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MONDAY, April 19, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- Users with small children and pets should stop using Peloton Tread+ exercise machines immediately, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).The warning comes after one child died and dozens of others have been sucked underneath the home treadmill. One family pet also was injured, CPSC said.Less than a month ago, Peloton reported a child's death by a Peloton Tread+, triggering the ongoing CPSC probe.So far, CPSC is aware of 39 incidents, including one death, and considers the Peloton Tread+ a serious risk to children for abrasions, fractures and death, it said in a commission news release.To underscore the danger, the commission released a video of one child being trapped briefly under a Tread+ machine. Last month,...

MONDAY, April 19, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- In news that should reassure many pregnant women, having an epidural during childbirth won't increase the child's risk of autism, researchers report. The new findings refute a widely criticized 2020 study that said epidurals were associated with a 37% higher risk of autism. Experts said that study didn't account for numerous socioeconomic, genetic and medical risk factors for autism that could be more common among women who choose epidurals, and pointed out that it was biologically implausible for epidurals to increase autism risk. In addition, several professional societies issued a statement saying the study didn't provide credible scientific evidence that epidurals cause autism. Epidurals are the most common form of pain relief for...

MONDAY, April 19, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- People who eat plenty of vegetables, fish and fiber may have more inflammation-fighting bacteria in their guts, but fast-food lovers may be feeding inflammatory microbes.That's the conclusion of a new study that looked at people's diet habits and the makeup of their gut "microbiome."The term refers to the vast collection of bacteria and other microbes that naturally dwell in the gut. Studies in recent years have been revealing just how important those bugs are to the body's normal processes — from metabolism and nutrient synthesis to immune defenses and brain function.In the new study, researchers found that people who ate diets rich in plant-based foods and fish — akin to the famous Mediterranean diet — had an advantage: More...

MONDAY, April 19, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- Bye-bye Zoom meetings: As America begins to emerge from the pandemic, many companies are welcoming employees back into physical work spaces. But Taylor Villanueva, an entrepreneurship specialist at the Girl Scouts of Orange County, counts herself among the millions of Americans who might be feeling just a little anxious about that transition. "Initially, I was concerned, but I got both of my vaccine doses a while ago so that made me feel a lot better," she said. "Also, we're still taking measures to keep everyone safe. So we're going to still wear masks, we're going to distance, and there are rules about when you can take off your masks." Villanueva started her job during the pandemic, and she's met some of her coworkers one at a time at...