Health, Fitness and Style
NIH study reveals many Americans at risk for alcohol-medication interactions
Nearly 42 percent of US adults who drink also report using medications known to interact with alcohol, based on a study from the National Institutes of Health released January 16, 2015. Among those over 65 years of age who drink alcohol, nearly 78 percent report using alcohol-interactive medications. more »
Psychological Stress and Social Media Use; Women report experiencing significantly higher levels of stress than men
The more pictures women share through their mobile phones, the more emails they send and receive, and the more frequently they use Twitter, the lower their reported stress. Compared with a woman who does not use these technologies, a women who uses Twitter several times per day, sends or receives 25 emails per day, and shares two digital pictures through her mobile phone per day, scores 21% lower on our stress measure than a woman who does not use these technologies at all. more »
"This year, I'm going to lose some weight:" Beware of Products Promising Miracle Weight Loss
FDA has found hundreds of products that are marketed as dietary supplements but actually contain hidden active ingredients contained in prescription drugs, unsafe ingredients that were in drugs that have been removed from the market, or compounds that have not been adequately studied in humans. FDA has found weight-loss products tainted with the prescription drug ingredient sibutramine. This ingredient was in an FDA-approved drug called Meridia, removed from the market in October 2010 because it caused heart problems and strokes. more »
Birds Do It, Bees Do It: A Century of Sex (Mis)Education in the United States
From junior high school hygiene films to websites, public health campaigns, scientific studies, children’s books, bodice-ripper novels and (sometimes) parents, Americans have always found ways to learn about sex. While attitudes towards sex education swing from the blissfulness of ignorance to the empowerment of liberation — and back again — every generation finds new ways to answer the old questions. Our desire to learn about desire has not changed. more »