Author: healthtost

Basic Takeaways Active listening, sometimes called reflective listening, is a key element of motivational interviewing and an essential skill for health coaches and exercise professionals. Communication often breaks down between what the speaker intends and what the listener interprets, so it’s important to learn how to use reflections to improve your overall communication skills. Consider this six-step process for forming reflections: Consider the context of the larger conversation. Make a best guess about the meaning of a customer’s statement. Offer a reflection. Instead of making assumptions about the underlying meaning of what was said, use…

A major UK-led clinical trial has found that a treatment commonly used to help premature babies breathe offers no life-supporting benefit for infants with severe bronchiolitis – a seasonal viral illness that hospitalises thousands of babies each year. Funded by a collaboration between the UKRI Medical Research Council (MRC) and the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and Chiesi Farmaceutici SpA, Italy, the Bronchiolitis Endotracheal Surfactant Study (BESS) is the largest ever randomized study of surfactant for bronchiolitis. The results are published today (March 21, 2026) in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine. Bronchiolitis occurs when a virus—most commonly respiratory…

Earlier this year I wrote about Florida’s new health initiative. The fact that they call the original “Healthy Florida First” but then use the URL “exposing food toxins” gives bad feelings. The Florida Department of Health (FDOH) released reports on three food categories – bread products, baby formula and candy. They claim to have tested these foods for toxins and have published lists of foods and brands with numbers (reported in parts per billion, ppb) corresponding to each category. They were not very transparent about the tests used, but it is becoming clearer that the methodology used it was doubtful.…

The benefits of eating a healthy diet can never be overemphasized. It goes without saying that in order to live a healthy life in the long run, you need to have a well-balanced diet plan incorporated as part of your lifestyle. This plan will be able to provide you with essential nutrients that keep you full and prevent weight gain. It is important to know the total calories required and how much we actually consume. After all, it’s relatively easy to consume a lot of calories in one sitting without even realizing it. If you’re wondering what calories mean, here’s…

The greatest genetic risk for developing a substance use disorder comes from genes that broadly affect how our brains process rewards, regulate impulses, and weigh consequences—not from genes that specifically affect substance use disorder or any single drug. Researchers in a Rutgers Health study led by Holly Poore, professor of psychiatry at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, analyzed genetic data from previously published genome-wide association studies of more than 2.2 million people to understand how genes shape vulnerability to alcohol, tobacco, cannabis and opioid use disorders. According to the study published in Nature Mental Health, The team members found…

It’s March Awareness Month for Member States.As he told you Shannon Shelton MillerIn 2016 I discovered the world of aerial arts. A friend posted on social media about the class and when I arrived, I was cornered by a typical gym. But there were beautiful silks in that corner, and I was obsessed with the art from the beginning. Four years later, I was under significant stress after moving out of state and working a difficult job. I woke up one spring day and couldn’t feel anything from my belly button down. I was so type-A and such a workhorse…

What is sexual violence through technology?It’s sexual violence with a digital twist, refers to any time technology is used to effect or enable sexual harmwhether this is done online or ultimately in person. Examples include online sexual harassment, online stalking and image-based sexual exploitation (also known as non-consensual pornography). Technology-assisted sexual violence it can happen in two ways: active, where the harassment is aimed at a specific person, and passive, where it doesn’t target anyone in particular, but can affect people who encounter it.The gender gap isn’t just an offline problem. Just as with “traditional” offline sexual violence, women are…

For her first birth, Delaney was called in for a routine appointment when her baby’s amniotic fluid was found to be low. The labor was long and difficult – lasting all night with little sleep, a Foley lamp that made her sick, and slow progress on Pitocin. She made medical decisions largely on her own while Andrew slept, including choosing to break her water. Not every provider felt respected, but one nurse, Kierstyn, brought calm and genuine care to the room. Andrew became more present as the labor progressed, taking on an advocacy role alongside her. Through exhaustion and uncertainty,…

If you are menopausal or menopausal and trying to follow an anti-inflammatory diet, you may hope it will reduce joint pain, hot flashes, fatigue, weight changes, or improve sleep. Many women are exploring this approach because inflammation is linked to cardiometabolic risk, bone health and energy in midlife. An anti-inflammatory eating pattern can be absolutely helpful. However, many people unknowingly make changes that are too restrictive, nutritionally unbalanced, or unsustainable when switching to an anti-inflammatory diet. The Anti-Inflammatory Diet menopause guidelines should support your body, not add stress or confusion. Let’s look at the most common mistakes and what to…

The internet has a way of making mastery seem immediate. A recipe goes viral. A creator gathers millions of views. A plate lands on your feed so quickly and cleanly that. It feels like it just appeared out of nowhere. But behind almost every “overnight” success in food media is the kind of grind most people never see: the early shifts at the restaurant, the side jobs, the recipe tests that fail, the years spent trying to find a voice before someone listens. Shereen Pavlides knows this road well. Before that power is back Cooking with Shereen The media gave…