Latest Health News

MONDAY, Feb. 20, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- A person seeing a barely noticeable tremor in one hand could be witnessing the first signs of Parkinson’s disease.This progressive condition affects the nervous system, according to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., which offers information about the disease.While tremors are common, Parkinson’s can also cause stiffness or slow movement.Medications can significantly improve a person’s symptoms. While the disease can’t be cured, surgery may help regulate certain regions of the brain and improve symptoms.In early stages, a person’s face may show little or no expression. Arms may not swing when someone walks. Speech may become soft or slurred. Symptoms can worsen as the condition progresses.They often begin on one side of the body....

MONDAY, Feb. 20, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- While people with type 1 diabetes can see some benefit from newer medications prescribed off-label, there is also risk, and these patients should be monitored closely, according to a new study.Type 1 diabetes is universally treated with insulin injections, but only about one-fifth of patients achieve blood sugar control with it, the study authors noted.So, doctors are increasingly prescribing medications known as glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) and/or sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2is) for these patients.An autoimmune disease, type 1 diabetes destroys insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. About 1.5 million Americans have the condition.In people with type 1 diabetes, their cells can’t take in glucose on...

MONDAY, Feb. 20, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Many things can make your heart skip a beat — the words to a song, a case of the nerves or a near car accident — but these temporary palpitations aren't usually cause for concern. But much more serious, and sometimes deadly, things can throw off the heart’s rhythm, including dehydration, a history of heart disease or a heart defect. Medications, intense exertion or anxiety can also trigger heart rhythm changes, or arrhythmias.According to Dr. Mark Anderson of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, “the heart’s system is not unlike the electrical system in a car," which helps the car run properly. The electrical pulses keep the heart’s rhythm smooth and even, he explained in a recent article. But when the electric signals that...

FRIDAY, Feb. 17, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- There's a popular notion that cannabidiol (CBD) can take the edge off the less pleasant effects of marijuana. But a new study suggests that, when it comes to edibles, the opposite is true.Researchers found that when they gave study volunteers a batch of pot brownies, the effects were as one would expect.The surprise came when they tested brownies laced with both THC (the active ingredient in marijuana) and CBD, a non-intoxicating extract of the marijuana plant: The combo brownies were substantially more impairing than those containing THC alone.Overall, they revved up people's heart rates to a greater degree, and caused bigger impairments in tests of memory and attention. And it was not in service of a "better" high: People also reported...