Health Highlights: July 25, 2017

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Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by the editors of HealthDay:

Buying Time-Saving Services Makes People Happier: Study

Spending money on time-saving services can help reduce what researcher call “time famine” and boost your happiness, according to a new study.

It included nearly 6,300 adults in the United States, Canada, Denmark and the Netherlands who were asked whether, and how much, they spend on time-saving services such as paying others to clean their homes or run errands, and how satisfied they are with their lives, CNN reported.

No matter the income level, purchasing time-saving services was associated with greater life satisfaction. The study also found that people who bought such services had fewer negative effects from feeling stressed for time.

The study was published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

“I think our research actually flies in the face of the preconception that time-saving services are just for rich people,” co-author Elizabeth Dunn, professor of psychology, University of British Columbia, Canada, told CNN.

“Sometimes when people imagine time-saving services maybe what they’re picturing is a house keeper, butler, and a gardener, but what we’re talking about is just spending $40 makes a difference,” she explained.

The results show that “the role of time-saving purchases is independent from the role of income in predicting happiness,” study lead author Ashley Whillans, professor, Harvard Business School, told CNN.

“Across studies we find that people who spend money in ways that allow them to have more free time report greater life satisfaction,” she said. “The way that people are spending money, and in this case, spending money to buy themselves free time, has a similar positive association with happiness as how much money people make.”

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John McCain Expected Back in Senate for Health Care Bill Vote

After a recent diagnosis of brain cancer, Sen. John McCain is expected to return to the Senate Tuesday in time for a vote on health care.

The Senate will vote Tuesday on whether to proceed with a health care bill narrowly passed by the House in early May. That will require 51 votes and McCain’s presence could be crucial, CBS News reported.

McCain, 80, revealed last week that he had been diagnosed with an aggressive brain cancer called glioblastoma. It was discovered after he underwent a procedure earlier this month to remove a blood clot above his left eye.

The Arizona Republican has suggested returning to the committee level and negotiating health care reform on a bipartisan basis, CNN reported.

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Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program Cut by Trump

Funding for a successful national teen pregnancy prevention program will be cut under President Donald Trump’s proposed FY 2018 budget.

The Teen Pregnancy Prevention program will be shelved two years early by cutting $213.6 million in funding to more than 81 organizations, according to the Department of Health and Human Services, United Press International reported.

All the groups were notified this month that their funding will end next year instead of in 2020.

The program was launched in 2010 by the Obama administration and focused on adolescents ages 10-19. During its first five years, the program trained more than 6,800 professionals and partnered with more than 3,800 community-based groups, according to the Office of Adolescent Health at the Department of Health and Human Services, UPI reported.

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