Health News

Here's the latest in all things health.

HAHA

There’s a reason you should be laughing more—including at yourself: A new study compared people’s humor styles with self-reported well-being and found that self-deprecating humor was linked to greater happiness. —University of Granada, Spain

HOPE FOR HAND AND FOOT PAIN

Peripheral neuropathy, a disorder that affects the nerves that send messages from extremities to the brain, causes pain, tingling and numbness and affects 20 million people. It is usually caused by an underlying condition such as diabetes, and treatments are underway to alleviate symptoms. In one study, participants who received two rounds of low-dose, non-viral gene therapy called VM202, reported more than a 50 percent reduction in symptoms. —Northwestern University

17

The number of times more likely people with insomnia suffer from clinical anxiety. These same folks are 10 times more likely to have clinical depression. —University of North Texas

THE FOOD/CANCER CONNECTION

Consuming processed foods—think packaged snacks, canned soups and chicken nuggets—was associated with an 11 percent increase in the odds of getting breast cancer, according to a recent study. —The BMJ

SURPRISING SKIN CANCER RISK

Daily alcohol intake has been shown to increase your risk of skin cancer—and the more alcoholic drinks you consume, the higher the risk. The possible reason is that alcohol lowers antioxidant levels in the body. —British Journal of Dermatology

THE TV COMMERCIAL THREAT

Is your teen glued to the TV? If he (or she) is watching three or more hours per day, chances are he'll eat approximately 10 extra snacks per week, totaling more than 500 extra snacks per year compared with those kids who logged less screen time. Researchers blame TV commercials because study participants who watched without commercials did not eat more junk food. —Cancer Research UK

8

The number of days it takes most vacationers to completely relax and destress.—University of Tampere, Finland               

73

The percentage of total tattoo removal procedures that are performed on women.—American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery

Study participants who took part in a five-minute practice of reflecting on what they’re thankful for were shown to have spikes in immunoglobulin A, an antibody responsible for fighting off viruses. what they’re thankful for were shown to have spikes in immunoglobulin A, an antibody responsible for fighting off viruses. —Journal of Advancement in Medicine