SATURDAY, Oct. 9, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- Blinds and window coverings might seem harmless, but their cords can be deadly for young children and infants.The best way to keep children from becoming entangled in these cords is to replace your blinds with cordless versions, advises the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC)."Children have strangled to death on the cords of window blinds, shades, draperies and other window coverings, and this can happen in mere moments, even with an adult nearby," CPSC Acting Chairman Robert Adler said in a commission news release. "The safest option when young children are present is to go cordless."Strangulation can occur in less than a minute and is silent, so you may not be aware it is happening even if you're nearby. About nine children aged 5 and...

FRIDAY, Oct. 8, 2021 (HealthDay News)– Physical abuse of school-aged kids tripled during the early months of the pandemic when widespread stay-at-home orders were in effect, a new study finds.Exactly what triggered the surge is not fully understood, but other studies have also reported similar upticks in child abuse. A pediatrician who was not involved in the new research suspects COVID-19 and pandemic-related stresses created a "perfect storm" for abuse."Stressful situations can be a trigger for poor judgment and impulsive reactions," said Dr. Allison Jackson, division chief of the Child and Adolescent Protection Center at Children's National Hospital in Washington, D.C. "There was a great deal of economic stress, job insecurity, and loss of housing potential during this time frame...

FRIDAY, Oct. 8, 2021 (American Heart Association News) -- Every year, on the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, hundreds of millions of Muslims celebrate the month of Ramadan by, in part, fasting daily from sunrise to sunset. Now, new research shows it might help lower blood pressure – at least temporarily.The study, published Friday in the Journal of the American Heart Association, adds to the recent body of research suggesting health benefits associated with fasting.Study author Rami Al-Jafar and his research team evaluated 85 participants between the ages of 29 and 61 from five mosques in London, measuring their systolic (the top number) and diastolic (the bottom number) blood pressure before Ramadan and again right afterward.In addition, they asked the participants to keep food...

FRIDAY, Oct. 8, 2021 (American Heart Association News) -- At first, there was skepticism about what would become the most extensive study of Hispanic and Latino health in the United States.But 15 years and nearly 400 scientific papers later, the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos is still producing valuable information.It's become a trove of long-term information that's as hard to gather as it is important, said Dr. Gregory Talavera, a professor in the department of psychology at San Diego State University. Even though Hispanic and Latino people are a large and fast-growing part of the population, "our knowledge of their health risks and their health resilience is not well-studied."Two years after the study's launch in 2006, an army of researchers began collecting medical...