Prevent Divorce with Movies? For newlyweds, watching and then discussing movies about relationships appears to be just as effective at preventing divorce as more time and energy intensive counseling programs. Participants attended a ten-minute lecture on the importance of relationship awareness and how watching couples in movies could help them pay better attention to their…

Postnatal Visits are Important! While medical associations recommend women visit their doctor in the weeks after giving birth, only about half do and the rates aren’t much higher among women who had complicated pregnancies because of high blood pressure, diabetes, or other health problems. These visits are important for all new mothers as they give…

Preventing Teen Prescription Drug Abuse. Prescription drug abuse kills more people in the United States each year than cocaine and heroine combined. A six-year study on the efficacy of programs designed to curb teenage prescription drug abuse finds that school-based programs are largely ineffective unless they are coupled with home-based interventions. Still, even the best…

Folic Acid and Pregnancy. Despite decades of research recommending pregnant women take folic acid supplements in order to prevent spina bifida and other neural tube defects, only 31% of pregnant women in the United Kingdom (UK) do. Additionally, among women who had previously given birth to a baby with a neural tube defect, only 51%…

Watch What You Eat! A study involving 224 adolescent females found that the increased consumption of dietary fat was significantly linked to an increase in abdominal fat, regardless of total calorie intake or physical fitness. The accumulation of abdominal fat is harmful as it increases the risk of suffering from cardiovascular problems, diabetes mellitus, arterial…

Un-Happy Employees are More Likely to Smoke. According to the Gallup research, employees who are emotionally disconnected from their jobs are 20% more likely to smoke than employees who are either neutral or excited about their work. Previous research has shown that disengaged employees are more likely to suffer from stress, obesity, and chronic health…

Breastfeeding and Rheumatoid Arthritis? A study of 7,000 older Chinese women showed that those who breast fed their children had a 50% reduced risk for rheumatoid arthritis later in life. Rheumatology, January 2014

Decreasing Cancer Risk. Over an 8-year study period, postmenopausal women who closely followed the American Cancer Society’s Nutrition and Physical Activity Cancer Prevention Guidelines had a 17% lower cancer risk, a 20% lower risk of cancer-related death, and a 27% lower risk of death from  all causes. According to lead author Dr. Cynthia Thomson, “The…

Life Satisfaction? Does money bring happiness? In most developing countries, life satisfaction rises as a country’s wealth increases and people are able to meet their basic needs. Once income reaches a certain level (around $36,000 USD), life satisfaction levels peak and begin to decline. Happiness dips because more money creates higher aspirations, leading to disappointment…

Fight Fat with Heat? People who live in well-heated homes above 73.4 degrees Fahrenheit (23 degrees Celsius) are less likely to be obese, or have a high body mass index, compared with individuals who keep their dwellings cooler. People may eat less and burn more energy when residing in a warmer indoor environment. At temperatures…