Helping Teenagers Quit Vaping

For many years, my lead-in question with adolescents, after I asked the parent to leave the room at pediatric appointments, was whether the kid had ever tried smoking cigarettes. It made a reasonable lead-in because it felt less highly charged than asking about marijuana or other substances, and in recent decades, the answer was very…

Staying on Guard Against Skin Cancer

“If you see something, say something,” a catchy warning from the Department of Homeland Security about possible terrorist threats, applies as well to skin lesions that, if ignored, could become fatal. Susan Manber, now a 55-year-old from Cortlandt Manor, N.Y., knows this well. She credits her astute daughter with having saved her life nearly six…

Your Paycheck May Impact Your Heart Health

Fluctuations in earnings may affect your heart health. Previous research has found that higher income is associated with lower rates of cardiovascular disease. Now a new study reports that changes in income also have a significant effect. The report, in JAMA Cardiology, prospectively followed 8,989 people, recording changes in income between two interviews that were…

Medical News Today: Can simply naming vegetables differently increase healthful eating?

How do you encourage people to eat their greens? A new study shows that naming vegetable dishes with adjectives that promote their flavor increases positive thinking about healthful eating. New research examines the psychological effect of food descriptions. For some, a healthful diet means having to tolerate eating bland tasting, unsatisfying foods, which can seem…