Latest Health News

14Jan
2022

Worried About Omicron? Expert Offers Tips on Going Out Safely

Worried About Omicron? Expert Offers Tips on Going Out Safely FRIDAY, Jan. 14, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- As the Omicron variant rages across the United States, an expert outlines how to reduce your risk of getting infected with COVID-19.Be cautious when it comes to social activities and consider the amount of risk you're willing to accept in order to get together with others, said Dr. Michael Lin, an infectious disease specialist and associate professor at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago."Any time people are gathering indoors, there's an inherent risk that the virus will spread," Lin said in a hospital news release. You can reduce your risk of infection and serious illness by limiting yourself to small gatherings and making sure everyone is fully vaccinated and boosted, if eligible. At indoor gatherings, anyone age 2 or older should...

Cleaner Air Could Mean Healthier Brains for Older Women

14 January 2022
Cleaner Air Could Mean Healthier Brains for Older WomenFRIDAY, Jan. 14, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Everyone knows cleaner air means healthier bodies, but new research suggests it might also help aging minds."Our study is important because it is one of the first to show that reducing air pollution over time may benefit the brain health of older women by decreasing their likelihood of developing dementia," said study co-lead author Xinhui Wang. Wang is assistant professor of research neurology at the University of Southern California's Keck School of Medicine, in Los Angeles.Previous research had linked exposure to air pollution later in life with an increased risk of dementia, but how improved air quality affects brain health wasn't clear.To find out, the researchers analyzed data from more than 2,200 U.S. women (aged 74 to 92) who had yearly...

Masks Cut Distance Coronavirus Travels in Half, Study Finds

14 January 2022
Masks Cut Distance Coronavirus Travels in Half, Study Finds FRIDAY, Jan. 14, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Face masks are touted as a key tool in preventing the spread of COVID-19, and a new study offers more proof that they work.Florida researchers found face masks cut the distance that airborne pathogens such as the coronavirus can travel by more than half. The findings suggest that some COVID-19 social distancing guidelines could be relaxed when people wear masks, according to the authors. "The research provides clear evidence and guidelines that three feet of distancing with face coverings is better than six feet of distancing without face coverings," said study co-author Kareem Ahmed. He's an associate professor in the University of Central Florida department of mechanical and aerospace engineering.For the study, Ahmed and colleagues used...

For Transgender People, Starting Hormone Therapy in...

14 January 2022
For Transgender People, Starting Hormone Therapy in Teens Helps Mental Health FRIDAY, Jan. 14, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Transgender people get greater mental health benefits if they start gender-affirming hormone treatment when they're teens instead of waiting until they're adults, a new study finds."This study is particularly relevant now because many state legislatures are introducing bills that would outlaw this kind of care for transgender youth," said study lead author Dr. Jack Turban. He's a postdoctoral scholar in pediatric and adolescent psychiatry at Stanford Medicine in California."We are adding to the evidence base that shows why gender-affirming care is beneficial from a mental health perspective," Turban explained in a Stanford news release.For the study, Turban and his team analyzed data from the largest-ever survey of U.S. transgender adults,...

Death During Sex Very Rare Among Those Under 50

13 January 2022
Death During Sex Very Rare Among Those Under 50THURSDAY, Jan. 13, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- It's a familiar trope of TV and movies -- a couple is engaged in passionate sex when the guy's heart suddenly gives out."Usually it's a middle-aged man. Usually he's cheating with somebody else. It's funny, there's this myth in our mind that this can happen," said cardiologist Dr. Martha Gulati, who refers to the concept as the "Hollywood heart attack."But ardor simply isn't that arduous, said Gulati, former editor-in-chief of the American Academy of Cardiology's patient education website, CardioSmart.org.A heap of medical evidence, including a new study out of the United Kingdom, has established that while sex might leave you feeling like your heart stopped, that's just passion -- not a life-threatening condition.Only 0.2% of nearly 6,900...

More Folks Drive High When Pot Made Legal: Study

13 January 2022
More Folks Drive High When Pot Made Legal: StudyTHURSDAY, Jan. 13, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Here's more evidence that marijuana may make driving more dangerous: As pot has been legalized in more countries and states, a greater number of people are driving intoxicated by the drug and crashing, researchers report.THC, the active ingredient in cannabis, has been detected in twice as many injured Canadian drivers since 2018, when cannabis was first legalized. The same effect is being seen in the United States, said lead researcher Dr. Jeffrey Brubacher, an associate professor in the department of emergency medicine at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. One prominent U.S. addiction expert agreed."This is an emerging and extremely important area of research," Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the U.S. National Institute on Drug...

Surge of U.S. Military Medical Personnel to Ease Medical Worker Shortages

13 January 2022
Surge of U.S. Military Medical Personnel to Ease Medical Worker ShortagesTHURSDAY, Jan. 13, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- President Joe Biden plans to announce Thursday that a "surge" of U.S. military medical personnel will soon be deployed to hospitals struggling with staff shortages amid soaring COVID-19 cases.More than 1,000 will begin arriving at hospitals nationwide starting next week, and that deployment will be in addition to other federal medical personnel who have already been sent to states to offset staff shortages, the Associated Press reported.Many hospitals are facing staffing crunches as infected workers stay home and COVID-19 cases skyrocket as the highly contagious Omicron variant takes over the country.Biden will announce that six more military medical teams will be deployed to Michigan, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio and Rhode Island,...

AHA News: 7-Year-Old With Cancer Had a Stroke. Mom's Rapid Response Saved Her.

13 January 2022
AHA News: 7-Year-Old With Cancer Had a Stroke. Mom`s Rapid Response Saved Her.THURSDAY, Jan. 13, 2022 (American Heart Association News) -- "Mommy, I'm tired" became a common refrain from usually peppy 7-year-old Olivia Story to her mother, Jennifer.Olivia also wasn't eating as much as usual. And she often had a low-grade fever.The family was about to head from their home in Chino Hills, California, to a lake house in Arizona. So Jennifer texted the pediatrician, "Something is off with Olivia."This was July 2020. Because of the COVID-19 crisis, the doctor cautioned Jennifer to wait and see if Olivia's fever increased.Olivia rallied during the trip. A week later, she woke up with a blood blister on her top lip.Jennifer was alarmed. She took Olivia to the emergency room. Doctors found the girl had a slightly enlarged spleen, but weren't too concerned."Can you just...

AHA News: Obesity Harms Brain Health Throughout Life –...

THURSDAY, Jan. 13, 2022 (American Heart Association News) -- Anyone who has put on a few too many pounds knows they can slow you down. Over time, if those pounds grow into obesity, they may do...

Opioid Misuse Keeps Rising Among Older Americans

THURSDAY, Jan. 13, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- The opioid addict you know might not be the college kid who has always dabbled in alcohol and drugs.It could be your grandparent.Opioid misuse doesn't...
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