Latest Health News

FRIDAY, March 20, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- U.S. immigration policies may put Hispanic teens' mental and physical health at risk, researchers say. Of 547 U.S.-born Hispanic kids surveyed in Atlanta, one-quarter had a parent, aunt, uncle or other family member who was detained or deported in 2017 or 2018. Participants were questioned twice, six months apart. Compared to other middle school- and high school-aged youth, those with a detained or deported family member had more than twice the risk of suicidal thoughts. They also were nearly three times more likely to report early alcohol use, and were also more likely to have engaged in risky behaviors, such as aggression or truancy. "This study found that among kids with a deportation or detention in the family, 28% later reported...

FRIDAY, March 20, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- People often turn to music to boost their mood or relieve stress. And new research suggests there may be science supporting that practice. The study found that listening to 30 minutes of music a day eased chest pain and anxiety in people who had recently had a heart attack. "Based on our findings, we believe music therapy can help all patients after a heart attack. It's also very easy and inexpensive to implement," study author Dr. Predrag Mitrovic said in an American College of Cardiology news release. Mitrovic is a professor of cardiology at the University of Belgrade School of Medicine in Serbia. The researchers aren't suggesting music as someone's only treatment, however. Music was used along with standard heart medications. Dr....

FRIDAY, March 20, 2020 (American Heart Association News) -- Pandemic. Politics. An upending of life at a level that few Americans have ever experienced. And all of it amplified by social media. The ever-shifting news has some people constantly checking their phones for updates – and others saying they're ready to walk away from their feeds entirely. "It's really the perfect recipe for anxiety and panic," said licensed clinical psychologist Debra Kissen of Chicago. And stress, it should be noted, may be a factor in heart disease. But Kissen, CEO of Light on Anxiety CBT Treatment Center, and others say anxiety can be managed – and social media, used properly, doesn't have to send you on a mental-health spiral. It also can help you find balance. Kissen acknowledged the coronavirus...

FRIDAY, March 20, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Cholesterol-lowering statins are commonly used to help prevent heart disease. Now a new study hints that they could shield women's hearts from the harms of certain breast cancer drugs. The study focused on women in Canada who'd been treated with either chemotherapy drugs called anthracyclines or the medication Herceptin. Though the treatments can be lifesaving, they can also damage the heart muscle enough to eventually cause heart failure. But researchers found that when women were on statins during treatment, they were up to two-thirds less likely to develop heart failure in the years afterward. The findings do not prove that statins can ward off the side effect, the researchers stressed. Women on the medications might have had better...