Adopting a Pet--Cats and Dogs
If you've been thinking about adding a cuddly new cat or dog to your household, take some time to think about what type of pet will best suit you, your family and your lifestyle.
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Alcohol and Older Adults
Many older adults enjoy a glass of wine with dinner or a beer while watching the game on TV. In fact, half of Americans ages 65 and older drink alcohol. Having a drink now and then is fine—as long as you don’t overdo it.
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Alcohol and Your Heart
Alcohol may have some health benefits, including lowering the risk for heart disease, but it may also lead to abusive drinking and other diseases.
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Alcohol Use Among Teens Is Epidemic
The leading substance-abuse threat to children may be as close as your refrigerator. About 10 million adolescents drink alcohol. In fact, minors drink 19 percent of the alcohol consumed in the United States.
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All About LSD
LSD, also called acid, is one of the most commonly used hallucinogens or psychedelic drugs.
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Alternatives to Alcoholics Anonymous
Some treatment programs teach problem drinkers to reduce their drinking, an approach that appeals to people who otherwise might not seek treatment.
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An Rx for RV Living
More than a million people have pulled up roots and hit the road full time in recreational vehicles (RVs). If you're thinking of joining them, be sure to consider your health.
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Anger Can Raise Cholesterol Levels
There's evidence that people who respond rigidly to anger-provoking events are likely to wind up with significantly elevated levels of heart-damaging cholesterol.
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Are You a Compulsive Shopper?
Compulsive shoppers generally are people prone toward low self-esteem, anxiety and depression, as well as fantasizing, perfectionism and lack of sufficient social contacts, one expert says.
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Balancing Work and Home
To keep the scales of work and life balanced, you must be organized. This means you must not only organize your stuff, but also your time.
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Breaking Yourself Out of a Rut
A routine isn't necessarily bad; it can be comforting because it adds structure to your life and it isn't stressful. But dissatisfaction may start to gnaw at you and erode your self-esteem if you believe you want something more in your life.
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Bullies Go High-Tech
You can now add bullying to the list of things made easier by technology. Bullies use e-mail, instant messaging and text messaging on cell phones to reach victims.
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Caregivers Need to Care for Themselves
More than 22 million Americans are involved in some form of helping elderly family members or friends with their daily routines. If you're part of this group, whether you call yourself a caregiver, or simply a good daughter or son, you know that caring for
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Caring for the Caregiver
Caregivers come in all shapes and sizes. They can be adult children, spouses, siblings, friends or neighbors, who help with daily activities such as bathing, feeding and clothing.
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Close the Door on Intimate Partner Violence
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines intimate partner violence as actual or threatened physical or sexual violence, or psychological and emotional abuse, directed at a spouse, former spouse, current or former boyfriend or girlfriend, or d
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Coping With Major Life Changes
Most people going through major life transitions can expect to feel varying levels of anxiety, stress, confusion and possibly self-doubt.
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Coping with Miscarriage
The emotional healing process after a miscarriage may take some time. It often takes much longer than the physical healing takes. Allowing yourself to grieve the loss can actually help you come to terms with it in the long run.
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Creating a Positive Body-Image
Does something about your body bug you? Maybe you believe you'd be happier if only you were thinner, taller, shorter, more muscular -- whatever.
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Curb Emotional Eating
When you find yourself seeking out food to comfort you, you are eating in response to your emotions, rather than to hunger.
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Depression Not a Normal Part of Aging
In general, only about three percent of the elderly living independently in the community will experience depression. That figure increases to around 20 to 30 percent of persons in nursing homes or with chronic illnesses like emphysema, heart disease or di
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Developing Super Self-Confidence
To accomplish a specific goal -- whether, for example, you’re vying for a new position at work, training for a bike race or preparing to move to a new community -- a sense of self-efficacy can help.
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Dispelling Myths About Social Drinking
Although alcohol can be viewed as a good way to relax and unwind, it's important to note that behavioral influences play an important role in determining how much alcohol a person consumes and its subsequent effect on activities and emotions.
