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Teens who said they were teased or ridiculed about their weight increased their body mass by 33% each year compared to teens who had not been teased, according to a new national study.

The study followed 110 young people for 15 years, beginning at an average age of 11. All were either overweight (a body mass index above the 85th percentile) ...Read more

For some years, physicians, engineers and sci-fi geeks have been trying to create a medical device similar (at least in inspiration) to the tricorder of Star Trek fame, which could measure, monitor and diagnose myriad human conditions without much more than a wave over the body.

No one has yet reproduced that ideal, but a Scottish company has...Read more

A new study published in JAMA found that one-third of cancer patients have used alternative therapies. Most popular were herbal supplements, followed by visits to a chiropractor or osteopath.

Approximately 30% of the patients who tried alternative approaches said they did not inform their physician, mostly because their doctor didn't ask.

...Read more

With roughly 8 million middle-class Americans currently over the age of 75, the costs of needed housing and personal assistance is already a big and seemingly intractable issue. A new study suggests it will be bigger and even more problematic in 2029, when the number is projected to almost double to 14 million and more than half are expected ...Read more

Electronic cigarettes contain a number of chemicals known to be harmful, most notably nicotine, heavy metals and compounds such as diacetyl, a flavorant linked to serious lung disease.

A new study out of Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health found a few other worrisome ingredients: bacterial and fungal toxins. Researchers examined 75 ...Read more

Cancer deaths overall in the United States dropped more than 25% between 1991 and 2016, but the good news is not uniform and there is room for improvement. Nearly a third of all cancer deaths are due to cigarette smoking, but while tobacco use is in decline, some populations remain at a higher risk of mortality. For example, only about 6% of ...Read more

A nationwide survey of 600,000 people found an uptick in the number of teens and young adults experiencing mental health problems. Specifically, researchers found a 50% increase in depressive episodes among kids ages 12 to 17 and a 63% increase in adults 18 to 25. The latter age group also reported a 70% increase in more serious issues such as...Read more

Another major study, this one involving more than 650,000 Danish children, has found no link between autism and the vaccine for measles, mumps and rubella. Multiple past studies have also proven no association, and public health experts consider the matter settled science.

The latest study followed children for more than a decade, beginning ...Read more

Caring for a spouse with a serious chronic illness often places incredible strain upon a relationship, with divorce rates up to 75%. Experts have lots of advice on how to be a great caregiver for the long term. Here are seven suggestions. (Caution: There are no shortcuts.)

1. Be a good listener. No one understands what's happening better than...Read more

If you're reading this, you're not alone, but you may be lonely. A national poll asked adults 50 to 80 years old about their "health, health behaviors and experiences and feelings related to companionship and social isolation."

One in 3 said they felt a lack of companionship (26% said some of the time; 8% said often), and 27% reported feeling...Read more

E-cigarettes are fueling a rise in the use of tobacco products by young people, says the Centers for Disease Control. A new report finds that, in 2018, 4.9 million middle and high school students reported using a tobacco product in the past month, up from 3.6 million in 2017.

E-cigarettes were actually the only type of tobacco product that ...Read more

The Centers for Disease Control estimates nearly 40 percent of U.S. kids ages 3 to 6 are spreading too much toothpaste on their toothbrushes. The advised amount is roughly a pea-sized blob to avoid swallowing too much fluoride.

Small, unintentional ingestions of fluoride may cause stomach upset, though toothpaste concentrations are quite low,...Read more