Health Check

In recent years, study after study has raised the alarm about the dangers of talking on the phone while driving, with some saying you could be four times as likely to have a crash if you’re using a phone behind the wheel. But new research indicates it may have been much ado about nothing.

Unless you’re lucky enough to live in one of those beautiful, warm places, where the weather never changes, you are now settling in for a season of gloves, static, chapped lips and chills to the bone. But what do we really know about how our bodies react to winter?

If you find yourself dragging in the middle of the day, don’t reach for the coffee pot — reach for a pillow instead. Experts say naps may be a good way to make up for the sleep deficit many of us have from not getting enough shut-eye at night.

While surveys consistently show that more than 3 out of 4 smokers would like to quit, only about 10 percent of those who try each year are successful. Fortunately, new studies show one way to raise those numbers is to treat smoking as a chronic disease — like high blood pressure — for which long-term treatment is offered.

If you’ve ever wondered why some people can get by on just a few hours of sleep while others need much more, scientists may have found an answer. Research conducted on 4,000 Europeans discovered that those who had two copies of a particular variant of a gene called ABCC9, which influences sleep duration, generally reported sleeping less than those who had two copies of a different version of the g

Parkinson’s Disease is a frustrating and frightening medical condition, and treatment options are few. However, a group in Canterbury, England may have made a surprising discovery that could benefit not only them, but everyone else in the world – singing seems to make them feel better.

A new study of 8,000 kids published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health finds those who had high IQs were more likely to use certain illicit drugs as they aged. Smarter girls in particular may tend to experiment with marijuana, cocaine, and other illicit drugs later on.