Latest Health News

10Mar
2022

Lymphedema in Legs Strikes 1 in 3 Female Cancer Survivors

Lymphedema in Legs Strikes 1 in 3 Female Cancer SurvivorsTHURSDAY, March 10, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- After surviving cancer, many older women suffer severe leg swelling that interferes with everyday life, a new study finds.About one-third of older women develop this chronic condition — called lymphedema — after treatment for colon, uterine or ovarian cancer, according to the study."Older cancer survivors who experience lower extremity lymphedema are at risk for decreases in physical functioning and ability to perform activities of daily living," said senior researcher Electra Paskett. She is a professor of cancer research at Ohio State University in Columbus. The condition can affect cancer survivors' quality of life and it has implications for overall death rates, Paskett added.Lymphedema is a chronic condition that causes swelling,...

Health Care Under Siege: Voices From the War in Ukraine

10 March 2022
Health Care Under Siege: Voices From the War in UkraineTHURSDAY, March 10, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- As the war in Ukraine enters its third week, the scale of the devastation is placing the health of all Ukrainians — and the country's health care system itself — in peril."It's mind-boggling," said James Elder, a spokesperson for UNICEF, who arrived in the western city of Lviv just two days after the Russian invasion began.Since then, "a million children who are refugees have had to flee the country — in 13 days. Imagine the stress and the trauma. The world has not seen anything like this since World War II," he noted."But it's also really important to remember those who are at risk trapped in-country, as much as we see this huge outflux of people," Elder added. "People who can't move. People in hospitals who are on drips. Babies in...

Pooch Power: Therapy Dogs Bring Quick Relief in the ER

10 March 2022
Pooch Power: Therapy Dogs Bring Quick Relief in the ERTHURSDAY, March 10, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- A day that includes a trip to the emergency room is probably a high-stress one, but man's best friend could help you cope, new research finds.The study found a reduction in pain, anxiety and depression that ranged from 43% to 48% in patients who were treated with a visit from a trained therapy dog while in the emergency department. "The main thing is we found that they helped reduce pain in a significant way, which is huge. We need to look further at this and the why," said study author Dr. Colleen Anne Dell, a professor in the department of sociology at the University of Saskatchewan in Canada. In this clinical trial, researchers measured patients' pain, anxiety, depression and well-being on an established 11-point scale and recorded blood...

Anxious? Try Hugging Your 'Breathing Pillow'

10 March 2022
Anxious? Try Hugging Your `Breathing Pillow`THURSDAY, March 10, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Could hugging a soft, mechanized pillow that simulates slow breathing help test-stressed students ward off anxiety and stress? British researchers are betting on it.The pillow in question looks like any typical cushion, noted study author Alice Haynes. She's a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom. But when hugged, the light blue plush cushion deploys a potentially therapeutic secret: a hidden inflatable pouch designed to mimic slow breathing.The objective, said Haynes, is "on alleviating the high levels of anxiety students often experience during examination periods."With that narrow goal in mind, the pillow has not been tried out among patients diagnosed with any form of chronic anxiety disorder. However, early...

Trouble Paying Bills Could Mean Worse Outcomes After Heart Attack

10 March 2022
Trouble Paying Bills Could Mean Worse Outcomes After Heart Attack THURSDAY, March 10, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- A healthy bank account pays dividends after a heart attack, with new research indicating severe financial strain increases survivors' risk of death.Researchers analyzed data from nearly 3,000 people, 75 and older, whose health was tracked after they suffered a heart attack."Our research indicates the importance of financial strain in predicting which patients will survive severe health conditions," study co-author Jason Falvey, of the University of Maryland School of Medicine, said in a school news release."Many of the participants in our study under severe financial strain were not living below the poverty line or enrolled in safety net options such as Medicaid," noted Falvey, an assistant professor of physical therapy and rehabilitation...

Your Houseplants May Help You Breathe Easier

10 March 2022
Your Houseplants May Help You Breathe EasierTHURSDAY, March 10, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Want to breathe better air indoors? Go green.Houseplants can make your home or office air cleaner, according to British researchers.In lab tests, they found that three common houseplants -- peace lily (Spathiphyllum wallisii), corn plant (Dracaena fragrans), and ZZ plant or fern arum (Zamioculcas zamiifolia) -- could reduce levels of a common air pollutant called nitrogen dioxide (NO2) by as much as 20%."The plants we chose were all very different from each other, yet they all showed strikingly similar abilities to remove NO2 from the atmosphere," said lead author Christian Pfrang, of the University of Birmingham.The plants aren't costly and are easy to maintain, the researchers noted.For the study, a single plant of each variety was put...

No Sign Common Steroid Spironolactone Can Cause Cancer: Study

10 March 2022
No Sign Common Steroid Spironolactone Can Cause Cancer: StudyTHURSDAY, March 10, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- The often-used steroid spironolactone is not linked to any increased risk of a range of common cancers, according to a new study.The synthetic steroid is routinely used to manage heart failure, high blood pressure and edema, and also used off-label to treat acne, hair loss and excessive hair growth (hirsutism)."Though the U.S. Food and Drug Administration cautioned that 'unnecessary use of this drug should be avoided,' our data are reassuring that spironolactone is unlikely to be associated with a meaningful risk of cancer when prescribed at clinical doses," said senior author Dr. John Barbieri, a specialist in dermatology at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston.Despite its widespread use, the drug's cancer-causing potential is poorly...

Army Reservists Can Face Alcohol Issues After Deployment, With Little Support

10 March 2022
Army Reservists Can Face Alcohol Issues After Deployment, With Little Support THURSDAY, March 10, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- U.S. National Guard soldiers are at heightened risk for problem drinking after military deployment, but less likely to receive help with their alcohol struggles than active-duty service members, a new study finds.Exposure to combat during deployment was the strongest risk factor for problem drinking among the reservists in the study, according to the report published online March 8 in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs."Combat events, such as having engaged in direct combat and experienced combat trauma, may precipitate a great deal of personal discomfort ('moral injury'), necessitating some form of self-soothing, such as excessive alcohol use," said study author James Griffith. He is a faculty member and research fellow at the...

Amazon Tribes May Have Lowest Rate of Dementia in the World

THURSDAY, March 10, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Two groups of indigenous people in the Bolivian Amazon have some of the world's lowest dementia rates, and that may offer insight on how to prevent...

Could a Stool Test Help Spot Pancreatic Cancer?

WEDNESDAY, March 9, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- The key to detecting pancreatic cancer early enough to save lives might be found in patients' poop, a new study suggests.A couple of dozen types of...
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