Those skills could be much more difficult to learn or develop at an older age. A recent issue of Psychology Today cites a study at the State University of New York in Buffalo that included 60 hypertensive men and women who were caring for seriously ill spouses. As part of the study, half of the caregivers adopted a dog. For six months, both groups wore ambulatory blood pressure monitors while interacting with their spouses and new pets. The caregivers with dogs had significantly reduced blood pressure and heart rate levels compared with those who had no pets.
Physicians tend to overestimate the amount of time a dying patient has left to live.
According to a study published in the British Medical Journal, physicians, on average, estimate their terminally ill patients will live about five times longer than they actually do. The missing piece to the female puberty puzzle might have been found. A study published in Pediatrics showed that female infants who weighed less than 5.5 lb at birth advanced more quickly through puberty and started menstruation 1.6 years earlier than those with average birth weights. This rapid progression through puberty may be the body's way of catching up after a slow start. A heart attack needs to be treated immediately and aggressively.