News Room

Katie Couric is ‘Fed Up’ with childhood obesity
- Celebrity HealthStyles
- February 6, 2014
Katie Couric is working to change the way people think about childhood obesity. She’s taking on the food industry in her new documentary, Fed Up, which was a hit at the Sundance Film Festival. She dives right into the controversy over why children are packing on the pounds and the impact that processed foods and increased amounts of sugar have had on them.
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Experts: Heroin Is A Public Health Crisis
- Health & Healing
- February 6, 2014
The untimely death of award-winning actor Philip Seymour Hoffman has led experts to sound the alarm on the rising heroin epidemic in America. As Scott Hesseltine, operations director at Hazelden Treatment Center in Minnesota, says, “We can’t overshadow the fact that there is a public health crisis that is raging across this country. Scenarios like this are playing out in families and communities with alarming regularity and increased frequency.”
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Philip Seymour Hoffman’s Death Sheds Light on Heroin Addiction
- Celebrity HealthStyles
- February 6, 2014
The untimely death of award-winning actor Philip Seymour Hoffman has led experts to sound the alarm on the rising heroin epidemic in America. The number of people using heroin has doubled in the last five years alone, and an estimated 27,000 people have died from heroin use over the last decade. Users say they turn to the drug to help fight off depression, anger, and sadness, but the high only lasts a few hours. Dr. Greg Skipper says it’s possible to be a functioning heroin addict, so many families are left to cope with the harmful effects addiction has on their loved ones and their daily lives
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Thirteen-year-old author writes own success story
- Entertainment, Books & Humor
- February 6, 2014
Jake Marcionette loves writing so much that he was able to publish his own book, and he’s only 13 years old! In Just Jake, Marcionette takes on a humorous tone to explain what it’s like to be a student in middle school in Ponte Vedra, Florida, sharing some of the challenges he’s faced and how he avoided becoming a victim of bullying.
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A Mother’s Last Gift to Her Children May Be a Legacy Video
- Home & Family
- February 6, 2014
Mom Michelle Wallace found out she had an extreme case of endometrial cancer after giving birth to her fourth child, Toby, so she created a special video to help him remember her after she’s gone. Wallace is not alone, as many terminally ill patients are turning to nonprofits like Just So You Know and Thru My Eyes to create “legacy videos” free of charge for their families.
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Right Before Dying From A Rare Lifelong Disease, Sam Revealed His Three Secrets To Happiness
- Making a Positive Difference
- February 4, 2014
Sam Berns was diagnosed with the rare aging disease progeria at just two years old, but what he accomplished and shared with the world until his untimely passing at age 17 will stick with us forever. Sam’s life was profiled in an HBO documentary, Life According to Sam, and when you watch Sam, you can’t help but learn from his positive spirit. When asked what the most important thing was that people should know about him, Sam said, “That I have a very happy life.”
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‘He’s going to be better than he was before’
- Health & Healing
- February 4, 2014
On his CNN show, Sanjay Gupta, MD, Dr. Gupta presented the story of 16-year-old Grant Virgin and his remarkable recovery after a hit-and-run accident. Grant was left with life-threatening damage, including a traumatic brain injury and bleeding, a torn aorta, and fractures in his spine. The doctors grimly told his parents that he had little chance of survival, but the parents refused to give up on their child.
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It All Started With a 12-Year-Old Cousin
- Making a Positive Difference
- February 3, 2014
Back in 2008, Salman Kahn learned that his 12-year-old cousin, Nadia, was struggling with math and that she had switched to a slower class. All that Kahn, an MIT graduate and hedge-fund analyst, wanted to do was was to help Nadia develop her math skills. As Kahn tells The New York Times, before he knew it, many other family members were requesting his tutoring.
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MIT retools to aid students with startups
- Financial & Workplace Well-Being
- February 2, 2014
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has been home to many inventions and well-known graduates, but the school is now making a push to foster entrepreneurship and become the leader when it comes to innovation.
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Dad Is Prepping Over 800 Napkin Notes for Daughter’s Lunchbox Before He Dies
- Home & Family
- January 31, 2014
Dad W. Garth Callaghan has been including notes in his daughter’s lunchbox since she was little, but after getting diagnosed with three types of cancer, he is now writing more than 800 notes so that his daughter, Emma, will keep receiving them when he’s gone. Known as “Napkin Note Dad,” Callaghan has his own Facebook page and Kindle eBook to inspire others to write notes to their children, too.
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The higher purpose of doodling
- Lifestyle & Relationships
- January 31, 2014
Are you a doodler? The Oxford English Dictionary says that a doodle is a “drawing made absentmindedly,” but that definition doesn’t sit well with some who think that doodling helps them to think. Sunni Brown is one of those people, saying, “It’s totally inaccurate. It’s not an accurate representation of what’s happening for a doodler.”
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Family loses 300 pounds together
- Home & Family
- January 31, 2014
Gabi Rose struggled with many health issues- from asthma attacks to broken bones- because of her weight, leading her to make healthy lifestyle changes to get her life back on track. “I didn’t realize it was affecting my entire family,” Rose says. But her efforts became a family affair, which led Gabi, her husband, David, and her 14-year-old daughter, Rachel, to lose a total of 300 pounds together!
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Muppets mini-makeover aims to boost kids’ health
- Entertainment, Books & Humor
- January 30, 2014
The Sesame Project has given the Muppets a healthy makeover. Bert and Ernie are more active and eating healthy foods, and the Cookie Monster is cutting back on his sweet tooth. But how does the Sesame Project impact kids’ health?
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Weighing the Need for a Landline in a Cellphone World
- Home & Family
- January 27, 2014
The government estimates that 38.2% of households in the U.S. don’t have a landline phone. So, what happens when there is an emergency and cell service is down? A group of emergency professionals from California brought the issue of dialing 911 from mobile phones into the spotlight after finding that a caller’s location wasn’t always readily available for emergency responders. Landline phones are better for calling 911 because they make it easier for dispatchers to locate you by providing your address.
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Lisa Bianconi: Life changer, music teacher, Grammy nominee
- Making a Positive Difference
- January 27, 2014
Lisa Bianconi has been a teacher for the past 30 years at Kurn Hattin School, which is dedicated to helping children who struggle both at home and school. This year, Bianconi was recognized as a nominee for a new Grammy award called The Music Educator Award.
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