Lifestyle

If you’re driving through San Francisco any time soon, you’ll likely see at least one billboard reading “WARNING: Drinking beverages with added sugar(s) contributes to obesity, diabetes and tooth decay.” Additionally, thanks to the newest legislation approved by city supervisors, soft drink advertisements are now required to warn consumers that too much soda pop could be hazardous to their health, much like the warnings on cigarette boxes. The bill was controversial from the start, according to Bloomberg and Entrepreneur, even though it likely couldn’t have passed in any state other than health-conscious California. The regulations exempt certain sugar-laden drinks, like most coffee beverages, but a new concern has popped up: Starbucks’s infamous Frappucinos, which are realistically mor...

Victoria Siegel, the 18-year-old featured in 2012 documentary The Queen of Versailles, was found dead of a drug overdose June 6. Now, a representative for the family has released a statement saying that she had been battling a prescription drug addiction prior to her death. “Victoria had a history of seizures and was prescribed medication for this condition,” family spokesman Michael Marder’s said in a statement given to Us Weekly June 8. “Unfortunately she became dependent and struggled with this condition. She voluntarily underwent rehabilitation and was working hard to address this problem.” Her parents, David and Jackie Siegel, have been attempting for several years to build a 90,000-foot home in Florida, the subject of the documentary by Lauren Greenfield. The house is still under c...

Everyone wants brighter, whiter teeth. Over the last five years, the number of teeth whitening procedures being performed has risen an astronomical 300% -- and that's not even including at-home treatments and kits. As teeth whitening has become more popular and accessible, the use of at-home whitening kits -- which are both more convenient and more affordable than getting the same procedure from a dentist -- has become one of the go-to ways to do so. But are at-home whitening kits as safe as you think they are? Over growing concerns over these kits, the British Dental Association recently issued a warning to people, especially teenagers, to steer clear of at-home whitening kits. The BDA claims that some kits -- particularly those purchased online -- may contain harmful ingredients and ...

A new study has provided a physiological measurement of how interacting with pets can decrease anxiety in children with autism. “Previous studies suggest that in the presence of companion animals, children with autism spectrum disorders function better socially,” James Griffin, of the National Institutes of Health’s Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, which helped fund the new research, told the website Disability Scoop. “This study provides physiological evidence that the proximity of animals eases the stress that children with autism may experience in social situations.” For the study, researchers worked with 114 children between the ages of five and 12, a third of whom were on the autism spectrum. All the children were outfitted with wrist ...

A new meta-analysis suggests a positive link between depression and low back pain, which could lead to more effective treatments for pain. According to the analysis, patients who suffer from depression have an increased risk of developing new episodes of low back pain; furthermore, patients with more severe depression have a correspondingly greater risk. The meta analysis included data from 11 different studies; the combined data showed that those with symptoms of depression had a 60% higher chance of also experiencing new back pain, compared to patients who do not suffer from depressive symptoms. Some of the studies even revealed that patients with low levels of depression still had an increased risk of pain episodes, almost 50% higher. And among the studies that did include the severit...

Between medical conditions, sedentary jobs, and habits that more often include a Netflix marathon than a trip to the gym, back pain is one of the most commonly reported health problems in the United States. In fact, over 26 million Americans aged 20 to 64 say they live with back pain on a frequent basis. Now, doctors and researchers are finding new ways to treat back pain -- including a little known device and spider venom. A surgeon at the Toronto Western Hospital, Dr. Mohammed Shamji, says that an underused device could be the key to preventing and treating chronic back pain. The device, a neurostimulator, blocks pain signals as they're traveling to receptors in the brain. "We have other clinicians who are not necessarily aware that the technology could provide benefit for their patien...

You've graduated from college, landed a great job in your field, with benefits -- no more waiting tables or brewing lattes for you -- and maybe even bought your own home. Congratulations! You're an adult now. If that's the case, however, how come your skin keeps breaking out? Isn't acne supposed to be a teenage thing that goes away once you trade in your textbooks for a 401K? According to a survey completed in the U.K. and reported by the Mirror, the number of women over the age of 35 seeking acne treatment has skyrocketed -- by about 214%. The website WhatClinic.com conducted the survey, asking nearly one hundred British skin clinics to report on trends in their patient demographics and treatment requests. “Acne can really impact confidence, no matter what age you are,” says WhatClini...

Olympic gold medalist and reality star Bruce Jenner is now facing a lawsuit for wrongful death and negligence stemming from a February car crash that killed one woman and injured five others. Reuters reported that the two stepchildren of Kimberly Howe, 69, who died in the Feb. 7 car crash on the Malibu stretch of the Pacific Coast Highway, filed the lawsuit against Jenner. The lawsuit claims that Jenner, 65, driving his Cadillac Escalade and towing an off-road vehicle, struck Howe's car from behind, sending her vehicle into oncoming traffic, where she collided head-on with a Hummer. Jenner had "violated the rules of the road" and was "negligent, careless and reckless" in causing the accident, states the lawsuit, which was filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court on May 1. The suit als...

Each year, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) releases reports containing a variety of statistics. Among these statistics is the country's birth rate, which is at an all-time low, according to the CDC's most recent report. Published early this month in the academic journal Pediatrics, this year's birth rate metrics have sparked concern across the nation. By itself, the numbers do seem alarming, but when examined as a whole rather just a piece of the puzzle, they make more sense. The trend of attended college and focusing on one's career means fewer babies being born each year. Originally published by the CDC in January, the statistics revealed that a mere 3.9 million babies were born in 2013, a decrease of roughly 20,000 from figures recorded in 2012. Birth rates h...

Nearly making the single worst decision in the history of their lives, a couple in Michigan almost threw away a $2 million lottery ticket. The couple purchased the winning lottery ticket for $20, and were about to throw it away, thinking it a loser, but a friend wanted to check it. That's when they discovered that the ticket was a $2 million winner. "I didn't know the ticket was a winner, and our friend wanted to look it over," the husband, who wished to remain anonymous, said. "When he told us the ticket was a $2 million winner, we were shocked." The couple then had to decide how they would receive their winnings, in either a structured settlement annuity or as a lottery lump sum payment. Though which is the more profitable choice is dependent on such situations as the current maximum...