Hypertension affects more than half of America’s adult population. It is a leading cause of stroke and heart attack, and often comes with no obvious early symptoms. One of the best ways to both prevent high blood pressure and lower it is by working out (as well as an improved diet). That’s in part because […]
Category Archives: Health
A growing number of women have opted to get an intrauterine device in recent years, but the pain of the insertion and removal remains a barrier for many. While some clinicians have tried pain killers or numbing agents, the pain-relief options most commonly offered are often insufficient. A new device, described in a presentation this […]
When a patient with a severe traumatic brain injury is comatose, in intensive care, unresponsive and hooked up to a ventilator, but not brain-dead, when is the time to withdraw life support? A small study on the fates of people in such situations suggests that doctors and patients’ families may make better decisions if they […]
Emma Lembke did not know what an algorithm was when she started using social media. The then-12-year-old was thrilled when her parents gave her permission to join Instagram. She quickly followed all kinds of accounts — from Kim Kardashian to Olive Garden, she said — and was soon spending five to six hours a day […]
As a reporter who covers sex and intimacy, I spend a lot of time listening to experts extol the virtues of open, honest communication. To have good sex — and to keep having good sex over time — couples must be willing to talk about it, they say. But some people would rather leave their […]
I’m a person who craves regular alone time. At home, I take quick walks. At work, I sometimes disappear into the office supply closet, which is always deserted. I find the orderly stacks of notebooks soothing. When I can’t grab these moments, I tend to get twitchy. Robert Coplan, a psychologist at Carleton University in […]
Online, that mistrust has bloomed. In two separate papers, published in 2021 and 2024, Dr. Bartz analyzed the tone of birth control-related posts on Twitter. In the first study, researchers found that almost a third of posts about the pill from 2006 to 2019 were negative. In the second study, the team found that one […]
With Pride events scheduled worldwide over the coming weeks, U.S. officials are bracing for a return of mpox, the infectious disease formerly called monkeypox that struck tens of thousands of gay and bisexual men worldwide in 2022. A combination of behavioral changes and vaccination quelled that outbreak, but a majority of those at risk have […]
Rev. Nicholas Sollom, a chaplain at Yale New Haven Hospital, isn’t a fan of any relaxation rituals that create new tasks. Instead, he advises caregivers to keep their routines as simple and sustainable as possible: “Make sure you got enough sleep, make sure you’re eating, make sure you’re staying hydrated,” he said. It sounds simple, […]
It takes a lot of energy to grow a baby — just ask anyone who has been pregnant. But scientists are only now discovering just how much. In a study published on Thursday in the journal Science, Australian researchers estimated that a human pregnancy demands almost 50,000 dietary calories over the course of nine months. […]