The Checkup: Swimming Is Good for Blood Pressure

• I’m not one for water workouts, mainly because, as I learned recently, I’m a really terrible swimmer. If you can hack it in the pool, you should definitely consider making swimming a regular part of your fitness routine: new research shows it can do wonders for your blood pressure. A study of sedentary adults with elevated blood pressure found that slow to moderate swimming lowered their systolic blood pressure (the top number) in three months by an average of nine points. “What’s more, the water workouts—three or four days a week of swimming laps for 15 to 45 minutes—led to a significant improvement in their vascular function, a first-of-its-kind finding,” the Washington Post reports. That improvement came in the form of less stiff, more elastic arteries, which meant a decreased risk for cardiovascular disease. Neat, right? Now, someone teach me how to swim already.

• Doctors have figured out a way to reverse egg allergies in kids by administering small, daily doses of problem foods (pasta, mayo, marshmallows—pretty much anything when it comes to eggs) and training their immune systems to adapt. The Associated Press has more.

• Geez! The CDC says this year’s panning out to be a really bad one for whooping cough—the worst in five decades. Nearly 18,000 cases have been reported so far. The Seattle Times has more.