Latest Health News

17Jan
2020

Health Tip: Preventing Eye Injuries

(HealthDay News) -- One of the simplest ways to maintain healthy vision is to protect your eyes from injury, says the American Academy of Ophthalmology. About 90 percent of eye injuries involve lack of protective eyewear. Whether you're maintaining equipment or playing sports, wearing appropriate protective eyewear is very important, the doctor's group says.

Could a Switch to Skim Milk Add Years to Your Life?

16 January 2020
Could a Switch to Skim Milk Add Years to Your Life?THURSDAY, Jan. 16, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- If you want to slow down the aging process, it might not hurt to replace whole milk with skim, new research suggests. The study of over 5,800 U.S. adults found that those who regularly indulged in higher-fat milk had shorter telomeres in their cells -- a sign of accelerated "biological aging." The findings do not prove that milk fat, per se, hastens aging, stressed researcher Larry Tucker, a professor of exercise sciences at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. But the study does lend support to what U.S. dietary guidelines suggest for adults: If you're going to drink cow's milk, opt for low-fat or skim, Tucker said. Telomeres are bits of DNA that sit at the tips of your chromosomes -- like the plastic caps at the ends of a shoelace....

How Palliative Care Remade End-of-Life Care at New York...

16 January 2020
How Palliative Care Remade End-of-Life Care at New York HospitalsTHURSDAY, Jan. 16, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Providing palliative care in hospitals led to a 10% reduction in intensive care unit use by dying patients, a new study finds. Palliative care aims to provide relief from symptoms and stress of a serious illness. Researchers say that ICU use at the end of life is considered an indicator of poor quality of care. The study's findings suggest that "implementing palliative care programs may be a way to improve the quality of end-of-life care for some patients who die in the hospital," said study lead author Dr. May Hua. She's an assistant professor of anesthesiology at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health in New York City. Hua and her colleagues noted that just a 4% decrease in end-of-life ICU use would translate to savings of...

Researchers Alter Mosquitoes to Resist Dengue Infection

16 January 2020
Researchers Alter Mosquitoes to Resist Dengue InfectionTHURSDAY, Jan. 16, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Mosquitoes that can't be infected by or spread dengue virus have been created by scientists. The researchers genetically engineered the mosquitoes to be resistant to all four types of dengue, a mosquito-borne virus that's a significant global health threat. This is the first time that mosquitoes have been genetically engineered to be resistant to all types of dengue, which could significantly improve control of the disease, the scientists added. The team reported that it may be possible to create wild populations with such genetically modified mosquitoes that would be completely resistant to dengue. The findings were published online Jan. 16 in the journal PLOS Pathogens. "The most important aspect of this study is the fact that we...

'Intensity' of U.S. Binge Drinking Is on the Rise

16 January 2020
`Intensity` of U.S. Binge Drinking Is on the RiseTHURSDAY, Jan. 16, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- While the frequency at which Americans binge drink has declined slightly over the past decade, the number of drinks they imbibe during a binge is rising to dangerous levels, new research shows. In the new study, binge drinking was defined as five or more drinks on one occasion by men or four or more drinks for women. Between 2011 and 2017, the percentage of Americans who said they had engaged in binge drinking over the past month fell from 18.9% to 18%, according to a team led by Dafna Kanny of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But when Americans do decide to get "hammered," they are going at it much harder than in years past, the study team found. Adding up all the drinks consumed during the average binge over the...

Another Cost of Climate Change: More Wildfires

16 January 2020
Another Cost of Climate Change: More WildfiresTHURSDAY, Jan. 16, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Wildfires like the ones that have ravaged Australia in recent months are likely to become more common as climate change continues to wreak havoc on the planet, a new study suggests. The Australian wildfires prompted British researchers to review 57 studies published since 2013. All of the studies show an association between human-driven climate change and increased frequency or severity of weather conditions linked with wildfires, such as high temperatures, low humidity, low rainfall and high winds. Observational data show that wildfire weather seasons have become longer across about 25% of the Earth's vegetated areas, resulting in about a 20% increase in global mean length of the fire weather season. "Overall, the 57 papers reviewed...

Millennials Most Likely to Skip Flu Shot, Believe 'Anti-Vaxxer' Claims: Poll

16 January 2020
Millennials Most Likely to Skip Flu Shot, Believe `Anti-Vaxxer` Claims: PollTHURSDAY, Jan. 16, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Millennials are less likely to have had a flu shot this season and are more likely than other American adults to agree with some false anti-vaccination information, according to a new nationwide survey. The results also showed that nearly one-third of adults polled don't plan to get a flu shot and many underestimate how deadly flu can be. The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP)-commissioned survey of U.S. adults aged 25 to 73 found that 51% haven't had a flu shot this season, and 32% don't plan to get one. When asked a series of factual questions about the flu, 82% answered at least one wrong, and 28% got all of them wrong. "It is very alarming to see how people are being influenced by the anti-vax movement," Dr. Alexa Mieses, a...

AHA News: Baby Survived 27 Minutes Without a Heartbeat

16 January 2020
AHA News: Baby Survived 27 Minutes Without a HeartbeatTHURSDAY, Jan. 16, 2020 (American Heart Association News) -- Britt Spivey knew something was wrong when his pregnant wife showed up at his work following what was supposed to be a routine doctor visit. Autumn started to cry and told him their unborn child had a heart defect. They needed to go to Texas Children's Hospital in nearby Houston. There, a more detailed scan showed the gravity of the situation. Normally, a heart has two collecting chambers and two pumping chambers. Images showed their daughter, Halle, would be born with only one good pumping chamber. She also had a very small aorta that carried blood out to the body. She would need three surgeries over four years, and they would begin shortly after birth. "I just wanted to know, 'Is my baby going to be OK?'" Britt said....

Many Americans Are Inactive, With Southerners Faring Worse

THURSDAY, Jan. 16, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Uncle Sam has a message for sluggish Americans: Get moving now. More than 15% of American adults are physically inactive, a new U.S. Centers for Disease...

Virtual Reality Can Bring Real-Life Pain

THURSDAY, Jan. 16, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- From carpal tunnel to a stiff neck, too much time on the computer can cause a slew of health problems. But what if you ditch the keyboard and mouse for...
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