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Eric Von

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Hypertension symptoms? Often there aren't any. High blood pressure is often called the "silent" disease, because it may have no noticeable symptoms.

If undetected and untreated, hypertension can cause heart disease (including congestive heart failure and heart attack), stroke, and kidney disease. That's why it is important to have regular physical examinations to make sure your blood pressure is within the normal range. This is especially important if your blood pressure has ever been high, if you have a family history of hypertension, or if you are gaining weight.

But finding doesn't prove it's the only factor, researchers stress

People who walk briskly an hour a day could beat back a genetic predisposition to be overweight, compared to those who plant themselves in front of the TV, new research suggests.

The findings don't prove that the exercise is the specific factor that makes a difference, because it's possible that something else could explain why those who walked were thinner, the researchers stressed. Also, the difference would amount to less than a pound for many people.

Common restrictions you should follow so you won't annoy the airline crew

We're all aware of the very reasonable Federal Aviation Administration no-nos that prohibit weapons, smoking and "interference" with airline personnel. But the airlines have their own rules, too. Some are less than obvious or a bit vague, and all are open to interpretation by and enforceable at the discretion of the crew.

Many choir singers would likely attest to the soothing and bonding experience that comes from belting out chants and hymns in unison. And there's science to back them up.

Last year, Norwegian researchers found that singing in a choir may help form social bonds; while a 2007 U.K. study found that choristers were better able to cope with stress.

A new exploratory study out of Sweden reveals that singing in a choir may not only promote mental and emotional well-being, social connection and collaboration, but good heart health, as well.

Everyone should know this by now: Never count Oprah out. Despite business stumbles and an $88 million earnings drop since last year, Oprah Winfrey returns to the top of Forbes’ annual Celebrity 100 ranking of the most powerful celebrities after two years in second place. She leads a female-dominated top 10 that includes Lady Gaga, Beyonce, Madonna, Taylor Swift and Ellen DeGeneres.

Even without her eponymous daytime talk show, Winfrey made an estimated $77 million between June 2012 and June 2013, down from last year’s $165 million. While she wasn’t the highest earner on our list, her money, mixed with strong fame scores in metrics like press mentions and social networking power, pushed her to the top.

Labor unions are among the key institutions responsible for the passage of Obamacare. They spent tons of money electing Democrats to Congress in 2006 and 2008, and fought hard to push the health law through the legislature in 2009 and 2010. But now, unions are waking up to the fact that Obamacare is heavily disruptive to the health benefits of their members.

Last Thursday, representatives of three of the nation’s largest unions fired off a letter to Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi, warning that Obamacare would “shatter not only our hard-earned health benefits, but destroy the foundation of the 40 hour work week that is the backbone of the American middle class.”