Health Tip: Choosing the Right Running Shoes

(HealthDay News) -- Healthy running largely depends on choosing the correct running shoes. And a prime consideration is the shape of your arches -- be they low/flat, "normal" or high.

Health Tip: Exercising in Cold Weather

(HealthDay News) -- Most people can exercise comfortably in cold weather, assuming they bundle up. The prime concern is preventing hypothermia -- the loss of too much body heat.

Parents May Be Taking Concussion Symptoms Too Lightly: Survey

FRIDAY, Oct. 12 (HealthDay News) -- Only half of U.S. adults who thought they or their children might have a concussion sought medical treatment, a finding that suggests many people do not understand the seriousness of a potential concussion, a new survey finds.

Coffee May Speed Up Bowel Recovery From Colon Surgery

FRIDAY, Oct. 12 (HealthDay News) -- Drinking coffee instead of water may restore normal bowel function more quickly among people who have had surgery to remove part of their colon, a new study suggests.

Consistent Criteria for Sports Concussion Might Aid Diagnosis

FRIDAY, Oct. 12 (HealthDay News) -- Standards used to diagnose concussion in college athletes are inconsistent and require clearer definitions and better tools to make the diagnosis, researchers report.

Could Stem Cells Treat Autism? Newly Approved Study May Tell

FRIDAY, Oct. 12 (HealthDay News) -- Autism researchers have been given the go-ahead by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to launch a small study in children with autism that evaluates whether a child's own umbilical cord blood may be an effective treatment.

Pre-Test Jitters Might Boost Scores: Study

FRIDAY, Oct. 12 (HealthDay News) -- For students with a good memory, feeling anxious before taking an exam might actually lead to a higher test score, researchers have found.

Official: Pharmacy Tied to Meningitis Outbreak May Have Broken State Law

THURSDAY, Oct. 11 (HealthDay News) -- The company at the center of the ongoing meningitis outbreak appears to have violated Massachusetts law by producing and distributing large quantities of a contaminated steroid compound, a state health official said Thursday.

Health Highlights: Oct. 12, 2012

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

Medicare Open Enrollment Starts Monday

FRIDAY, Oct. 12 (HealthDay News) -- The open enrollment period for seniors choosing their 2013 Medicare plan starts Monday, and U.S. health officials say there are more high-quality health plans to choose from this time around.