Mental Health

May 18, 2022

Marketing of unhealthy foods still reaches US children, study finds

A report from the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Health at the University of Connecticut found that most U.S. children are still vulnerable to brand […]
May 17, 2022

Nice review of last fall’s book release: The Best Gift: Tales of a Small-Town Doctor Learning Life’s Greatest Lessons

In the fall of 2021, I published the first book looking back at my family medicine practice years with John Hartman, MD, in Kissimmee, Florida (1985-2001). […]
May 16, 2022

COVID the 3rd-leading cause of U.S. deaths — Vaccines could have prevented over half

COVID-19 accounted for 460,513 deaths in the US last year, up almost 20% from 2020, making it the third-leading cause of death in the country for […]
May 13, 2022

Marijuana may increase heart attack risk, study finds

Researchers analyzed data on more than 11,000 people between 40 and 69 years old who smoked marijuana at least once every month and discovered a strong […]
May 12, 2022

Seven hours of sleep appears to be ideal night’s rest, study suggests

CNN reports research indicates that “around seven hours of sleep is the ideal night’s rest.”
May 11, 2022

Long COVID – Another reason for the vaccine instead of natural infection

CNN reports that “emerging research suggests that a small portion of people who now live with long COVID may have shown no COVID-19 symptoms at all when […]
May 10, 2022

Study: Vegetarian diets appear to be healthy for growing children

HealthDay reports, “Vegetarian diets are a healthy choice for growing kids – though they may slightly raise the odds of youngsters being underweight, a … study suggests.”
May 9, 2022

Study compares COVID-19 cognitive effects to 20 years of natural brain aging

A small study published in eClinicalMedicine reported that cognitive impairment caused by severe COVID is equivalent to 20 years of aging or the loss of 10 IQ […]
August 31, 2022

Smoking in pregnancy tied to harmful brain changes in unborn babies and children

A study involving more than 2,700 children ages 9 to 11 found that exposure to maternal smoking during pregnancy was associated with lower brain volumes as […]
September 28, 2022

A new study shows that too much TV time really may harm your brain

HealthDay reported that older adults who get a lot of “screen time” may have an increased risk of developing dementia — but a lot depends on what […]
September 30, 2022

Exchanging 30 minutes of social media a day with exercise benefits mental health

According to a report in Medical News Today, replacing 30 minutes of social media use per day with physical activity can enhance emotional well-being and reduce […]
October 6, 2022

Thursday Ask Dr. Walt – Can lifestyle choices affect the quality and quantity of my life?

Dear Dr. Walt, all the men and most of the women in my family have died in their 40s or 50s from heart attacks, stroke, or […]
October 12, 2022

Early risers — who also stay busy — benefit from a better mood and mind

A new study reported that early risers who also stayed active throughout the day performed better on cognition tests and had lower rates of depression.
October 27, 2022

Thursday Ask Dr. Walt – What about energy drinks?

Dear Dr. Walt, I’m leery of all these energy drinks and shots my teenage grandchildren drink all the time. The kids feel they get an extra boost […]