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Easy Ways to Remember to Take Your Medications
If you have more than two medications to manage, consider getting a pill organizer -- a special container marked with the days of the week. Besides housing multiple medications, a compartmentalized organizer can be useful for keeping track of the medicatio
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End-of-Life Planning
For many people, end-of-life planning brings peace of mind and a sense of control. It also takes the burden off loved ones, because they don’t have to guess what you would want.
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Everyday Ways to Activate Your Life
Moderately intense activities such as walking briskly from your parked car to the mall entrance, won't help you train for a sport. But they can help you achieve and maintain a healthful weight and improve your overall fitness level.
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Figure on These Factors When Drinking Alcohol
If you drink, you most likely want to drink reasonably and responsibly. But what are the factors that can help you keep a check on your blood-alcohol content so you don't embarrass yourself or, worse, hurt yourself or others?
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Focus on Keeping Your Spirits Up
Good mental health is just as important as good physical health. But we all face changes in life that can challenge our emotional well being.
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For Men: Doctors Are Good for Your Health
Men are missing opportunities to detect and address medical problems in their early stages, when many conditions are more treatable and less threatening to overall health.
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For Seniors: How to Prevent Falls
As you age, your risk for falling increases. More than one-third of people ages 65 and older and half of those ages 75 and older fall each year. And many falls in older adults result in fractures and other severe injuries.
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Get Support to Beat Bad Habits
Whether you are just beginning to think about changing a habit, or you have already started but have hit a rough spot, family and friends can help.
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Health Myths and Facts
There are a number health myths where knowing the facts can make a world of difference to your health.
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Help for the Holiday Blues
The unrealistic expectations of the season, time and financial pressures, missing loved ones and reflecting on past events as the year comes to an end all contribute to the blues.
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Help Your Kids Quit Smoking
Every day, about 3,000 U.S. teenagers start smoking. If you're a parent of a young smoker, you can take steps to help the child quit. But first, it helps to understand why teens light up.
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Help! My 9-Year-Old Wants to Dress Sexy
With so many mall shops offering sexy styles for the youngest girls, some parents wonder whether their daughters are risking sexual harassment for the sake of fashion.
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How to Cut Down on Drinking
It helps to understand why and when you drink if you are going to successfully reduce the amount of alcohol you consume.
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How to Lower Your Financial Stress
Whether your credit card balances are soaring, or you and your partner are arguing constantly over nickels and dimes, there are things you can do to relieve financial stress.
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How to Quit Smoking, Again
Fewer than a quarter of those who attempt to quit are able to make it beyond three months before resuming smoking. Women usually find it harder to quit than do men, even though women have a higher risk of smoking-related diseases. The following suggestions
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Hypothyroidism and Depression
Chances are you know the difference between occasional sadness and depression. But here's a fact you may not know: Hypothyroidism, a common thyroid disorder, can cause depression.
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Important Facts About Amphetamines
Amphetamine abuse is a growing problem in the United States. Each year, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration closes down hundreds of illegal laboratories producing these drugs.
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Is Your Teen Abusing Drugs or Alcohol?
Besides having trouble with school and relationships, teenagers taking drugs may display emotional extremes with irritability, anger and changes in sleep patterns.
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It's Time to Bench Bad Behavior
Experts say you should look at your child as a kid who happens to be playing sports, and not as an athlete who happens to be a kid.
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Keep Your Brain Functioning
If your brain gets too much or too little of what it needs, vital processes are disrupted. When things are out of sync in your brain, it can play havoc with your thoughts and emotions. Depriving your brain of sleep, for example, will impair your ability to
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Keeping Envy and Jealousy Under Control
When someone gets a raise or a special perk, can you say congratulations and mean it? Or do you seethe inside and think, "That really should have been mine?"
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Manage Your Emotions at Work
There's nothing wrong with feeling a particular emotion. At work, though, you want to be cautious in how you express it.
