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FRIDAY, Jan. 21, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Some kids might be able to get over their peanut allergy if they start immunotherapy while they're still toddlers, a major new clinical trial reports.In the trial, a group of 1- to 3-year-olds with severe peanut allergies were safely fed gradually increasing daily doses of a peanut protein flour to help accustom their immune systems to the allergen.About one in five wound up able to eat a handful of peanuts without an allergic reaction, even after they'd been off their therapy for six months, researchers reported Jan. 22 in The Lancet."We believe that this shows that if we can identify children with peanut allergy and intervene early with an oral treatment protocol, there is a chance we could really change their trajectory for severe allergic...

FRIDAY, Jan. 21, 2022 (American Heart Association News) -- A few weeks before Thanksgiving, Ken and Morgan House of Newington, Connecticut, spent a week at one of her favorite places – Disney World. They walked to all the theme parks, went on countless rides and shared healthy meals.Every day, Morgan would smile broadly at Ken and shoot him an expression that said, "Do you even believe this?"The last time the Houses were there, Morgan weighed 357 pounds. Ken weighed 280.While they enjoyed the trip, Morgan couldn't walk for more than 10 minutes without needing to take a break, her knees hurt and she didn't fit on some of the rides, including Avatar Flight of Passage, one of her favorites.That was in January 2020.In November 2021, Morgan weighed 194 pounds. Ken weighed 225."I wasn't...

FRIDAY, Jan. 21, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Shortages of both supplies and workers are wreaking havoc on the efforts of COVID at-home test makers to deliver enough of the tests to Americans, even as the federal government pledges to provide 500 million free, at-home kits.Like many other businesses, test kit manufacturers "have too many of their staff out with COVID. Thus, even if they have the physical capacity for production, they don’t have the staff," Mara Aspinall, from Arizona State University, and colleagues wrote in a newsletter, NBC News reported.She estimated that the current total monthly capacity of U.S. rapid at-home test kit manufacturing is 260 million units per month, which is expected to rise to 355 million by February and 526 million by March.The government's order for...

FRIDAY, Jan. 21, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Some recreational pot shops are using tricks from the old playbooks of alcohol and tobacco companies to target underage users on social media, a new study reports.Despite state laws restricting such marketing, researchers found marijuana retailers on social media promoting their wares with posts that:Featured cartoon characters like Snoopy, SpongeBob SquarePants, and Rick and Morty.Presented store-branded merchandise like caps and T-shirts.Offered discounts and deals, like a Memorial Day sale or a regular Friday special."Those types of restricted content basically come from evidence around ways that tobacco and alcohol companies used to appeal to youth," said lead author Dr. Megan Moreno, division chief of general pediatrics and adolescent...