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MONDAY, March 13, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Do all patients get the same amount of face-to-face time when visiting their primary care doctor? Apparently not, claims a new study that found Black and Hispanic patients -- as well as patients with public health insurance like Medicaid or Medicare -- tend to get the short end of the stick when it comes to the length of office visits.In some cases, shorter visits can potentially lead to dangerous consequences, investigators found, upping the risk for poor prescribing practices involving antibiotics, painkillers and/or sedatives. “While many studies have documented the fact that Black patients have fewer primary care visits relative to white patients, per year, I believe ours is the first to explore variation in visit length by...

MONDAY, March 13, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Kids and teens are struggling with their mental health in America, and one new report suggests the overinvolvement of parents may be partly to blame.Kids don't get to roam any more. They've lost time for free play and risk-taking amid parents' fears about the dangers of the world, said report co-author David Bjorklund. While people think the lack of independence and the growth in mental health issues is new, it’s been a lot more gradual, said Bjorklund, a professor in the psychology department at Florida Atlantic University College of Science, in Boca Raton.“It’s not a really new phenomenon. It’s a growing one. And it's been growing for decades,” Bjorklund said. The trend emerged in the 1960s and really accelerated in the 1980s, the...

MONDAY, March 13, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- If you were asked your favorite sleep position, you’d probably be able to answer pretty quickly.But it can be a little trickier to figure out the best sleeping position -- one that helps you reduce your aches and pains and maximize the enormous health benefits that research has shown a good night’s sleep can provide.Here are the positions that the experts recommend, whether you’re pregnant, prone to snoring, dealing with back or neck pain, or have other conditions that can benefit from the right position while you rest. Plus, experts offer tips on making the most of your current favorite position and "training" yourself to sleep in different ones that might be better for you. What are the best sleeping positions?“The best sleep...

MONDAY, March 13, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Nearly one-third of older people fall each year, most of them in their own homes. But it's possible to reduce those numbers by a quarter, according to a new study.Five steps can cut the risk of falls by 26%, the researchers reported in the March 10 issue of the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. Those steps are: decluttering; reducing tripping hazards; improving lighting; and adding hand rails and non-slip strips to stairs.“Falls are very common among older people. They can cause serious injury or even death, but they are preventable. In this review, we wanted to examine which measures could have the biggest impact on reducing falls among older people living at home,” lead author Lindy Clemson, professor emeritus at the University of...