The overhyping and overselling of mindfulness
Mindfulness is being promoted as a panacea for almost everything, from reducing anxiety to improving memory to preventing chronic illnesses to solving racism.
Health
Media often ignore ethical concerns about medical crowdfunding, study finds
“In several of the articles in which unproven therapies were being sought, there was no mention of the possibility of inefficacy or the experimental nature of the intervention,” the researchers said.
No verdict in sight on safety of crumb rubber fields, prompting angst all around
More than three years after the study began, federal agencies have not issued any safety findings from their highly anticipated crumb rubber study.
Despite health risks, Americans are spending more time sitting
Adolescents sit for an average of 8.2 hours a day, and adults sit for an average of 6.4 hours — about an hour more for both groups than a decade ago, the study reports.
Measles cases this year total 626 — close to recent record high, CDC says
This year, measles cases have been identified in 22 states. Minnesota, fortunately, is not among them.
Many dental procedures lack scientific backing, data review finds
The “truth about dentistry,” writes Ferris Jabr in the Atlantic, is that “common dental procedures are not always as safe, effective, or durable as we are meant to believe.”
Myths about sleep are common — and potentially harmful
Americans aren’t good at separating myths from fact about many health issues, and sleep is no different.
Workplace wellness programs: Study casts doubt on effectiveness
After participating in workplace wellness programs for 18 months, employees in the study did not score better on objective health indicators like blood pressure, blood sugar levels and BMI.
Celebrity fat-shaming intensifies women’s negative feelings about their own bodies, study finds
“These cultural messages appeared to augment women’s gut-level feeling that ‘thin’ is good and ‘fat’ is bad,” says Jennifer Bartz, the study’s senior author.
Listing added sugar on food labels would improve health and extend lives, study suggests
Americans’ overconsumption of sugar is considered a major risk factor for obesity and related cardiometabolic diseases, including heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes.
Phone and web counseling outperform medications at relieving IBS symptoms, study finds
An estimated 12 percent of American adults have irritable bowel syndrome. There is no cure for IBS, but treatment can help relieve the symptoms.
Stress of caregiving may not be as harmful to health as previously thought, study suggests
A team of researchers from Johns Hopkins University found that people who care for a family member or loved one with a serious illness have only an “extremely small” risk of inflammation and weakening of the immune system.
Diets high in red meat linked with greater health risks in two new studies
Both studies come with important caveats, so they aren’t going to end the often-heated dispute over whether red meat has a role to play in a healthy diet.
Getting enough nutrients from food (but not from supplements) linked to longer life
This result adds to a long line of studies that have shown most people receive no health benefits — but may experience harm — from taking vitamin and mineral supplements.
Medical marijuana is helping cancer patients, Minnesota study finds
Cancer patients enrolled in Minnesota’s medical marijuana program reported significant improvement in their symptoms within four months after they started taking the medication, the study found.
Screen time has minuscule effect on teens’ psychological health, study finds
The study also found that spending time in front of a screen before bedtime had no effect on young people’s well-being.
No, 1 to 2 drinks a day does not protect against stroke, study finds
The evidence for the idea that moderate drinking is not only good for us, but better than abstaining, has always been weak. This new study shows just how weak that evidence may have been.
Just 20 minutes in an urban park helps lower stress-hormone levels, study finds
“Our study shows that for the greatest payoff, in terms of efficiently lowering levels of the stress hormone cortisol, you should spend 20 to 30 minutes sitting or walking in a place that provides you with a sense of nature,” writes says MaryCarol Hunter, the study’s lead author.
How Big Pharma became the biggest villain of the 2019 Minnesota Legislature
Pharma has become such an inviting target that in a Legislature that can’t agree on anything, multiple bills taking on the industry are still alive in both the DFL-controlled House and a GOP-controlled Senate.
No, Mr. President, wind turbines do not cause cancer
Health concerns about wind turbines stem from a decades-old misunderstanding about inaudible noise, or “infrasound,” writer Philip Jaekl points out.