Sleep tight

A new study published in the European Heart Journal says that it’s better to take hypertension meds at bedtime. That’s enough to bring to the (virtual) water cooler, but if you want the details, check out the study itself or read the news story.

Chew on this

Tobacco is bad, period, but the FDA has — for the first time — approved a smokeless tobacco product as a better alternative to cigarettes. (“Better” being a relative term, like one broken arm is better than two.)

It’s not because of their bedside manner

‘Why do we let insurance companies practice medicine?‘ asks one physician in a Washington Post editorial. And honestly, we don’t have an answer.

One clue to a mystery

The mysterious, polio-like illness that’s been affecting kids around the country — acute flaccid myelitis or A.F.M. — might have given up a clue about its cause: enteroviruses.

Using sophisticated laboratory techniques, researchers found antibodies to enteroviruses in the cerebrospinal fluid of nearly 70 percent of the children with A.F.M., a sign their bodies had mobilized to defend against enterovirus infection.

Diabetes and breastfeeding

It turns out that women who breastfeed their kids for at least a year are less likely to develop either high blood pressure or diabetes. The likely reason: Breastfeeding uses a lot of calories, and the metabolic changes are especially important during and right after pregnancy.

Speaking of diabetes…

Having it means an increased risk of various infections, including influenza, cellulitis, and sepsis.

Someone got paid to do this study

Scottish researchers have determined that teenagers who use social media apps for five or more hours a day were more likely to go to sleep later.