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Many Seniors Go Back to the Books
No matter what you like to do, now is a great time to sign up for a class so that you can explore your interests. Many colleges and other educational organizations offer special discounts to older adults. Here are some ideas about how to get started.
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Now Is the Time to Get Moving
As cold weather settles in for the season and the days grow ever shorter, it's tempting to put off any thoughts of becoming active.
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Over 65, Busy Lives Aren’t Generally Lonely Lives
Loneliness is one of the most formidable obstacles to health and quality of life for the nearly 35 million Americans 65 or older. Unfortunately, recognizing this enemy isn't as easy as we might think.
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Performance Anxiety Can Choke Up Athletes
Anxiety can help focus and sharpen performance. For some athletes, however, the pressure of performing well takes its toll in the form of performance anxiety, which causes them to do less than their best.
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Phobias Are Common, But Treatable
Most of us worry or get nervous every now and then. But, for people with anxiety disorders, these feelings occur all too often, and they may be overwhelming.
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Prevent Shaken Baby Syndrome
Many of the injuries thousands of babies receive every year because of severe shaking can be avoided if parents and caregivers remember just these two simple words: Be patient.
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Primer: Smokeless Tobacco
Many people think using smokeless tobacco is safer than smoking. Just because there's no smoke, doesn't mean it's safe.
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Q and A: Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Rituals such as hand washing, counting, checking or cleaning are often performed in hope of preventing obsessive thoughts or making them go away. Performing these rituals, however, provides only temporary relief, and not performing them markedly increases
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Quit One Step at a Time
Saying good-bye to cigarettes for good can be difficult. To succeed, you need to make changes to your daily life. But, like the many others who have quit, you too can triumph.
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Recognizing Domestic Violence
Domestic violence is behavior someone uses to control a spouse, partner, date or elderly relative through fear and intimidation.
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Remember This: Many Have Memory Lapses
Unpredictable, frustrating and, at times, embarrassing memory lapses can be common. So if frequent bouts of forgetfulness are causing you stress and worry, take note: there is most likely a simple explanation.
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Sexual Harassment's Emotional Toll
According to researchers at the American Psychological Association, nearly 50 percent of American working women will experience on-the-job sexual harassment at some point in their careers.
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Sidetrack Your Stress
No matter the source of your stress, it can produce physical, mental, and emotional symptoms that can affect any part of the body.
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Smoking: Truth and Consequences
When you smoke, toxins are carried by your blood to every organ in your body. At the same time, the carbon monoxide in cigarette smoke keeps red blood cells from carrying as much oxygen as normal.
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Social Drinking vs. Problem Drinking
Alcohol is considered a drug because it depresses the central nervous system and can disrupt mental and motor skills, as well as damage internal organs when used excessively.
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Some New Information on Alcoholism
Like cancer or heart disease, alcoholism is a primary chronic disease with its own symptoms and causes. The disease is progressive and often fatal if not treated.
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Stages of Substance Abuse
People who become addicted to drugs or alcohol typically go through predictable stages of abuse. Understanding these stages can help you recognize a problem and seek help before substance use becomes an addiction.
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Staying Involved Adds Fun to Age
Research suggests the more physically and mentally active you are, the fewer discomforts and disabilities you may face as you get older.
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Teens and the Self-Esteem Shield
Research shows that adolescents who grow up with high self-esteem are far less likely to abuse drugs or drink, compared with children who grow up without much sense of self-worth.
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The Dangers of Binge Drinking
Too many young people are participating in a dangerous practice called binge drinking, or drinking to intoxication. It's defined as having five or more drinks in a row for men; for women, it’s four-plus drinks in a row.
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The Facts About Marijuana
Knowing about marijuana can help you recognize its use in children and others and help a user seek treatment.
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The High Cost of Smoking
When people consider the cost of smoking, they usually focus on the cost of the cigarettes alone. But that's only the first step.
