News Radio 710 KEEL » Health Check

Love Salt? You Probably Did As a Kid, Too — Health Check

Shauna Wright — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 20:28:31 +0000

If salty foods are your weakness, blame your childhood. Research has found that babies given such foods can develop a preference for them that carries over into adulthood.

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Obesity Isn't Just Bad for Your Body, It's Bad for Your Wallet, Too — Health Check

Shauna Wright — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 20:11:33 +0000

The health risks of obesity are well-documented, but there’s a financial downside, too — data shows obese people also earn less money, especially women.

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Can You Stop Future Heart Attacks by Checking Your Blood Pressure? — Health Check

Shauna Wright — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 17:38:49 +0000

Getting your blood pressure taken isn’t the most fun activity in the world, but now it looks like we have a better reason to get it measured than simply “because we have to.”

Sorry to freak you out, but scientists discovered blood pressure fluctuations in middle age may be a precursor to both heart attacks and strokes.

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Walking May Make You Thinner, But Will It Also Make You Stronger? — Health Check

Shauna Wright — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 19:16:52 +0000

In recent years, health advocacy groups have recommended walking a minimum of 10,000 steps a day to stay fit.

And although all that pavement-pounding does help keep your weight down, researchers have found it doesn’t make people stronger or improve their balance and agility.

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Ex-Smokers Are Not Just Healthier, They're Happier Too — Health Check

Shauna Wright — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 17:23:51 +0000

If you’ve decided to greet the New Year with a resolution to quit smoking, you may be dreading the stress and jitters often associated with nicotine withdrawal. But take heart! A new study says you’ll be healthier and happier.

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'Obesity May Run in the Family,' Say Researchers — Health Check

Shauna Wright — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 13:10:09 +0000

Is obesity contagious? A study back in 2007 seemed to indicate that, saying we get it from our friends. To back that up, researchers highlighted data showing members of social groups were likely to have similar rates of obesity. New research, however, seems to be changing all this by finding that social interactions may have little impact on body weight.

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Good News for New Year's Resolutions States 'Nibbling' Is OK — Health Check

Shauna Wright — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 21:28:01 +0000

As you start to think about your New Year’s diet (really, don’t we all have one planned?), a small Norwegian study has found a little eating between meals won’t necessarily torpedo your weight-loss goals.

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Could Shaving Your Chest Increase Your Risk of Getting Bedbugs? — Health Check

Shauna Wright — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 18:29:11 +0000

This year saw a rash of bedbug infestations worldwide, but scientists are now saying there might be a way of defending against the vermin. While no one seems immune, the more body hair you have, the less attractive you may be to the bloodsucking little critters. Looks like all the men out waxing their chests may have acted a little too hastily.

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Have Scientists Found a Way for People to Live Forever? — Health Check [VIDEO]

Shauna Wright — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 17:00:22 +0000

A 100th birthday is so rare these days that it’s cause for serious celebration. But scientists say that someday in the very near future, people could live well beyond that.

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Could the Dangers of Driving and Using a Cell Phone Be a Bunch of Baloney? — Health Check

Shauna Wright — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 19:03:27 +0000

In recent years, study after study has raised the alarm about the dangers of talking on the phone while driving, with some saying you could be four times as likely to have a crash if you’re using a phone behind the wheel.

But new research indicates it may have been much ado about nothing.

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Are Working Moms Healthier Moms? — Health Check

Shauna Wright — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 17:30:15 +0000

Many new mothers grapple with whether or not they should work while their children are still young.

But if a new study is to be believed, it can actually benefit a woman’s health to collect a paycheck between changing diapers.

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Dreaming Away Your Stress May Actually Work — Health Check

Shauna Wright — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 19:58:37 +0000

While brain activity during sleep is still largely a mystery, scientists have discovered that dreaming not only consolidates our memories and helps us learn, it may also soothe stressful reactions to bad experiences.

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Watch Out for 'Holiday Heart Syndrome' on Thanksgiving — Health Check [VIDEO]

Shauna Wright — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 19:36:57 +0000

While you should eat, drink and be merry on Thanksgiving, doctors are warning not to overdo it. Excessive alcohol consumption can lead to what’s known as “holiday heart syndrome.”

The term was coined back in the 1970s when researchers detected heart rhythm abnormalities in 24 study participants, none of whom had a history of heart disease — but all of whom had too much to drink over the holidays.

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Hey Ladies, Fight Cancer by Drinking Coffee — Health Check

Shauna Wright — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 16:32:42 +0000

If you’re one of those women people tease because you’re never seen without a Starbucks cup in your hand, you may actually be bettering your health. All that coffee might be warding off cancer.

Researchers at Harvard University who followed the medical records of more than 67,000 women over a 26-year period found that those who drank at least four cups of java per day had a 25 percent lower risk of developing endometrial cancer (cancer of the uterus lining), with a seven percent decrease seen in those who drank two cups daily.

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Shocking Number of Americans Suffer From Hearing Loss — Health Check

Shauna Wright — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 21:40:44 +0000

Data examined over a seven-year period revealed 48 million Americans — about one in five — aged 12 and older suffer from some form of hearing loss, far exceeding previous estimates of 21 to 29 million people.

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Getting a Flu Shot? Don't Forget Your Dog — Health Check [VIDEO]

Shauna Wright — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 17:33:49 +0000

It’s cold and flu season again. While that means many people will be getting flu shots, there’s one member of the family you may not realize needs one too: your dog.

The H3N8 virus, identified in 2004 and commonly known as “dog flu,” has sickened thousands of dogs in 38 states. Currently there are outbreaks in the New York metropolitan area and near San Antonio, Texas, with other states like Pennsylvania and Colorado reporting epidemics throughout the year, as well.

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Video Games Might Be Warping Our Minds — Health Check

Shauna Wright — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 20:25:49 +0000

Is your kid hooked on video games? New research says simple brain-wiring may be to blame.

Brain scans conducted on 154 teenagers who played video games at least nine hours per week found the structure and activity in the part of the brain associated with reward processing was larger than in those who played less often.

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Need More Veggies? Congress Says, 'Have Some Pizza' — Health Check

Shauna Wright — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 17:23:46 +0000

Members of Congress love pizza as much as any of us. So, when the United States Department of Agriculture threatened to take it off public school lunch menus, they did what many of us would have done in their position — they officially declared it a vegetable.

Earlier this year, the USDA proposed new standards that would’ve limited both sodium and potatoes for school lunch lines — moves some conservatives in Congress are fighting.

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Watch Out Guys, Birth Control May Be Causing Prostate Cancer — Health Check

Shauna Wright — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 21:00:53 +0000

Researchers discovered that countries with the highest numbers of women using oral contraceptives also have the highest rates of death from prostate cancer. What does this mean? They think estrogen from the urine of women who take birth control pills could be to blame.

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Smarter Kids May Be Experimenting More with Drugs — Health Check

Shauna Wright — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 18:30:45 +0000

A new study of 8,000 kids published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health finds those who had high IQs were more likely to use certain illicit drugs as they aged. Smarter girls in particular may tend to experiment with marijuana, cocaine, and other illicit drugs later on.

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