I used to smoke, drink heavily, and do drugs in a major way. I am now 42. I have an occasional glass of wine (no more than a three or four per week). I quit smoking and do not do drugs anymore. Will my past behavior affect how I age?
Children with ADHD may have more difficulty with crossing the street safely, a new study finds. The problem was not attention, researchers said. In the research study, kids with ADHD did stop and look both ways before crossing. But they did not judge the amount of time needed to cross safely as well as other children. The study included 78 children with ADHD and 39 without ADHD. All were ages 7 to 10. The two groups were matched by age and gender. Kids who took ADHD medicine were asked to skip it for 24 hours ahead of the experiments. Street crossing was done in a virtual environment using an avatar. The children decided when to cross in different virtual situations. Researchers said the children with ADHD were less likely to cross safely than the other children. Several had close calls during their virtual crossings. The journal Pediatrics published the study.
A positive outlook on life may reduce your risk of stroke, a new study finds. Researchers based their study on data from a large study of U.S. adults. All were over age 50. More than 6,000 men and women in the study took standard tests of optimism. The test was scored on a 16-point scale. None of them had ever had a stroke when the study began. In the next 2 years, 88 strokes occurred. Adjusted for age, each point increase on the optimism scale was linked to a 9% lower risk of stroke. Researchers also adjusted the numbers to account for differences in people’s blood pressure, weight and other factors. The optimists still were less likely to have a stroke. The journal Stroke published the study online July 21. HealthDay News wrote about it.
What is anterior wedging of the mid-thoracic vertebral body?
Some U.S. soldiers have returned from war with a rare lung disease, new research has found. Doctors who did the study reported on 80 soldiers who had breathing problems. The cause was unclear. The soldiers had served in Iraq or Afghanistan. While there, they had been exposed to toxins in the air. They had breathing problems when they exercised. But standard tests showed normal lung function. Doctors did lung biopsies on 49 of the soldiers. All of them had abnormal lung tissue. Doctors diagnosed 38 of them with constrictive bronchiolitis. This condition causes very narrow airways in the lungs. In all, 28 of those with the condition had been exposed to a sulfur-mine fire in Iraq. But other things, such as dust storms, may have played a role, doctors said. The New England Journal of Medicine published the study. The Associated Press wrote about it July 21.
A comparison of two treatments for fibroids has found that long-term results are about the same for both methods.
I’m 70 and in good health. My cholesterol levels are normal. Lately, I’ve started to get little yellow deposits on my eyelids, which I’m told are xanthelasma. What causes these, and how can I get rid of them?
The challenges of midlife may prompt some women to conside psychotherapy.
A drug already in use for breast cancer treatment may have the potential to prevent the disease in some women.