(Jamie Ducharme/ Time) — At first, Melanie Murphy was just following doctor’s orders.

Murphy, then 19, had gained weight during a period of depression, and her doctor told her she should lose some. She went from 180 to 125 pounds in 18 months—and even when she knew it was time to stop slimming down, she couldn’t shake the need to chase a goal.  …

(Delthia Ricks/ Medical Xpress) — Numerous vaccines, from flu shots to those those that help thwart chickenpox and measles, are widely used to guard against contagion, but researchers in France are proposing a breakthrough role for rotavirus vaccines: deploying them in cancer treatment.

Scientists from throughout France—Pari  …

(Lisa Templeton/ Medical News Today) — For those with metabolic syndrome, the necessary lifestyle and weight changes can be challenging. Now, a study has shown that eating within a certain time window can help tackle that.

New research shows how intermittent fasting can help ease metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome is an umbrella  …

(HealthDay News)— People who regularly drink to excess are also likely to use benzodiazepines, a new study finds.

These drugs — like Valium (diazepam), Xanax (alprazolam), Klonopin (clonazepam), Ativan (lorazepam), and Restoril (temazepam) — are used to treat depression and anxiety.

But when heavy drinkers use them, benzodiazepines  …

(Rachel Butch-Jhu/ Futurity) — Current scientific evidence supports claims made for intermittent fasting, according to a new review.

Coauthor Mark Mattson, a professor of neuroscience at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine who has studied the health impact of intermittent fasting for 25 years, and adopted it himself  …

(Montreal Gazette) — Pre-Christmas flu and gastro outbreaks combined on Monday to push emergency room capacities in Montreal, the Montérégie and the Laurentians well into the red.

By Monday evening, Montreal Island ERs recorded an overall occupancy rate of 105 per cent, according to the Index Santé website.

The Jewish General Hospital  …

(John Anderer/ Study Finds) — Sleep seems to happen almost instantly on some nights, while others are spent endlessly tossing and turning in pursuit of some rest. Insomnia can be caused by a variety of factors, but it is indisputably a common occurrence nowadays. In fact, an estimated 30% of adults experience insomnia regularly.  …

(Catherine Cullen / CBC News) — With government figures showing a spike in the number of young people vaping, the federal government is preparing to place stricter limits on advertising and make health warnings on vaping products mandatory, CBC News has learned.

However, Ottawa is not yet ready to go as far as many health advocates want  …

(Wency Leung/ The Globe and Mail) — Frank Plummer’s research has helped save the lives of countless others. Now, the microbiologist and infectious-disease expert is helping scientists test an experimental treatment that may save his own.

Dr. Plummer, an Officer of the Order of Canada whose work, particularly in HIV/AIDS, has shaped  …

(UPI HealthDay News) – Nearly six years after stopping a five-year regimen of the breast cancer drug anastrozole, women at high risk for breast cancer were 50 percent less likely to have been struck by the disease, new research shows.

The trial included more than 3,800 postmenopausal women at high risk for breast cancer. They were deemed  …