Shannon Stapleton/ReutersDoes exercise keep your brain running? Moving the body demands a lot from the brain. Exercise activates countless neurons, which generate, receive and interpret repeated, rapid-fire messages from the nervous system, coordinating muscle contractions, vision, balance, organ function and all of the complex interactions of bodily systems that allow you to take one step, [...]

 

Is leg hair a good option for treating male pattern baldness? A new report highlights a novel way for doctors to replace thinning hairlines: transplanting leg hair. The report, a study of two cases published in The Archives of Dermatology, describes a new procedure in which receding hairlines were restored by taking hair follicles from [...]

 

Andrew Burton/Associated Press A few weeks ago, a friend showed up for a run with a CamelBak — one of those humplike backpacks with a tube that allows you to sip liquid — and a belt containing food to eat along the way. Every 20 minutes or so as we ran, he stopped to eat [...]

 

Yvetta Fedorova One morning, a well-meaning swimming buddy called out for all in the Y locker room to hear: “I can’t believe Jane Brody doesn’t do yoga!” She was right: I didn’t do yoga and, not knowing what it might offer me, I was loath to try it. I also feared that the meteoric growth [...]

 

Christoph Niemann THE FACTS For most people, the only time jumping into ice might sound like a great idea is after a grueling workout. Athletes have used so-called cold therapy for years, saying it reduces inflammation, speeds recovery and prevents muscle soreness. Baseball stars like C. J. Wilson of the Texas Rangers swear by cold [...]

 

Andrew Scrivani for The New York TimesVeracruzana Chicken Stew With Winter Squash There are as many kinds of stews as there are cooks, blending meats, seafood, vegetables and spices into a hearty and flavorful melange. This week, the Recipes for Health columnist, Martha Rose Shulman, turns her attention to chicken stews: I wanted each of [...]

 

Dr. Jacob Lavee One of the most agonizing spots in medicine is the “transplant list.” When I’ve referred patients for organ transplant — heart, liver, kidney — it is the start of an anguished wait. The clock ticks for my patient as we watch her clinical status decline, all the while harboring that excruciating hope [...]

 

Keith Negley Seven years ago, when my grandmother JoAnn was first diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, the news sent me into a tailspin of fear and sadness. In my splintered Southern family, JoAnn had been more than my grandmother. The Auntie Mame of my Texas childhood, she taught me that happiness requires a great deal of thumbing [...]

 

Fred R. Conrad/The New York TimesSchnitzel awaits a taste-test of a gourmet dinner. Many cat and dog owners are switching from traditional commercial pet foods to a new generation of chef-inspired brands, “beneficiaries of a foodie revolution that has transformed many kitchens into four-star restaurants for pets,” reports William Grimes in today’s New York Times: [...]

 

Fred R. Conrad/The New York TimesSchnitzel awaits a taste-test of a gourmet dinner. Many cat and dog owners are switching from traditional commercial pet foods to a new generation of chef-inspired brands, “beneficiaries of a foodie revolution that has transformed many kitchens into four-star restaurants for pets,” reports William Grimes in today’s New York Times: [...]

 

Keith Meyers/The New York TimesA layer of smog rests over Lower Manhattan. It may be time to start paying more attention to those local air pollution alerts. That is the message of three new studies this week that found, collectively, that people exposed to higher levels of air pollution have a greater risk of stroke, [...]

 

John P. Kelly/Getty ImagesCan brief bursts of exercise improve your health? While many of us wonder just how much exercise we really need in order to gain health and fitness, a group of scientists in Canada are turning that issue on its head and asking, how little exercise do we need? The emerging and engaging [...]

Are you excited by clearance sales, white-water rafting and illicit romance? Or perhaps you take a more cautious approach to life, opting for the same vacation each year and skipping dessert after a big meal. The human tendency to seek out new and different experiences or resist them altogether has captured the interest of of [...]

 

Joyce Hesselberth It doesn’t have a particularly snappy title, but the Summary Report of the Expert Panel on Integrated Guidelines for Cardiovascular Health and Risk Reduction in Children and Adolescents makes for surprisingly accessible and interesting reading. For one thing, it’s well written, especially for a scientific report and a set of clinical guidelines. For [...]

 

Eden ZaslowFATHER FIRST Much of Jeffrey Zaslow’s writing centered on the theme of love. Several years ago, my friend Jeffrey Zaslow sent me a chapter from a book he was writing about lifelong friendships among a group of women from Ames, Iowa. It was a powerful story about love and loss that moved me to [...]