HealthBeat
D.C.’s post-shutdown baby boom
Hospitals in Washington D.C. are experiencing what appears to be an aftereffect of the 16-day government shutdown in October: bustling maternity wards. Nine months after the furlough, D.C. hospitals are seeing an increase in the number of births, according to an article in the Washington Post. At Sibley Memorial Hospital, an average 9.2 births occur […]
July 29, 2014 1:22 pm
Fist bump for better hygiene
If you want to cut down on the spread of bacteria, try ditching the traditional handshake greeting and instead give a fist bump. Researchers have found that fist-bumping transmits significantly fewer bacteria than handshaking or high-fiving someone, while still making hand-to-hand contact, according to a new study published in the American Journal of Infection Control. […]
July 28, 2014 3:00 pm
Kids like healthier lunch options
School administrators say kids have warmed up to the idea of healthier school lunch offerings. Last school year, administrators said kids started off the year complaining about the new offerings implemented after the USDA introduced new standards in 2012, according to a Time article. The new requirements called for less sugar, sodium and fat in […]
July 24, 2014 5:09 pm
Overweight kids believe they’re thinner than they are
Many overweight and obese kids and teens in the U.S. think they are thinner than they actually are, according to a new study. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics found about 34 percent of Hispanic-American children and teens believe they’re thinner than they are, as do 34 percent of […]
July 23, 2014 11:21 am
Baseball great’s death renews push to ban chewing tobacco
The death of Major League Baseball great Tony Gwynn has prompted public health organizations to once again push the league to ban chewing tobacco. The 54-year-old San Diego Padre all-star died last month of cancer in his salivary gland. Gwynn’s death came after two surgeries to remove malignant growths inside his right cheek, where Gwynn […]
July 17, 2014 3:22 pm
Safe sun exposure apps
Want to avoid sunburn while at the beach? There’s an app for that. Smartphones are offering apps that predict how much UV exposure you’re getting and track when you may need to reapply your sunscreen. The New York Times took a look at some of the sun exposure apps on the market and what they […]
July 16, 2014 5:42 pm
Kids and hot cars don’t mix
Leaving kids in hot cars – or even warm cars – is never a good idea. Tragic stories of kids dying from heat stroke after being left in too-hot cars remind us of that all too often. But, according to a new national survey, an alarming number of parents say they have left their children […]
July 9, 2014 4:27 pm
Americans are stressed out
Nearly half of the people included in a nationwide survey said they’ve had a major stressful event in the past year, with most people pointing to health-related problems as the cause of the stress. NPR, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Harvard School of Public Health conducted a poll on stress this spring, surveying […]
July 7, 2014 3:07 pm
Hold the salt
A review of meals from the top restaurant chains found restaurants have decreased the amount of sodium in their meals slightly but progress has been slow and unsteady. The Center for Science in the Public Interest reviewed 136 meals from 17 restaurant chains. On average, the restaurants reduced sodium by 6 percent between 2009 and […]
July 3, 2014 2:55 pm
Nail-biting health issues
Biting your fingernails doesn’t only make your nails look bad. It can also make you feel bad. Time magazine readers asked whether biting your nails was dangerous or just gross. The magazine went to the experts, who said nail biting is dangerous for a number of different reasons. Nails harbor germs, in particular a family […]
July 2, 2014 6:05 pm