No one wants to take a trip to the hospital while they’re abroad. The Food and Drug Administration recommends the following to keep you safe when traveling: avoid spending too much time in the sun; check your medications before leaving on a trip to make sure you have enough; never pack medication in your checked…

Spending time in nature can provide an individual with significant and wide-ranging health benefits. An analysis of data involving more than 290 million people revealed that routine exposure to green spaces can reduce the risk for type II diabetes, heart disease, premature death, premature births, stress, and hypertension. Lead author Dr. Caoimhe Twohig-Bennett notes, “We…

Do you get 7-9 hours of sleep each night? Among a sample of 9,749 Canadian women, researchers found that 38% did not get sufficient sleep. Previous research has noted an association between insufficient sleep and an increased risk for accidents, poor cognitive performance, cardiovascular disease, depression, weight gain, diabetes, and early death. Canadian Journal of…

The warmer months are a great time for people to check their skin for signs of cancer. Dermatologist Dr. Katherine Gordon recommends looking for the following: moles that change, have irregular shapes, or uneven edges; moles that are multi-colored, such as brown, tan, and black; moles that are raised; moles that are large or have…

When a fertilized egg grows outside the uterus, usually in the fallopian tube, it is referred to as an ectopic pregnancy. This type of pregnancy causes the fallopian tube to eventually burst, leading to life-threatening bleeding. According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, risk factors for such a pregnancy include the following: previous…

New research suggests that too little sleep during the work week can be counteracted by sleeping in on the weekends. A study involving nearly 44,000 people showed that the risk of early death among individuals who got less sleep during the week and more sleep on the weekends differed very little from those who averaged…

An examination of the vitamin D levels of 1,200 women with a history of miscarriage showed that those who had vitamin D levels of 30 ng/mL or more were 10% more likely to become pregnant within the next six months and 15% more likely to have a live birth than women with lower vitamin D…

The American Academy of Dermatology offers the following information about sunscreen: broad spectrum sunscreen means it can protect you from both UVA and UVB sun rays, which helps prevent skin cancer, early skin aging, and sunburn; sunburn protection factor (SPF) defines how protective the sunscreen is, the higher the number, the greater the level of…

Vision problems tend to increase as one ages, but there are things you can do to help protect your eye sight: have a medical eye exam by age 40, when early signs of disease may begin without any symptoms; find out what your family history is for inherited eye diseases; eat a healthy diet that’s…

Past research has shown that children who grow up on farms develop fewer allergies, but what about people who live near farms? Researchers surveyed 2,500 adults who lived in rural areas and found that those who resided within about 1,000 feet of livestock were 27% less likely to have allergies compared to those who lived…