Medication is typically the cure for children that have attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), namely Ritalin or Adderall. But researchers have found a less clinical solution: promoting healthy lifestyles.

Investigators analyzed 184 children with the disorder against a variable of 104 children without ADHD. Children who were diagnosed exhibited behaviors that deviated from the recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the National Sleep Foundation, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture according to a UPI report.

The criterion cover a range of lifestyle contexts; no more than two hours of total screen time per day including television, computers, and video games; at least one hour of physical activity; restricted sugar intake; getting nine to 11 hours of sleep a night; and consuming seven to 10 cups of water a day based on age. All subjects were aged between 7 and 11 years old.

The collected evidence indicates that following more of these guidelines could help children overcome ADHD.  Study co-author and member of the Center for Behavioral Neuroscience at American University in Washington, D.C., Kathleen Holton, said, “Many parents of children diagnosed with ADHD do not want their children on medication. Having their children follow healthy lifestyle behaviors may be an effective intervention, either alongside or in the place of traditional ADHD medications.”

“Parents of children with ADHD should talk with their pediatrician about how to improve health behaviors, such as limiting screen time, encouraging physical activity, improving bedtime routines and drinking water rather than other beverages,” she also noted in a university news release.

And altering a number of lifestyle habits at one time could lead to other healthy habits, Holton added. “For example, physical activity increases thirst, making water consumption more attractive. Physical activity can also offset screen time and can improve sleep,” and, “Similarly, removal of caffeinated beverages prevents their diuretic effect, helps increase water consumption and can help prevent sleep disturbance.”

Continued research into the results could provide new insights into the number of healthy lifestyle choices applied at once Holton said.

New research illuminates how the Zika virus passes through the placenta. Analysts from Emory University found that Zika breaks down the placenta’s function of protecting the fetus and instead turns the organ into a breeding ground. Investigators discovered that the virus mushrooms in immune cells without killing them explaining how it’s able to penetrate the placenta leading to birth deformities.

Study co-author and pediatrics professor Dr. Mehul Suthar, said, “Our results substantiate the limited evidence from pathology case reports,” shedding light on a previously unexplained phenomenon Tech Times reports.

Contemporary viruses, namely dengue, yellow fever, and West Nile aren’t typically able to pass through the placenta, believed to be the organ’s protective defense mechanism. Zika, however, has an insidious ability to infect the cells, proliferate, and transmit the virus to the fetus.

Analysts studied cells donated by healthy volunteers who experienced full-term Cesarean births. Scientists were stunned by the results: Zika did not kill Hofbauer cells, the protective type of cells that are generated by developing fetuses; rather, Zika continued to germinate.

According to a survey conducted by the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK), only 4 percent of all cancer patients enroll in clinical trials each year. The study analyzed more than 2,000 Americans, comprising of 6o0 doctors. Just 40% revealed a positive outlook on clinical trials, and only 35% said they would participate in one reported MSK. Over 900 clinical trails will be administered by MSK this year.

But the reality is that advances in cancer research are the result of successful clinical trials. Progress relies on continued studies needing patient participants. “When it comes to advancing cancer care, clinical research is the rocket fuel for better treatments, more accurate diagnoses, and, ultimately, cures,” maintained MSK Physician-in-Chief José Baselga. “If this trend of low enrollment continues, we will face a crisis in cancer research and discovery. Further education is the key to participation and progress.”

But once respondents of the survey were educated on how clinical trials operate, nearly half changed their perspective. The challenge then for health care professionals is to demystify the process and debunk current misconceptions while informing patients of the trials’ necessity.

A host of mental blocks presented themselves. About 55% of subjects were worried about side effects and 50% were concerned about insurance and out of pocket expenses. Inconvenience of trial locations (48%), worries about attaining a placebo (46%), skepticism over the treatment (35%), and the stigma of feeling like a test subject (34%) were the issues noted.

And physicians don’t view respect them either. In fact, 28% of clinicians said that trials are “a treatment of last resort.” “Failing to consider clinical trials at every stage of cancer diagnosis and treatment can represent a missed opportunity, primarily for patients, as well as for doctors and researchers trying to develop better therapies,” says Paul Sabbatini, Deputy Physician-in-Chief for Clinical Research at MSK, and that “It’s critical that we spread the word that there are options to consider early on.”

