MONDAY, Sept. 6 (HealthDay News) -- As parents prepare for their children's return to school, they need to remember that healthy meals and snacks are essential for learning.

"Parents can make the school day easier for their children by providing nutritious and yummy breakfasts, lunches and snacks that promote optimal learning. Everyone is in a rush in the...(click link above to read more)

SUNDAY, Sept. 5 (HealthDay News) -- Skiers and other winter sports tourists who visit the Alps are at increased risk for heart attack due to low temperatures, high altitude and inadequate conditioning for intense physical exertion, finds a new study.

The risk is greatest during the first two days of vacation, said a research team of cardiologists at the Medical University of Innsbruck,...(click link above to read more)

SUNDAY, Sept. 5 (HealthDay News) -- As college students begin to settle into their new dorm rooms at campuses nationwide, one New York City-based public health advocate is offering some basic advice to help them stay healthy during the upcoming flu season.

Kathryn Hutchinson, executive director of health and wellness at St. John's University, pointed out that the first thing students...(click link above to read more)

SATURDAY, Sept. 4 (HealthDay News) -- A new study confirms what seems obvious: people who live in communities where walking and cycling are common are less likely to be overweight or obese.

The researchers analyzed statistics about walking and cycling in 14 countries, and also studied data about walking and cycling to work in all 50 states and in 47 of the largest U.S....(click link above to read more)

SATURDAY, Sept. 4 (HealthDay News) -- As children head back to school, parents can help make sure their little ones stay healthy and happy all year, an expert suggests.

Adequate sleep and rest are essential, Dr. Peter Richel, a pediatrician at Northern Westchester Hospital in Mt. Kisco, N.Y., said in a hospital news release. His advice in this regard? Establish fixed bedtime routines...(click link above to read more)

FRIDAY, September 3 (HealthDay News) -- A 7-year-old San Diego boy brought back more than souvenirs and memories from a family trip to Switzerland a couple years ago.

While there, he became infected with measles, a disease his parents had chosen not to have him vaccinated against. Upon his return to the United States, the boy unknowingly exposed 839 people to measles.

The story...(click link above to read more)

FRIDAY, Sept. 3 (HealthDay News) -- Carl Buher came home from the football game feeling rotten.

A strong, healthy, 14-year-old high school freshman, Carl had attended a day's worth of school and then played in the game, but it felt as if he were coming down with the flu. That made sense: A lot of his teammates had recently had the flu, and he figured they'd just passed it on to...(click link above to read more)

FRIDAY, Sept. 3 (HealthDay News) -- Children with sickle cell disease experience more life-threatening complications from the H1N1 swine flu than from seasonal flu, a new study has found.

This means that doctors and parents need to be aware that children with sickle cell disease are more likely to need emergency treatment and to be hospitalized, Dr. John Strouse of Johns Hopkins...(click link above to read more)

FRIDAY, Sept. 3 (HealthDay News) -- It isn't personal success or failure that make up the best and worst moments of a person's life, but the events that occur within social relationships, new research has found.

"Most of us spend much of our time and effort focused on individual achievements, such as work, hobbies and schooling," study co-author Shira Gabriel, an associate professor...(click link above to read more)

FRIDAY, Sept. 3 (HealthDay News) -- Safety is the most important workplace issue, say 85 percent of American workers.

Workplace safety, in fact, ranked first in importance among labor standards, ahead of issues such as minimum wage, family and maternity leave, paid sick days, overtime pay and the right to join a union.

That's the finding of researchers who analyzed dozens of...(click link above to read more)