relationship between a virus and chronic fatigue syndrome.

By Rob Stein  |  02:00 PM ET, 09/22/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)

Posted at 12:01 PM ET, 09/22/2011

CDC warns about pesticide poisonings in bedbug cases
By Rob Stein
At least 111 people in seven states have gotten sick from being exposed to chemicals used to try to eradicate bed bugs between 2003 and 2010, the CDC reported.

By Rob Stein  |  12:01 PM ET, 09/22/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)

Posted at 07:00 AM ET, 09/22/2011

Schweddy Balls: The cold, hard (nutrition) facts
By Jennifer LaRue Huget
There’s more you should know about the humorously-named ice cream before you buy it.

By Jennifer LaRue Huget  |  07:00 AM ET, 09/22/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)

Posted at 12:01 AM ET, 09/21/2011

Map tracks antibiotic-resistant ‘superbugs’ online
By Rob Stein
The “ResistanceMap ” was launched Wednesday by “Extending the Cure,” a research project that studies the rising problems of antibiotic resistance.

By Rob Stein  |  12:01 AM ET, 09/21/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)

Posted at 07:00 AM ET, 09/20/2011

Dishing up a different healthful-eating plate
By Jennifer LaRue Huget
The folks at the Harvard School of Public Health have a few bones to pick with the federal government’s MyPlate healthful-eating icon.

By Jennifer LaRue Huget  |  07:00 AM ET, 09/20/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)

Posted at 07:00 AM ET, 09/19/2011

Which would you rather discuss with your teen, sex or weight?
By Jennifer LaRue Huget
An interesting survey was conducted this summer on parents’ attitudes toward discussing topics such as drugs, sex, tobacco, drinking and weight with teens.

By Jennifer LaRue Huget  |  07:00 AM ET, 09/19/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)

Posted at 07:00 AM ET, 09/16/2011

CDC reports on pediatric influenza deaths
By Jennifer LaRue Huget
”Contagion” has got many of us thinking again about infectious disease. But while our minds are inclined to gravitate toward mysterious pathogens such as the one that kills all those poor people in the film, there are plenty of comparatively mundane infectious agents circulating among us all the time.

By Jennifer LaRue Huget  |  07:00 AM ET, 09/16/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)

Posted at 07:00 AM ET, 09/15/2011

HPV vaccine not just for girls
By Jennifer LaRue Huget
The most widely used is for boys, too.

By Jennifer LaRue Huget  |  07:00 AM ET, 09/15/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)

Posted at 10:33 AM ET, 09/14/2011

Arsenic or no arsenic, apple juice isn’t ideal
By Jennifer LaRue Huget
No doubt you’ve heard that Dr. Oz has taken aim at apple juice. But is he missing the real issue?

By Jennifer LaRue Huget  |  10:33 AM ET, 09/14/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)

Posted at 04:00 PM ET, 09/13/2011

Tough drivers’ license laws may be backfiring, study finds
By Rob Stein
The laws appear to have cut fatal crashes among 16-year-olds but may inadvertently have increased deaths among 18-year-olds.

By Rob Stein  |  04:00 PM ET, 09/13/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)

Posted at 07:00 AM ET, 09/13/2011

Parental presence may hinder kids’ outdoor activity
By Jennifer LaRue Huget
The single most potent factor associated with how much physical activity kids got was the presence of a parent, a study shows: Kids with a parent in the park were far less physically active than those whose parents weren’t there.

By Jennifer LaRue Huget  |  07:00 AM ET, 09/13/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)

Posted at 12:01 AM ET, 09/12/2011

SpongeBob’s effect on kids’ brains
By Jennifer LaRue Huget
As a health writer, I never thought I’d have the opportunity to blog about my favorite TV cartoon character, SpongeBob SquarePants. But now my day has come.

By Jennifer LaRue Huget  |  12:01 AM ET, 09/12/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)

Posted at 07:00 AM ET, 09/09/2011

Breast-cancer stats
By Jennifer LaRue Huget
Two statements in journalist Andrea Mitchell’s breast-cancer announcement gave me pause.

By Jennifer LaRue Huget  |  07:00 AM ET, 09/09/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)

Posted at 12:00 PM ET, 09/08/2011

Babies may not feel pain until about 35 weeks gestation, study finds
By Rob Stein
EEG readings found that the babies’ brains did not start to respond differently to the pain of heel sticks until between about 35 to 37 weeks, researchers reported.

By Rob Stein  |  12:00 PM ET, 09/08/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)

Posted at 08:01 PM ET, 09/07/2011

Weight Watchers works, study shows
By Jennifer LaRue Huget
In a study published today in the British medical journal The Lancet, people following the Weight Watchers regimen for 12 months lost twice as much weight as those who followed the weight-loss guidance of their primary-care physicians.

By Jennifer LaRue Huget  |  08:01 PM ET, 09/07/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)

Posted at 05:00 PM ET, 09/06/2011

A drink a day good for middle-aged women, study finds
By Rob Stein
For women who like a nice glass of wine at the end of the day, there’s more good news: Even middle-aged women can benefit from a drink a day, according to new research.

By Rob Stein  |  05:00 PM ET, 09/06/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)

Posted at 12:01 AM ET, 09/06/2011

New data on phthalates risk and children
By Jennifer LaRue Huget
Research published this morning adds to the evidence that exposure to the ubiquitous chemicals called phthalates may be harmful to humans.

By Jennifer LaRue Huget  |  12:01 AM ET, 09/06/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)

Posted at 07:00 AM ET, 09/05/2011

Teens’ speed of progress through puberty matters as much as time of onset, study finds
By Jennifer LaRue Huget
New research suggests that tempo may be at least as important as the timing of the puberty’s onset.

By Jennifer LaRue Huget  |  07:00 AM ET, 09/05/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)

Posted at 07:00 AM ET, 09/02/2011

Unexplained body odor may stem from rare genetic disorder
By Jennifer LaRue Huget
People whose bodies or breath are foul-smelling despite their good hygiene have a frustrating lot in life. But new research may lead to relief for some who suffer from such chronic malodor.

By Jennifer LaRue Huget  |  07:00 AM ET, 09/02/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)

Posted at 12:00 PM ET, 09/01/2011

Circumcision rates falling, CDC says
By Rob Stein
Fewer U.S. boys are getting at birth, according to a federal analysis released Thursday.

By Rob Stein  |  12:00 PM ET, 09/01/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)

Posted at 12:01 AM ET, 09/01/2011

Dangerous gaps remain in nation’s bioterrorism preparedness, report says
By Rob Stein
A decade after envelopes containing anthrax terrorized the nation, significant gaps remain in the country’s capacity to respond to bioterrorism, according to an analysis released Thursday.

By Rob Stein  |  12:01 AM ET, 09/01/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)

 

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