Latest Health News

3Mar
2020

Dirty Air Cuts Millions of Lives Short Worldwide: Study

Dirty Air Cuts Millions of Lives Short Worldwide: StudyTUESDAY, March 3, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Worldwide, air pollution may be shortening people's life expectancy by an average of three years, according to new estimates. Researchers calculate that air pollution actually has a bigger impact on life expectancy than tobacco smoking, HIV/AIDS or violence. While that might sound surprising, it reflects the ubiquity of air pollution, said study co-author Jos Lelieveld of the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry in Mainz, Germany. Smoking is a greater threat to any one person's life, he said. But since everyone is exposed to some degree of outdoor air pollution -- consistently, over a lifetime -- dirty air has a bigger impact on life expectancy across the population, Lelieveld said. How does air pollution take its toll? Deaths from heart...

Florida Law Tightened Opioid Prescribing, and Saw Usage Drop

3 March 2020
Florida Law Tightened Opioid Prescribing, and Saw Usage DropTUESDAY, March 3, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Opioid use in Florida fell after a law that restricted opioid prescriptions for acute pain was introduced in 2018, researchers report. Under the law, opioid prescriptions for acute pain are limited to a three-day supply (with certain exceptions), and physicians and pharmacists must use the state's prescription drug monitoring database to review a patient's prescription history. The number of new opioid users per month dropped 16% immediately after the law was implemented in July 2018, and the number of new users continues to decline each month, according to the University of Florida study. The study also found that patients' average supply of opioids fell from 5.4 days to three days, and that the law was associated with an immediate drop in...

Common Sense on Shielding Yourself From Coronavirus

3 March 2020
Common Sense on Shielding Yourself From CoronavirusTUESDAY, March 3, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- As the new coronarvirus extends its reach, there are steps you can take to protect yourself and your family, experts say. "As with any respiratory virus, the main recommendations hold true with the novel coronavirus," said Dr. Rachael Lee, a health care epidemiologist at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). "Wash your hands, cover your cough with your arm, and stay home if you feel sick." Also, know when it is and isn't safe to travel. So far the virus, known as COVID-19, has sickened more than 90,000 people and killed more than 3,000, mostly in China. Check guidelines from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and local health care authorities regarding travel to areas with the coronavirus, said Lee, who is also an...

Want to Help Keep Diabetes at Bay? Brush & Floss

3 March 2020
Want to Help Keep Diabetes at Bay? Brush & FlossTUESDAY, March 3, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- There's a new, unexpected reason to keep your pearly whites gleaming: avoiding diabetes. New research found that people who regularly brush their teeth three times a day reduce their risk of type 2 diabetes. The study also found that people who have dental disease or a lot of missing teeth have a higher risk of developing the blood sugar condition. "Our study suggested that improved oral hygiene may be associated with a decreased risk of new-onset diabetes," said study author Dr. Yoonkyung Chang. She is a clinical assistant professor of neurology at Ewha Woman's University Mokdong Hospital, in South Korea. Chang said the researchers don't know what the exact mechanism behind this connection is, but there are a number of possible ways...

More Than 100 Coronavirus Cases, 6 Deaths Reported in U.S.

3 March 2020
More Than 100 Coronavirus Cases, 6 Deaths Reported in U.S.TUESDAY, March 3, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Coronavirus continued to spread throughout the United States on Monday, with more than 100 cases confirmed in 15 states and six deaths now reported in Washington state. Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Texas, Utah, Wisconsin and Washington state either have cases confirmed by health officials or have been treating patients with coronavirus-like symptoms, the Washington Post reported. Late Monday, Georgia health officials said a couple in Atlanta had tested positive for coronavirus after returning from a trip to Italy. "My concern is as the next week or two or three go by, we're going to see a lot more community-related cases," Dr. Anthony Fauci, director...

Is Coronavirus Really Like the Flu? Here's a Comparison

2 March 2020
Is Coronavirus Really Like the Flu? Here`s a ComparisonMONDAY, March 2, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- President Donald Trump drew a direct comparison between the seasonal flu and the new coronavirus in his first press conference on COVID-19 last week, saying that Americans might have more to fear from flu than the headline-making virus. But a closer comparison of the two viruses creates a more worrisome picture of what could happen if COVID-19 becomes widespread in the United States, infectious disease experts say. The new coronavirus is more infectious than the flu and appears to strike with much more severity in certain vulnerable groups. At the same time, there are no treatments on hand for COVID-19 as there are for the seasonal flu, experts added. Initially, estimates on the death rate in China hovered around 2%, but a report published...

Do Any Medications Help Ease Marijuana Dependence?

2 March 2020
Do Any Medications Help Ease Marijuana Dependence?MONDAY, March 2, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Of the medications that have been studied to treat problem marijuana use, none have proved effective, a new analysis shows. The review, of 26 trials, found that no tested drugs -- including antidepressants, anxiety medication and synthetic cannabinoids -- showed clear benefits for people with cannabis use disorder (CUD). CUD may be diagnosed when a marijuana habit becomes a consuming part of life, where people let work or personal responsibilities slide, ignore problems that their drug use is causing, or find themselves needing more and more marijuana to get high. In 2015, about 4 million Americans had CUD, according to the U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). Research suggests it affects around 30% of marijuana users at some...

Intense Exercise Can Trigger Heart Trouble in the Unprepared

2 March 2020
Intense Exercise Can Trigger Heart Trouble in the UnpreparedMONDAY, March 2, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- For most people, aerobic exercise is great. However, high-intensity exercise like running in marathons and triathlons can pose heart risks for those who have inadequate training. Sudden cardiac arrest, atrial fibrillation and heart attacks are among these risks, according to a new scientific statement from the American Heart Association (AHA). "Exercise is medicine, and there is no question that moderate to vigorous physical activity is beneficial to overall cardiovascular health," said Barry Franklin, chair of the writing committee for the new scientific statement. "However, like medicine, it is possible to underdose and overdose on exercise -- more is not always better and can lead to cardiac events, particularly when performed by...

Don't Wait, for Your Baby's Sake: Quit Smoking Before...

MONDAY, March 2, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Even if a pregnant woman quits smoking in the first trimester, her baby is still at risk for a smaller body and head, a new study warns. Researchers...

Many Seniors Leave Hospital With New Disabilities

MONDAY, March 2, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Older Americans often return home from the hospital with disabilities they didn't have before, a new study finds. These new problems can lead to...
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