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Grief is something we all go through. It can follow the death of someone you love, the end of a relationship, or another major loss or life change. While experiencing grief is normal and natural, it can still feel hard to understand. Researchers are working to learn more about how people grieve and what helps people move through it. “Grief is a natural response to losing someone or something we…, The Myth of ‘Stages’, Many people expect grief to follow a set path. They wait to move through stages of sadness, then anger, then acceptance. But researchers say that grief is not a straight line. “There’s no wrong way to grieve,” says Dr. Sarah Stahl, an associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh. “Everyone grieves differently. There’s no timeline.” Grief looks different for everyone. It can…, The Body’s Response, Grief doesn’t just affect your emotions. It can take a toll on your body. Physical symptoms can include headaches, loss of appetite, fatigue, dizziness, and trouble sleeping. Older adults who lose a spouse face unique challenges. They may be dealing with changes in their own health challenges and are more likely to feel socially isolated, which can make grieving harder. Stahl’s study helped older…, Feeling Stuck, Most people adapt to loss over time. But some people get stuck in their grief for much longer. They can develop a condition called Prolonged Grief Disorder, or PGD. People with PGD feel intense grief for more than a year after a loss. They may think constantly about the person who died, feel unable to connect with others, or believe the future holds nothing for them. Unlike normal grief, these…, What Can Help, There are many things you can do to support healthy grieving for yourself and others. One of the most important is to give yourself or your loved one permission to grieve. Trying to push grief away often makes it harder, not better. Being flexible in how to cope also matters. There is no one strategy that works for everyone or every moment. Sometimes talking helps. Sometimes a walk, a regular…

Many kids start talking later than expected. Most eventually catch up with other kids their age. But some kids have language difficulties that persist. This can be a sign of a condition called developmental language disorder, or DLD. DLD is a communication disorder that persists into adulthood. It can interfere with learning, understanding, and using language. “DLD is incredibly prevalent, but…, Noticing Signs, Late talking can be one of the earliest signs of DLD. Young kids with DLD may struggle learning words. They might have difficulty talking. “If you have a young child who isn’t using a language to communicate, but is more using body language and gestures, that’s a sign that they’re having difficulty with learning language,” says Dr. Jim Montgomery, a professor of communication sciences at Ohio…, Screening for Differences, DLD can be difficult to recognize, as the signs aren’t the same for every child. “A very mild case of DLD might be something that may not affect a child that much in their everyday conversation or in everyday functioning,” Alt explains. But it may become apparent as reading and writing get more complex in school. “More severe DLD could mean having difficulty getting your basic needs met because…, Personalizing Progress, Certain specialists can help kids with DLD improve their language skills. Speech-language pathologists are experts in communication. They can test for DLD and provide treatment. Interventions are tailored to support a child’s individual challenges. “The nature of the treatment is going to change as kids get older because their language changes and their deficits change,” Montgomery says.…

In food allergies, the body’s defense system, called the immune system, reacts to harmless food as if it were a threat. To understand why this happens, scientists first need to know how the body develops a tolerance to a food. A new study showed that certain parts of dietary proteins normally act as signals that foods are safe. Researchers found seven different sensors in specialized immune cells…

Most of us have some decline in our memory and learning abilities as we age. But certain older adults can remember past events better than most people 25 to 30 years younger. Researchers recently found that exceptional recall and memory is linked to the ability to create new brain cells. An NIH-funded research team analyzed more than 350,000 individual brain cells from younger and older adults,…

We each have a unique “healthiest self.” We have different minds, bodies, living situations, and people helping to shape our health and well-being. This page offers science-based health tips in five different areas. Find ways to improve your relationships, emotional and physical well-being, disease defenses, and surroundings.

Huntington’s disease can be devastating. The illness reduces your ability to control your body’s movements. It can also give rise to problems with thinking and memory. It’s caused by changes in one gene, and those changes are passed down from generation to generation. Scientists are looking for ways to lessen the impact of the disease. Huntington’s disease is caused by a gene that makes a protein…

Find in-depth stories about NIH’s cutting-edge biomedical research. Learn about the current state of research for many fields and where they may be heading. Research in Context stories appear quarterly in, NIH Research Matters, . Read the latest story on treating addiction

Researchers found that bacteria likely plays a key role in most kidney stones. Previous studies only linked bacteria with kidney stones that formed after an infection. Kidney stones are hard, pebble-like pieces that form in your kidneys. They are made of minerals that build up in urine. Most are made of calcium oxalate. Others form after urinary tract infections (UTIs). This type is made of…

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You can’t see most air pollution. You can’t smell much of it, either. But polluted air—both outdoors and indoors—can still affect your health. “Nearly everyone on the planet is exposed to unhealthy air at least some of the time,” says Dr. Stavros Garantziotis, a lung doctor and researcher at NIH. Breathing polluted air doesn’t just affect the lungs. Because the lungs connect directly to the…