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Can stress really make us sick?

The Washington Post,  May 5, 2014

It seems like a no-brainer that stress may make us more likely to succumb to viruses and other infections, but that’s a tough connection to make scientifically.

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How kids’ screen-time guidelines came about — and how to enforce them

The Washington Post,  March 31, 2014

As most parents know by now, the experts say we should limit our kids’ screen time or risk raising socially stunted couch potatoes. Last fall, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) released updated guidelines for children and adolescents using media, recommending no more than two hours per day of any type of entertainment screen time for kids ages 3 to 18 and none for children 2 or younger.

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Why your kid may not need that big puffy coat. (But the hat is essential.)

The Washington Post,  January 6, 2014

Every winter morning as my kindergartner and I head for the bus stop, I hear the same lament: “Do I have to wear my heavy coat?” I know I’m not the only parent to have heard this kind of protest, but as a science writer I can offer an evidence-based response beyond “Yes, because I said so.”

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Researchers look for effective treatments for a common problem: Nausea

The Washington Post,  November 18, 2013

At some point, everyone has suffered from nausea. More than half of all pregnant women, surgical patients and cancer patients experience nausea and vomiting, and up to a quarter of all people struggle with chronic nausea. And, of course, millions are affected every year by the nausea that comes with nasty stomach bugs such as the norovirus.

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SIDS rate has declined, but 2,300 U.S. babies still die annually

The Washington Post, August 5, 2013

I still put my 2-year-old to sleep on his back even though each morning he’s snuggled on his tummy, head shoved into a corner of his crib. The “back to sleep” message has become ingrained in my new-parent psyche, as the campaign to reduce Sudden Infant Death Syndrome was designed to do when it began 20 years ago after studies showed that placing babies to sleep on their stomachs tripled their SIDS risk.

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Everything you need to know about low testosterone but were afraid to ask

The Washington Post,  June 24, 2013

In case you haven’t noticed, advertisements aimed at treating low levels of testosterone, or “low T,” have displaced those erectile dysfunction commercials with side-by-side bathtubs. The ads ask: Are you suffering from any of the following — depression, low energy, weight gain, fatigue, low sex drive?