SATURDAY, July 31 (HealthDay News) -- When the days grow longer in the spring, teens experience hormonal changes that lead to later bedtimes and associated problems, such as lack of sleep and mood changes, researchers have found.

In a study of 16 students enrolled in the 8th grade at an upstate New York middle school, researchers collected information on the kids' melatonin levels....(click link above to read more)

SATURDAY, July 31 (HealthDay News) -- Heat cramps, heat exhaustion and potentially fatal heat stroke are risks when exercising or playing sports during the summer, but they can be prevented by taking a few simple precautions, advises a Medical College of Georgia expert.

Heat illness occurs when the body loses its ability to cool itself, Tim McLane, a certified athletic trainer at the...(click link above to read more)

FRIDAY, July 30 (HealthDay News) -- A recent survey highlights the need for a horse rider safety, according to a University of Kentucky expert.

The poll found that 60 percent of 100 horseback rider respondents in Kentucky didn't wear any safety gear the last time they went riding. Of the 100 respondents, 31 said they had been injured in the past three years from handling or riding a...(click link above to read more)

FRIDAY, July 30 (HealthDay News) -- Health campaigns that highlight the problem of low screening rates for prostate cancer to promote such screenings seem to have an unintended effect: They discourage men from undergoing a prostate exam, a new German study suggests.

The finding, reported in the current issue of Psychological Science, stems from work by a research team from the...(click link above to read more)

FRIDAY, July 30 (HealthDay News) -- Patients with knee or hip osteoarthritis fare better if they continue to do their physical therapy exercises after completing a supervised exercise therapy at a medical facility, new research indicates.

The Dutch study also found that arthritis patients reported less pain, improved muscle strength and a better range of motion when they followed their...(click link above to read more)

FRIDAY, July 30 (HealthDay News) -- The risk for childhood obesity may begin even before a child is born, say researchers who found that women who are overweight or obese before becoming pregnant are more likely to have overweight or obese toddlers and preschoolers.

Hispanic preschoolers born to overweight/obese mothers were twice as likely to be overweight or obese compared to their...(click link above to read more)

FRIDAY, July 30 (HealthDay News) -- The increasing availability of direct-to-consumer genetic screening tests in the United States increases the risk that consumers will order inappropriate tests or misinterpret the results, warns the National Society of Genetic Counselors.

In the absence of federal regulations governing genetic testing, consumers should get...(click link above to read more)

FRIDAY, July 30 (HealthDay News) -- Many people who aspire to leadership actually want to help others, according to a new study that challenges the widespread belief that most leaders are selfish and egoistic.

A team of European researchers used economics-based games to study the personality traits of people who choose to be leaders and found that they were more likely to be rated as...(click link above to read more)

FRIDAY, July 30 (HealthDay News) -- Swimmers who dip into the pollution-free waters of sub-tropical beaches, such as those in southern Florida, face an elevated risk for developing gastrointestinal and/or respiratory illnesses, a new study indicates.

The study, which involved tracking 1,300 South Florida beach-going residents, was released online in advance...(click link above to read more)

THURSDAY, July 29 (HealthDay News) -- Following a federal health panel's endorsement of the new blood thinner Brilinta Wednesday, cardiologists say the drug could be a welcome addition to treatments for heart patients.

In a 7-to-1 vote, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Cardiovascular and Renal Drugs Advisory Committee recommended approval of the drug...(click link above to read more)