Latest Health News

14Aug
2023

'Magic Mushroom' Drug Psilocybin Shows Early Promise in Easing Migraines

`Magic Mushroom` Drug Psilocybin Shows Early Promise in Easing MigrainesMONDAY, Aug. 14, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Psilocybin, the active ingredient in "magic" mushrooms, is getting renewed interest as a potential treatment for various health conditions. Now, a new research review argues that migraines should be added to that list.Psilocybin mushrooms have long been used recreationally as hallucinogens -- meaning they alter users' perceptions of their surroundings. That can lead to euphoria on one end of the scale, or -- if things go badly -- anxiety, panic or dangerous hallucinations.Medical research into psychedelics like psilocybin and LSD began in the 1950s, and then famously ended after a surge in recreational use by the 1960s "counterculture."But recent years have seen a new interest in the drugs as medical therapy. Researchers at institutions such as...

In America's Prisons, Suicide Risk Rises Along With...

14 August 2023
In America`s Prisons, Suicide Risk Rises Along With TemperaturesMONDAY, Aug. 14, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Punishing heat is a fact of life inside America’s prisons without air conditioning, and it is taking a serious toll on prisoners' mental health. When the outside thermometer hits 90 degrees Fahrenheit or more, a new study shows that prison suicide risk jumps 36%, in comparison to when temperatures are in the 60s.The finding comes from a look at the Louisiana prison system, one of the largest in the United States. It has been embroiled in legal action due to lack of air conditioning and extreme heat.“Many of the spaces within prisons where incarcerated people eat, work and sleep do not have air conditioning,” said study author David Cloud, who led the study as a doctoral student at Emory University Rollins School of Public Health in...

In Monkey Trial, Gene Therapy Shows Promise in Curbing...

14 August 2023
In Monkey Trial, Gene Therapy Shows Promise in Curbing Severe Problem DrinkingMONDAY, Aug. 14, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- For people with severe alcohol use disorder, a new gene therapy trial could lead to an effective treatment that would involve chemically rebalancing the area of the brain associated with addiction. “With alcohol alone, there's generally more than 100,000 deaths [in the United States] per year,” said Dr. Tucker Woods, associate medical director of Lenox Health Greenwich Village in New York City, who was not part of the study. “And just think about the impacts on families when somebody's addicted. The impact is not just to that patient, it's also their family and friends. So if this pans out in humans, it could potentially be a game changer, if they could fix that hijacked pleasure/reward pathway of the brain.”For the research, a team at...

More Americans Than Ever Believe Marijuana Smoke Is...

14 August 2023
More Americans Than Ever Believe Marijuana Smoke Is Safer Than Cigarette Smoke. They`re WrongMONDAY, Aug. 14, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- As cannabis use has become legal in many U.S. states for medical or recreational use, Americans' views on the drug may have gotten rosier.In fact, a new report finds that over 44% of adults now believe smoking weed each day is safer than inhaling tobacco smoke. That perception is counter to the science, however, and could have a serious impact on public health.“The research that has been coming out is actually suggestive that there's a lot of overlap in terms of the toxins and carcinogens that are in [both] cannabis and tobacco smoke,” noted study author Dr. Beth Cohen, a professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine. “What we've learned in the past few years seems more concerning, not less...

AHA News: What Is Shared Decision-Making, and How Can It Help Patients?

14 August 2023
AHA News: What Is Shared Decision-Making, and How Can It Help Patients?MONDAY, Aug. 14, 2023 (American Heart Association News) -- Traditionally, many decisions about medical treatment were left up to doctors: They decided, and patients agreed.Today, health care professionals are embracing the idea of shared decision-making, where patients become informed partners in their choices. A new report from the American Heart Association, published Monday in the journal Circulation, could help make that concept more common in cardiology.The old model of decision-making is familiar to anyone who has watched a classic medical drama on TV, said Cheryl Himmelfarb, who led the expert panel that wrote the report."There was a paternalistic approach with the doctor making the decisions," said Himmelfarb, a professor at the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing in...

Drinking, Often Heavy, Is Common Among Cancer Survivors

14 August 2023
Drinking, Often Heavy, Is Common Among Cancer SurvivorsMONDAY, Aug. 14, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Many Americans diagnosed with cancer continue to drink alcohol regularly — sometimes heavily and sometimes during treatment, a new study shows.The study, of over 15,000 U.S. cancer survivors, found that 78% were current drinkers. And of them, significant percentages said they binged or engaged in other "risky" drinking. The same patterns were seen even among people undergoing cancer treatment.Experts said the findings are concerning, in part because alcohol increases the risk of certain cancers. Drinking during cancer treatment, meanwhile, may interfere with the effectiveness of some therapies or boost the chances of side effects."There were a lot of risky drinking behaviors in this study, which is surprising," said senior researcher Yin Cao,...

Don't Use Certain Tests for Pregnancy, Ovulation, UTIs, FDA Warns

14 August 2023
Don`t Use Certain Tests for Pregnancy, Ovulation, UTIs, FDA WarnsMONDAY, Aug. 14, 2023 (HealthDay News) – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has warned that consumers should not use certain pregnancy, ovulation, urine, UTI and breast milk test kits over concerns that the tests may not be safe and effective.The tests in question were manufactured by Universal Meditech Inc. (UMI), though they were branded under several names and may not include information about UMI on their packaging, the agency said in a news release.The known distributors are AC&C Distribution LLC; HealthyWiser; Home Health US Inc. and Prestige Biotech Inc. The tests were sold under those brand names. UMI has notified the FDA that it has stopped all operations and is no longer providing support for its tests, the agency added. The FDA could not confirm the performance of the...

Moving Into a Smoker's Former Home? You May Need to Toss the Carpet

14 August 2023
Moving Into a Smoker`s Former Home? You May Need to Toss the CarpetMONDAY, Aug. 14, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- If you’re moving into a home where smokers lived, the first thing you should do to protect your lungs is rip out any old carpeting, new research suggests.Scientists found that tobacco smoke clings to carpet fibers long after smoking has stopped, and ozone generators that purify the air and surfaces can't remove it completely. This leftover residue, also known as "thirdhand smoke," can pollute indoor spaces for an extended period of time, according to investigators from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley, Calif."Because it does not reach deeply into materials, ozone [purification] has a limited ability to 'clean' permanently," study lead author and researcher Xiaochen Tang said in a lab news...

Help Kids Hit 'Reset' on Sleep as They Head Back to School

SUNDAY, Aug. 13, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Keeping to a consistent bedtime routine is the key to helping your kids get restful and refreshing sleep.Fortunately, about 81% of parents with kids under...

Back-to-School Tips on Preventing Asthma, Allergy Flares...

SATURDAY, Aug. 12, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Heading back to school requires supplies and planning for all, but if you’re a parent of a child with allergies or asthma then you have even more to...
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