Latest Health News

TUESDAY, Nov. 15, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Another major pharmacy chain has offered billions to settle claims for its role in the opioid epidemic. While saying it would pay out $3.1 billion, Walmart noted in a statement that it "strongly disputes" allegations made by state, local and tribal governments in lawsuits that it had improperly filled painkiller prescriptions.Walmart joins pharmacy chains Walgreen Co. and CVS Health in offering to settle the cases. Those chains each agreed to pay about $5 billion. The $3.1 billion offer is about 2% of Walmart's quarterly revenue, the Associated Press reported. "Walmart believes the settlement framework is in the best interest of all parties and will provide significant aid to communities across the country in the fight against the opioid...

TUESDAY, Nov. 15, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- While marijuana legalization in some U.S. states and Canada may send a message that weed is harmless, that's not necessarily so, according to a new study that found lung damage was more common in marijuana smokers than tobacco users.Research into marijuana's impact on the lungs is just getting started, because weed wasn't legal in many places until recently, but early indications are that it could do some serious damage."The main message is that it may not be as safe as people think it is, and we need more information," said study co-author Dr. Giselle Revah, a cardiothoracic radiologist and assistant professor at the University of Ottawa in Canada. "This is sort of just the opening. I want people to be aware that it may cause problems."Revah...

TUESDAY, Nov. 15, 2022 (American Heart Association News) -- A community health program that included exercise classes and hands-on nutrition education helped women living in rural areas lower their blood pressure, lose weight and stay healthy, according to a new study.Compared to women in urban areas, women in rural communities have higher cardiovascular disease risk, are more likely to have obesity and tend to have less access to health care and healthy food, previous research has shown. While community health programs have shown promise, little research has looked at these programs in rural settings.The new study focused on sedentary women, age 40 or older, who were diagnosed as overweight or having obesity. They lived in 11 rural communities in upstate New York. All participants...

TUESDAY, Nov. 15, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Increasing numbers of young children are showing up in emergency rooms after accidentally ingesting the cough suppressant benzonatate, U.S. health officials reported Tuesday.Benzonatate is a non-narcotic cough suppressant first approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 1958 for children ages 10 and up. It works by reducing the cough reflex in the lungs and airways."Benzonatate is an appealing cough and cold medication due to its non-narcotic properties," said Dr. Elise Perlman, an emergency department physician at Cohen Children's Medical Center in Queens, N.Y."For this reason, there has been a notable increase in benzonatate prescriptions; however, there has also been a concomitant rise in toxicity and adverse effects reported,"...