Study shows how brain tunes out background noise, hears one voice

In some ways, parties seem like the worst possible places to socialize.  A cacophony of voices -- not to mention a blaring stereo...

You're never too old to reduce Alzheimer's risk with exercise

Even if you’re 80 or older, it’s not too late for daily exercise to reduce your risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease,...

Caregivers' mental health may improve with short daily meditation

A yoga meditation program could reduce depression symptoms and boost mental health, a study finds, and that’s not all—it may...

Abuse in childhood common among alcohol addicts, study finds

Abuse in childhood appears to be a particularly strong risk factor for developing alcohol addiction later in life, researchers reported...

Suicides among Army personnel up 80% in four years

Suicide among young Army personnel is among the saddest tolls of the country's two long wars this century. A report released Thursday...

Vets with mental health problems more likely to abuse painkillers

Veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have an increased risk of mental health disorders, such as ...

Medication, therapy help treat anxiety

Karen Smuland has always been an anxious person. But after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on New York's World Trade Center, she had her first...

Supplements for depression: What the research reveals

Struggling with the black dog of depression? The supplement aisle abounds with options for people seeking a non-medicinal remedy —...

This is your mind on meditation: less wandering, more doing

The brains of experienced meditators appear to be fitter, more disciplined and more "on task" than do the brains of those trying out...

Rose-colored glasses may help love last

If Cupid wanted to improve his game with science, he'd shoot first, then hand out rose-colored glasses with instructions attached:

The shallow waters of dolphin therapy claims

Dolphins are some of the most charming, charismatic and entertaining animals in the ocean. Adding to their mystique, they have gained a...

Pets and your health: the good and the bad

They cuddle and purr. And they shed. They wag their tails and fetch your slippers. And they shed. They never talk back and they never hold a...

Therapy dogs make the rounds in more healthcare settings

"Pets are embedded in the soul of our humanity," says Dr. Edward Creagan, an oncologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., as he...

Service dogs are beyond fetching

One moment 15-year-old Glen Gregos was a happy-go-lucky kid riding a motorcycle. The next he was the lucky-to-be-alive victim of a...

Men juggle too: Competing work and family demands stress out more guys nowadays

A growing number of men are now suffering from the seductive promise that they can have it all: the comforts and rewards of a...

A patient's social history isn't just checked-off answers

Ms. R., a retired nurse, lives with her husband in Dorchester.

Put your stress on vacation

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Division of duty is the name of the brain game

You may be lazing by the pool after a visit or two to the swim-up bar, but parts of your brain are always on duty — ready to leap into...

After brain damage, the creative juices flow for some

Artist Katherine Sherwood was just 44 when a hemorrhage in her brain's left hemisphere paralyzed the right side of her body —...

What it looks like inside a migraine

It can be hard to explain how your world looks to someone whose reality is very different. That's especially true for people with epilepsy...

Irreconcilable differences at the end of the day: Men, women and housework

Men, it's your health and happiness or hers. Women, it's your health and happiness or his. At the end of the day, if there's housework to be...

Using video to fight workplace stress

In the eight years Krista Lang Blackwood has been artistic director of a nonprofit choral group, she's heard it all: prospective donors...

A teen's friends are a powerful influence

My parents had it pretty easy with me when I was a teenager. I was a bit of a nerd. I earned straight A's in school, ran for student...

Pain and heartache are bound together in our brains

Like a jab in the arm with a red-hot poker, social rejection hurts. Literally. A new study finds that our brains make little distinction...

Bilingualism good for the brain, researchers say

Does being bilingual give young children a mental edge, or does it delay their learning?

'Black Swan's' psychological spin

The premise