(HealthDay News) — Coughing is the body’s way of ridding the respiratory tract of an irritating substance. Allergies, asthma or inhaling secondhand smoke are common triggers for a cough. The National Heart Lung and Blood Institute mentions these … The Author share  

TUESDAY, Oct. 18 (HealthDay News) — When one member of a family has bariatric surgery to lose weight, other family members may be more likely to shed a few pounds, a new study finds. Researchers tracked the spouses, children and other family memb… The Author share  

TUESDAY, Oct. 18 (HealthDay News) — Unstructured play is much better than TV or videos for encouraging brain development in infants and toddlers, a new American Academy of Pediatrics policy statement says. Free play helps children under age 2 lea… The Author share  

TUESDAY, Oct. 18 (HealthDay News) — Colorectal cancers contain high levels of a bacterium that may contribute to the cancer and could prove important in diagnosing, treating and preventing it, according to new research. A team from the Dana-Farbe… The Author share  

TUESDAY, Oct. 18 (HealthDay News) — Certain factors have been found to be associated with a raised risk of early menopause, including having a chronic inflammatory disease or having one of two genes known to be linked to breast cancer, especially… The Author share  

(HealthDay News) — Getting regular checkups and screening tests — what doctors call prenatal care — is key to keeping you and the developing baby healthy during pregnancy. The womenshealth.gov website says here’s what you should expect during p… The Author share  

TUESDAY, Oct. 18 (HealthDay News) — In an important first, a new vaccine has been shown to cut the risk of malaria in young African children by about half, according to research announced Tuesday. Although the effectiveness shown in this Phase 3 … The Author share  

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 19 (HealthDay News) — Although pregnant women who have high blood pressure face a higher risk that their baby will be born with birth defects, new research indicates that the medications typically used to treat the condition will … The Author share  

TUESDAY, Oct. 18 (HealthDay News) — People with lots of Facebook friends tend to have areas of the brain that are larger than those of online social network users with fewer friends, British researchers say. “We were interested in understanding w… The Author share  

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 19 (HealthDay News) — Parents, you may be onto something: A small new study suggests that teens’ intelligence, as measured by the IQ test, may fluctuate throughout adolescence. The changes — in both verbal and nonverbal IQ — ran… The Author share