News Room

Study finds unsafe mercury levels in 84 percent of all fish
- Environmental Well-Being
- January 22, 2013
Unsafe levels of mercury in fish pose serious health risks for humans. Mercury poisoning, most often caused by eating fish, can permanently damage the brain and kidneys. CBS Evening News, 1/13/2013
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Hoda Kotb: How heartbreak, wrong turns made me braver
- Celebrity HealthStyles
- January 22, 2013
The TODAY co-host talks about her new book, "Ten Years Later: Six People Who Faced Adversity and Transformed Their Lives," which tells the inspirational story of individuals who overcame their biggest fears, from serious illness to the loss of family members, to live happy and full lives. TODAY, 1/15/2013
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Proper hand-washing essential during flu season
- Health & Healing
- January 18, 2013
The simple everyday action of hand-washing, if done right, can truly help keep you healthy and go a long way in preventing the flu. Dr. Elaine Larson, associate dean of research at Columbia University School of Nursing, explains that some people may not be practicing proper hand-washing techniques. "The biggest mistake is not covering the surfaces most
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Sleep doctor on sleep aid morning after: “Like driving drunk”
- Health & Healing
- January 18, 2013
The FDA released new guidelines for the popular sleeping pill Ambien and other sleep aids containing the same active ingredient, cutting the recommended dose for women in half. New studies have indicated that women metabolize the drug differently and that it stays in their system longer, leading to a higher risk of injury due to
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Patients rarely told about medication errors
- Health & Healing
- January 16, 2013
Patients and their families are rarely told when hospitals make mistakes with their medicines, according to a new study. Reuters, 1/11/2013
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Alexis Wineman, Miss Montana, First Miss America Contestant Diagnosed With Autism
- Celebrity HealthStyles
- January 15, 2013
Alexis Wineman told ABC News, “I have overcame a lot. I have overcome so many of my symptoms.” Wineman was first diagnosed with a form of autism at age 11. She recalls being ridiculed for her speech impediment and intense shyness, but her family helped her to eventually become comfortable in her own skin. She entered
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CDC: 1 in 8 U.S. women binge drink 3 times a month
- Health & Healing
- January 11, 2013
Binge drinking — defined as consuming four or more alcoholic drinks at one time — can take a serious toll on anyone's health. And, as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reveals in a new report, it's an under-recognized activity that almost 14 million American women participate in about three times a month. Dr. Robert
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Franken-Salmon on the Horizon
- Environmental Well-Being
- January 9, 2013
The FDA has said that they can find no valid scientific reason to ban the production of genetically modified AquAdvantage salmon, which is engineered (using Pacific Chinook salmon growth hormones) to grow twice as fast as ordinary fish. The FDA's finding clears one of the last remaining hurdles for GM salmon to be lawfully sold and eaten
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1 in 24 Americans Drives Drowsy, CDC Says
- Health & Healing
- January 9, 2013
Dr. Kingman Strohl, interim division chief of pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine at UH Case Medical Center in Cleveland, Ohio, reports that drowsy driving crashes are more likely to be fatal, and she explains, "A typical driver makes about 1000 decisions a minute. If a personal has not slept in 18 consecutive hours, their
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Can parents share child-raising responsibilities equally?
- Home & Family
- January 8, 2013
Across the country, parents are struggling through what many of us thought would come easily: a modern, authentic split-down-the-middle approach to parenting. This approach may seem like it should be ideal, but, in practice, it's leading to unprecedented levels of stress and resentment. One father, Steve Majors, explains it well: “Experts suggest couples talk about
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The Last of the Human Freedoms
- Lifestyle & Relationships
- January 8, 2013
In this thoughtful commentary, Viral Mehta, of the Huffington Post, reflects on the importance of choice. She writes, "I distinctly remember my parents telling me to “introspect” after any significant mistakes I made… As I reflect now, I realize that the word literally means to look within, to really experience the effects of our choices,
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In Georgia, a mission: Adopt a soldier
- Making a Positive Difference
- January 8, 2013
A Georgia woman has started a grassroots effort, drafting a volunteer army of citizen soldiers on a mission to let American forces serving in Afghanistan know that they are appreciated and that they are not alone. NBC Nightly News, 1/6/2013
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Sen. Mark Kirk makes emotional return to Capitol Hill
- Celebrity HealthStyles
- January 7, 2013
Senator Mark Kirk, R-Ill., returned to Capitol Hill for the beginning of the 113th Congress, nearly one year after suffering a serious stroke. After having worked hard to recover, he enjoyed a moving welcome back to Congress amid cheers from his colleagues in the Senate. He climbed the steps of Capitol Hill determinedly and with bipartisan
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For Employee Wellbeing, Engagement Trumps Time Off
- Financial & Workplace Well-Being
- January 7, 2013
New research shows that employee engagement and workplace environment has more of an effect on employee wellbeing and happiness than vacation time or flextime policies do. Gallup Business Journal, January 2013
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Not just child’s play: Don’t take away recess, docs argue
- Home & Family
- January 3, 2013
As more and more grade schools drop recess from their schedules, members of the American Academy of Pediatrics are speaking out in hopes of reversing the trend, pointing to recess’s benefits to both learning and health, and arguing that kids need daily recess to keep them mentally sharp and physically healthy. NBC News, 12/31/2012
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