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The Power of Resilience
When tragedy strikes with the death of a loved one, a serious illness or a job loss, some people fall apart, while others adapt to such life-changing events more easily. Being resilient is what makes the difference.
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The Truth About Lying
If the truth be told, most of us lie to some degree, especially when faced with an alternative like hurting someone's feelings. Some of us, however, lie so often that we stop realizing it.
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The Word on Talk Therapy
Talk therapy helps people gain insight into and resolve their problems through verbal exchanges with the therapist.
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Thriving After a Heart Attack
Over the long term, your quality of life is tied to how severe your heart attack was and how it was treated. Beyond that, any change will depend largely on you.
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Treating Generalized Anxiety
You may suffer from generalized anxiety disorder if you go through the day worried, tense or anxious about your family, health or work, even when you know there are no signs of trouble.
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Understanding Alcohol's Effects
The extent of alcohol's effect on the central nervous system depends upon how much is in your blood and how much blood you have.
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Understanding Domestic Abuse
Although the most common form of abuse is males abusing female partners, females can abuse male partners, and abuse also takes place in same-sex relationships.
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Understanding Psychiatric Drug Abuse
Although it’s dangerous to take a prescription medication without a prescription, abusing such medications is the fastest growing type of drug abuse in the United States, outpacing marijuana abuse by a factor of two, according to some studies.
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Understanding Ritalin Abuse
When taken as prescribed, Ritalin is a valuable medicine. People with ADHD do not become addicted to stimulant medications when taken in the form prescribed and at treatment dosages.
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Understanding Teenage Depression
The medical community once thought depression affected only adults. The risk for the condition begins in the early teens, however, and increases steadily through the mid-20s.
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Understanding the Teen Brain
Parents need to realize the rational part of a teen’s brain isn’t fully developed and won’t be until he or she is 25 years old or so.
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Up in Smoke: Cigars and Your Health
Most people realize that cigarettes can cause lung cancer and heart disease. But many people erroneously believe that cigars aren't harmful.
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Volunteers Gain While They Give
Mature adults make up an enormous pool of knowledge, talent, experience, and expertise. Many find volunteering offers a way to use skills they gained through a lifetime.
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We Can Head Off Teen Tragedies
Preventing teen turmoil starts at birth. Parents set examples in the way they interact, express anger, and treat substance abuse.
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Wellness Made Easy: The Real Basics of Better Health
The basics of wellness -- eating a balanced diet, exercising regularly and practicing healthful habits -- can help you live a longer, healthier life. Adopting even one of the following components of good health and better self-care can improve your well-be
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What You Can Do to Prevent Child Abuse
Child abuse can happen in any family and in any neighborhood. Studies have shown that child abuse crosses all boundaries of income, race, ethnic heritage and religious faith.
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What You Need to Know About Heroin
Until recently, heroin was not considered a problem among children of middle-class parents. But lately, it has been showing up in new places.
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What's the Meaning of Money?
How you deal with money depends a lot on your upbringing and cultural influences, which may leave you unhappy with the way you handle it.
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When a Family Grieves
Learning about grief and how it affects your family can help you get through the difficult times together. It may even help your family grow stronger.
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Where to Turn for Mental Health
It's normal to feel stressed or anxious now and then. But it's time to call for help if emotional issues interfere with your life, your job or your personal relationships.
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Women, Alcohol, and Drugs: The Risks Are Higher
As a woman, your body is much more sensitive to the effects of alcohol and more easily damaged than a man’s body. Because women have less water in their body than men, alcohol doesn't dilute as much and more of it gets absorbed into the blood. That’s why w
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Working Mom? Aim for Less Stress
In the United States, 78 percent of all mothers with kids ages 6 to 17 work in paid jobs. Most—including married working moms—also are responsible for child care and housework.
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You Can Choose to Have a Healthy Life
Each year, two out of every three deaths in the United States are caused by cancer, diabetes, heart disease, or stroke. That figure could be significantly reduced if Americans made healthier food choices, got more exercise, and stopped smoking.
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