Giving is a Key to Happiness

It IS better to give than receive when it comes to personal happiness.

Researchers involved in a study published in the March 21 issue of “Science” magazine concluded that people found it more satisfying to spend money on others than on themselves. And this was something most people didn’t recognize, according to study authors.

Read more about this story by clicking on the Healthfinder website.

Neighborhoods Have Big Impact on Resident Activity

Neighborhoods have a big impact on how much residents exercise, according to a Chicago study.

“We can’t encourage people to exercise more without looking at the neighborhood environment in which they live,” said study co-author Christopher Browning, an associate professor of sociology at Ohio State University. “Some people may have the personal resources and desire to exercise but don’t live in a neighborhood in which they feel comfortable to go outside for activities.”

Click hereto read more about this HealthDay story.

Hands-Free Cell Phone Use Can Distract Drivers

Cell phone use can distract drivers enough to cause an accident, even if the driver is using a hands-free phone.

A new study, that involved using brain-imaging, suggests that just listening to a phone call is distracting to the brain. “Drivers need to keep not only their hands on the wheel; they also have to keep their brains on the road,” said lead researcher Dr. Marcel Just, of Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.

Read more at the Medlineplus website.

High Blood Pressure is a Family Affair

High blood pressure is the kind of inheritance you don’t want to leave to the kids, but researchers say a long-term study emphasizes the existence of that genetic link.

“What we found was that if parents have hypertension early, their children have a significantly higher risk of developing hypertension at an early age,” said Nae-Yuh Wang, an assistant professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins University and lead author of a report in the March 24 issue of the “Archives of Internal Medicine.” “If the parents develop hypertension at the age of 55 or earlier, the lifetime risk for the children is seven-fold higher than normal.”

Read more by clicking on the Medlineplus website.

Acid in Drinks Eating Away Tooth Enamel

Kids are drinking too many soft drinks, sports drinks and some fruit juices that contain acids that are eating away the protective enamel on their teeth. Researchers examined the teeth of 900 middle school students and found about 30 percent had the condition.

“When consumed in excess, these products can easily strip the enamel from the teeth, leaving the teeth more brittle and sensitive to pain.  The acids in these products can be so corrosive that not even cavity-causing bacteria can survive when exposed to them, said study co-author Bennett T. Amaechi, an associate professor of community dentistry at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.

Click here to read the complete story on the Medline Plus website.

Secondhand Smoke Hurts the Hearts of Young Children

Here is yet another reason to give up smoking. Researchers say secondhand smoke causes signs of cardiovascular damage in children, and this affects younger children even more than teens.

“Toddlers are smokers by default,” said one of the study’s authors, John Bauer, director of the Center for Cardiovascular Medicine at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and Research Institute in Columbus, Ohio. “Forty percent of toddlers in our study had nicotine content that in adults would suggest that they were active smokers.  But, an active smoker has a filter on cigarettes.  The toxicity from smoke that is inhaled in the atmosphere is worse because there’s no filter.”

Read more on the Healthfinder website by clicking here.

Inhalants Are Drug of Choice for Youngest Users

Many 12-year-olds in the “tween” generation, yearning to become teenagers, are already using illicit drugs.  Their drug of choice is inhalants. This is the conclusion of a new report by the Health and Human Service’s Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

The data show that 3.4 percent of 12-year-old children used inhalants in the past 12 months, outpacing the use of marijuana (1.1 percent) and misuse of prescription pain relievers (2.7 percent).

Read more on the SAMHSA website by clicking here.

CDC Study Finds Many Teen Girls Have STDs

A CDC study estimates that one in four (26 percent) young women between the ages of 14 and 19 in the United States–or 3.2 million teenage girls–is infected with at least one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases (human papillomavirus (HPV), chlamydia, herpes simplex virus and trichomoniasis).

It is the first study to examine the combined national prevalence of common STDs among adolescent women in the United States, and provides the clearest picture to date of the overall STD burden in adolescent women.

Read the complete CDC release by clicking here.

Need Help Paying For Medicine? Visit “Help Is Here Express”

Low-income residents can find out if they qualify for free or nearly free medicines by visiting the “Help Is Here Express” bus from 10 a.m. to noon on March 26 at Florida Hospital East, 7727 Lake Underhill Road, Orlando.

The bus is equipped with computer terminals and phones so people can find out if they may be eligible for help. Trained specialists will be on board to make sure the process is quick and easy.

How To Survive Girl Scout Cookie Season

Millions of boxes of Girl Scout cookies are sold each year, and chances are most readers have–or had–a box or two in their own kitchens this month. Ever wonder which is the healthiest of the cookies?

A WebMD website news story helps readers determine which of the cookies is least likely to ruin a weight loss program.

 Click here to read the complete WebMD story, and find out how your Thin Mints measure up.