HARRISBURG, Pa., Feb. 5 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- With much of Pennsylvania expecting significant snowfall, the Department of Health today reminded residents to take steps to protect their health when shoveling deep snow. "For people who do not exercise regularly, shoveling large amounts of snow ca Read more from this post.

SEATTLE, Feb. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Looking for a gift from the heart to give your valentine?  How about the gift of a healthier heart? There's a lot you can do to reduce your risk of heart disease and improve your chances for a longer, healthier life.  Cardiologists from The Polyclinic in Sea Read more from this post.

STAMFORD, Conn., Feb. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Injured Haitians desperately in need of medical treatment will soon have advanced technology available to the medical professionals providing their care.  Through a partnership of Stamford Hospital, FUJIFILM Medical Systems USA (Fujifilm), and AmeriCares, Read more from this post.

RIDGEFIELD, Conn., Feb. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- A powerful group of entertainment, sports and healthcare organizations and celebrities have joined forces to screen millions of people who may be at risk for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), the nation's fourth leading cause of death.  The Read more from this post.

A new report, "Adult Immunization: Shots to Save Lives," released today by the Trust for America's Health, the Infectious Diseases Society of America, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation found that more than 30 percent of adults ages 65 and older had not been immunized against pneumonia in 36 states as of 2008. Read more from this post.

Online programs that provide information and tips about fruits and vegetables may be the key to getting more Americans to eat healthier, say researchers at Henry Ford Hospital. Read more from this post.

An NIH state-of-the-science panel was convened this week to identify ways to further increase the use and quality of colorectal cancer screening in the United States. The panel found that the most important factors associated with being screened are having insurance coverage and access to a regular health care provider. Their recommendations highlighted the need to remove out-of-pocket costs for screening tests. Read more from this post.

Co-author and Head of Monash University's Consumer Health Research Group Dr. Samantha Thomas said those in the severely obese category with a body mass index of more than 40, blamed themselves for their weight and often described themselves as at war with their bodies. Additionally, most felt blamed and ashamed by public health and education campaigns about obesity, which did little to actually help them address their weight. Read more from this post.

Health information written by a doctor is rated as more credible when it appears on a Web site than in a blog or a homepage, according to a study of college students. Read more from this post.

Mental health professionals have long-known that gay, lesbian and bisexual teens face significantly elevated risks of mental health problems, including suicidal thoughts and suicidal attempts. However, a group of McGill University researchers in Montreal has now come to the conclusion that self-identity is the crucial risk-factor, rather than actual sexual behaviors. Their results were published in February in the Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. Read more from this post.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today awarded more than $119 million to states and U.S. territories to support public health efforts to reduce obesity, increase physical activity, improve nutrition, and decrease smoking-the four most important actions for combating chronic diseases and promoting health. Read more from this post.

Executive functioning is a set of advanced cognitive functions -- such as the ability to control impulses, remember things, and show mental flexibility -- that help us plan and monitor what we do to reach goals. A new study of 80 infant-mother pairs finds that the ways moms act when they're playing and solving puzzles with their babies can explain some of the differences in children's development of executive functioning. Read more from this post.

Researchers looked at 338 kindergarteners, as well as their teachers and families, to determine how family adversity and biological reactivity contribute to healthy development. They found that children who had significantly stronger biological reactions to a series of mildly stressful tasks designed to look like challenges in their daily lives were more affected by their family contexts, both bad and good. Read more from this post.

Researchers examined the effects of HIV infection and being raised in institutions on the development of 58 infected and uninfected Ukrainian 4-year-olds. Some of the children lived in institutions from shortly after birth while others lived with their biological families. Results show that the quality of the relationships between the children and their caregivers had a bigger impact on children's physical growth and cognitive performance than the presence of the HIV infection. Read more from this post.