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Have you heard the advice to exercise, choose a healthy diet, keep a lean weight, never smoke, and limit alcohol? Researchers wanted to find out whether people who follow this advice live longer than those who don’t. So, they compared lifespan and other data from thousands of adults with all five of these healthy habits to those without. People in the healthy habits group got at least 30 minutes…

NIH wants to speed up research and improve health. That’s why we’re asking adults to join the All of Us Research Program. We hope that 1 million or more people nationwide will share their health information with the program. This will help researchers gather data that reflects the country’s diversity. All of Us aims to build a resource to help discover how to stay healthy and manage disease in…

During midlife, a woman’s menstrual periods grow further and further apart. At some point, they stop completely, and she can no longer get pregnant. This is because the ovaries aren’t releasing eggs and making [qtip:hormones|Substances sent through the bloodstream to signal another part of the body to grow or react a certain way.] like estrogen anymore. After 12 months without a period, a woman…, Midlife Transition, Typically, menopause occurs between ages 45 and 55. This means women can expect less frequent periods and other symptoms at some point during their 40s. But it’s different for every woman. There’s no lab test to predict when in life it will start or how easy it will be. Along with unpredictable periods, a woman may have other symptoms—both physical and emotional. Hot flashes, poor sleep, and mood…, Waves of Heat, Hot flashes are a common symptom during the midlife transition. Many women have these for several years after menopause. Some experience hot flashes for 10 or more years. A mild hot flash feels like being embarrassed, Joffe says. “There’s a wave of heat sensation that rises to your head and chest, and sometimes you look red, feel hot, and then it’s gone.” A not-so-mild hot flash can make your…, Restless Nights, During midlife, women may start having trouble sleeping because of changes in hormone levels. Hot flashes and night sweats can also cause women to wake up. “In people who have hot flashes at night, their sleep is disrupted throughout the entire night. It’s like a ripple of a sleep irritation throughout the whole night,” Joffe says. A woman may feel tired the next day as a result. The medicines…, Rollercoaster Moods, During perimenopause, many women become irritable or feel moody. Some may feel sad and anxious and unable to enjoy things as much as they used to. If a woman has these symptoms day after day for at least 2 weeks, she may be dealing with a clinical depression. “There is a two- to three-fold risk of depression during perimenopause,” says NIH psychiatrist and researcher Dr. Peter J. Schmidt.…, Midlife Well-Being, The midlife transition is a phase of life that brings gradual changes. Many women don’t have problems during this transition. You can make midlife your time for optimizing well-being by eating well, exercising, and getting quality sleep. The healthier you are at midlife, the more successful you’ll be combating age-related changes and diseases. “We see it almost like a window of opportunity where…

Zits. Pimples. Spots. Whatever you call it, acne can cause discomfort and embarrassment. This skin condition affects most people at some point during their lives. About 4 out of every 5 people experience acne outbreaks between the ages of 11 and 30. Acne starts in the skin’s oil glands. The hair on our bodies comes out through canals from these glands called follicles. Oil glands make oils that…

Many people lose some of their hearing as they get older. Experts say that, of those over the age of 75, about half have hearing loss. Not being able to hear well can make it hard to communicate. That can affect relationships with loved ones, friends, and coworkers. A new study shows that women who have a pattern of healthy eating have a lower risk of hearing loss than women who don’t eat well. A…

Are you thinking of trying an herb to improve your health? Find out about the uses, effectiveness, and possible side effects of herbal products before you try them. NIH’s new app, “HerbList,” has the herb info you need in an on-the-go package. Use the app to explore what the science says about over 50 common herbs and herbal products. It features an alphabetical list of herbs with a picture of…

A brain injury-related protein may one day help doctors know when they can safely send young athletes with concussions back into the game. Millions of sports-related mild brain injuries, or concussions, happen in the U.S. each year. Returning to play before you’re fully recovered can be dangerous. It raises the risk for long-term symptoms like headaches, dizziness, and problems with mental…

When you lose the use of a limb, even the simplest of daily tasks can turn into a challenge. High-tech devices can help restore independence. New technologies are even making it possible to connect the mind to an artificial limb. These artificial limbs are called bionic [qtip:prosthetic devices|Devices that replace a body part.]. “To get back some of that lost function, you need some sort of…, Prosthetic Control, Traditional prosthetic devices use a body-powered harness to control a hand device. These are easy to use. With a shrug of your shoulder, the prosthetic hand or hook opens. With the release of your shoulder, the prosthesis closes. Through the feel of the cable tension across your shoulders, you know whether the prosthesis is open or closed without looking at it. Newer, motorized hands are not as…, Two-Way Communication, To regain a sense of wholeness, a person with a bionic limb needs to do more than control the device. They also need to “feel” what it’s doing. New bionic devices can send sensation from the device back to the brain. This allows a person with a bionic device to feel like they are using their own limb. “The most important thing about the research that we’re doing is this sense of wholeness,” says…, Wearable Robots, Research teams are also trying to help people who have lost the use of their legs. By wearing a robotic device called an exoskeleton, some people with leg paralysis have been able to regain the ability to walk. A group led by Dr. Thomas Bulea, a biomedical engineer at the NIH Clinical Center, created a wearable exoskeleton for children with cerebral palsy. Cerebral palsy is a brain disorder that…, Finding the Right Device, “What I try to emphasize to people is that there are a lot of potential tools and technologies at our disposal to try and make people better, and they should explore them and consider embracing them,” Langhals says. Many types of prosthetic devices are now in development. If you’d like to find a clinical study to help test one, you can search for one in clinicaltrials.gov, a database of both NIH-…

Human beings are social creatures. Feeling like we’re part of a community helps us thrive. But we sometimes have a hard time making and keeping the relationships that sustain us. Many Americans report feeling lonely for long periods of time. Connections with others are important for your health. Social isolation and loneliness can both cause problems. “Isolation is about whether other people are…

A study found that many people treated for a concussion may not receive follow-up care that could improve their health. A concussion is a mild brain injury. It results from a bump, blow, or jolt to the head. Most people recover quickly from a concussion, but some have symptoms for weeks or months.  A concussion may give you a headache and make you feel confused, tired, or dizzy. You may have…