Expanding enrollment and changing negative viewpoints requires education for patients and medical professionals.

Jennifer Carrieri, who participated in a clinical trial for multiple myeloma said, “I really did not have any awareness of clinical trials at all.” But when she was instructed on the inner workings of the trial, she felt more at ease. Jennifer says, “I was very comfortable enrolling… There was nothing to be afraid of.”

Medical experts are challenging a recent study’s methods and thus, conclusions that a low-salt diet is damaging to the heart. The recent evidence of the new study was published in the medical journal, The Lancet.

Scientists from McMaster University found that limiting sodium intake only benefited patients who currently have high blood pressure. The analysis, however, also indicated that low sodium diets may increase heart-related troubles. Researchers with the Population Health Research Institute (PHRI) at the Canadian university scrubbed through more than 130,000 health records in 49 nations.

Experts focused on associations in heart disease, stroke, and deaths of people who have both normal and elevated blood pressure and found that most subjects were on a salt-restricted diet.

“While our data highlights the importance of reducing high salt intake in people with hypertension, it does not support reducing salt intake to low levels. Our findings are important because they show that lowering sodium is best targeted at those with hypertension who also consume high sodium diets,” said Andrew Mente, co-author and clinical epidemiologist at McMaster.

The study designated three study groups based on the amount of sodium in their diets. Analysts found participants with moderate sodium intake had the lowest risk of suffering health problems.

But Francesco Cappuccio, head of the Collaborating Center for Nutrition at the World Health Organization disapproved the study, as well as The Lancet for publishing the results. Urine samples were gathered in the morning for day long testing. Cappuccio argues that the mathematical methods used to conduct the observation were subpar leading an inaccurate result and that participants were unhealthy patients all on medication for ailments.

A new analysis indicates that opioid prescriptions in the United States are declining, the first measured drop since OxyContin was introduced to the market in 1996. Despite the aggressive rise in prescriptions over the last two decades, within the last three years, 2o13, 2014, and 2015, there has been a drop according to various sources of data.

The recorded data, scientists suggest, points to a possible peak in the opioid epidemic in the wake of resounding warnings from the scientific community of the narcotic’s insidious danger. “The culture is changing,” said Dr. Bruce Psaty, a researcher at the University of Washington in Seattle who analyzes drug safety. “We are on the downside of a curve with opioid prescribing now.”

IMS Health, a consultancy and research firm that the health care industry sources for data on prescriptions revealed a 12 percent decline in national opioid prescriptions since a climax in 2012. Symphony Health Solutions, a related company, reported an 18 percent decline during the same period. IMS also found that prescriptions have fallen in 49 states since 2013, with the biggest slump coming from West Virginia, the nucleus of the epidemic.

But the death toll remains unchanged. Fatal overdoses from the narcotic have steadily risen claiming over 28,000 lives in 2014 detailed in federal health data. These measures include deaths related to painkillers such as Percocet, Vicodin, and OxyContin. Yet usage of heroin, the illegally classified opioid, has been climbing because of prescription drug restrictions.

Although experts are unanimous in that the decline is authentic, they disagree on what the information means for patients. Some professionals believe that regulations have been too lax for too long, which need to be reexamined—even if that means more obstacles for patients.

“The urgency of the epidemic, its devastating consequences, demands interventions that in some instances may make it harder for some patients to get their medication,” said Dr. Nora Volkow, the director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse in a statement. “We need to set up a system to make sure they are covered. But we cannot continue the prescription practice of opioids the way we have been. We just can’t.”

The federal government’s revamping of prescription regulations of hydrocodone and acetaminophen in 2014 could have propelled the reduction. A survey conducted by JAMA Internal Medicine found that in the first year after the mandate took effect, dispensed prescriptions tumbled by 22 percent and pills by 16 percent.

Experts are cautiously optimistic considering the rise in death deaths from heroin and fentanyl, a potent synthetic painkiller. Addicts addicted to these drugs got their taste with painkillers before hitting the streets.

The complete report was originally published in The New York Times.