Latest Health News

22Jan
2020

Super-Cooled Injections Might Ice Away 'Deep Fat'

Super-Cooled Injections Might Ice Away `Deep Fat`WEDNESDAY, Jan. 22, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- The Harvard-associated lab that created the "CoolSculpting" process of reducing fat says it's on the trail of the next advance in nonsurgical slimming. CoolSculpting freezes fat cells by applying an ice-cold gel pad to the skin, causing cells to die off and either be flushed away or absorbed by the body, said lead researcher Dr. Lilit Garibyan, an investigator at the Wellman Center for Photomedicine at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. Now her lab is trying to make that process even more effective by injecting an icy liquid slurry directly into fat deposits. In tests with pigs, the injectable slurry containing 20% to 40% ice caused fat deposits to melt away over several weeks, researchers reported recently in the journal Plastic and...

This Year's Flu Season Taking Deadly Aim at Kids

22 January 2020
This Year`s Flu Season Taking Deadly Aim at KidsWEDNESDAY, Jan. 22, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- How bad or how long this year's flu season will be remains to be seen. But one thing is already clear: It's proving to be an especially lethal season for infected children. Fueled by a strain of influenza that children may be especially vulnerable to, less than two months into flu season 39 children have already died, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Behind that number lie tragedies like these: Just after New Year's Day, flu claimed the life of 15-year-old Lacie Rian Fisher of Canton, N.C. Fisher was a healthy, athletic teen with no known pre-existing medical issues, but she had not yet been inoculated with this year's flu vaccine, USA Today reported. She died just three days after first feeling...

Flame Retardants, Pesticides Remain Threat to U.S....

21 January 2020
Flame Retardants, Pesticides Remain Threat to U.S. Health: StudyTUESDAY, Jan. 21, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- While health problems from childhood exposure to lead and mercury are on the decline, these and other toxic chemicals continue to take a toll, a new study reports. The progress likely owes to decades of restrictions on use of heavy metals. But researchers from NYU Grossman School of Medicine in New York City said that exposure to other toxic chemicals -- especially flame retardants and pesticides -- led to more than 1 million cases of intellectual disability in the United States between 2001 and 2016. Unlike the heavily restricted metals, toxic chemicals are subject to fewer limits, the researchers noted. "Our findings suggest that our efforts to reduce exposure to heavy metals are paying off, but that toxic exposures in general continue...

For Cancer Survivors, Financial Hardship Is Common: Survey

21 January 2020
For Cancer Survivors, Financial Hardship Is Common: SurveyTUESDAY, Jan. 21, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Many American cancer survivors struggle to pay for their medical care and have to cut back on spending, dip into their savings, or change their living situation. These problems are more common among those under 65 than among older survivors, a new survey reveals. Researchers focused on 401 cancer survivors, ages 18 to 64, and 562 who were 65 and older. Among the younger group, 54% had medical financial hardship as a result of their cancer diagnosis and treatment. The same percentage had made financial sacrifices in spending, savings or their living arrangements as a result. Nearly a quarter of these younger respondents said they had trouble paying medical bills, needed to borrow money, or filed for bankruptcy. More than 40% were worried...

Using Pot to Help With Sleep? Benefits May Not Last

21 January 2020
Using Pot to Help With Sleep? Benefits May Not LastTUESDAY, Jan. 21, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Medical marijuana may not provide long-term relief of sleep issues in people battling chronic pain, a new study finds, mainly because users may develop a tolerance to the drug. The finding is important "considering the aging of the population, the relatively high prevalence of sleep problems in this population, along with the increasing use of medicinal cannabis," said an Israeli team led by Sharon Sznitman, from the School of Public Health at the University of Haifa. According to the study authors, chronic pain affects between 19% to 37% of adults in the developed world, many who have sleep problems. Some are turning to medical marijuana for help getting good shut-eye. But how well does it work? To find out, Sznitman's group assessed...

First U.S. Patient With China Coronavirus Is Diagnosed in Washington State

21 January 2020
First U.S. Patient With China Coronavirus Is Diagnosed in Washington StateTUESDAY, Jan. 21, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- The first U.S. case of a new coronavirus illness that originated in central China has been identified in a patient in Washington State, federal health officials announced on Tuesday. In a news briefing, officials said that the male patient was hospitalized with pneumonia last week and had recently traveled to Wuhan, a city of 11 million people in China where the outbreak is thought to have begun. The man is being quarantined at Providence Regional Medical Center in Everett, "out of an abundance of precaution and for short-term monitoring, not because there is severe illness," stressed Dr. Chris Spitters, interim health officer for the Snohomish Health District. "We believe the risk to the public is low," added Washington State Secretary of...

Brain Waves Offer Insight Into Sleep Struggles That Accompany Autism

21 January 2020
Brain Waves Offer Insight Into Sleep Struggles That Accompany AutismTUESDAY, Jan. 21, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Shallower-than-normal brain waves may play a role in serious sleep problems in children with autism, a new study suggests. Previous research has shown that between 40% and 80% of children with autism have sleep issues, such as trouble falling asleep or waking frequently during the night and rising early. These problems can be significant challenges for the children and their families. Identifying the causes of these sleep disturbances is an important step in finding ways to ease them, according to researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel. For the study, the researchers recorded the brain activity of 29 children with autism and 23 children without autism during an entire night's sleep. "For the first time, we found that...

Could a Kid's Microbiome Alter Their Behavior?

21 January 2020
Could a Kid`s Microbiome Alter Their Behavior?TUESDAY, Jan. 21, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Young school-aged children with behavior problems may have different bacteria in their guts than their well-behaved peers, new research suggests. The study also noted that parents may play a key role in development of the particular bacteria in their child's gut (collectively known as the microbiome). That role even extends beyond the type of foods parents give their children, researchers suspect. "We were interested in determining if there were aspects of the gut microbiome that explained the variation of behavior in children," said the study's senior author, Thomas Sharpton. And, it appeared to. For example, Sharpton said, "Children in families that demonstrated stronger caregiver bonds had differences in microbiomes than those that...

Why Are Fewer U.S. Kids Going to Pediatricians?

TUESDAY, Jan. 21, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Little Johnny's cough has lasted for days, leaving Mom and Dad wondering if the symptoms warrant a trip to the doctor. A new study suggests that such...

A Workout Could Be Good Medicine for the Common Cold

TUESDAY, Jan. 21, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- It might be the last thing you want to do when you are battling a cold, but exercise might actually make you feel better, suggests one health...
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