Latest Health News

TUESDAY, Nov. 23, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- Vice President Kamala Harris announced Monday that the Biden administration will spend $1.5 billion to tackle a health care worker shortage in underserved communities.The money from the COVID-19 recovery program, called the American Rescue Plan, and other sources will go to three federal programs that provide scholarships and loan repayments for health care students and workers if they agree to work in high-risk communities, the Associated Press reported."Our nation must invest in a health care workforce that looks like America, and provide access to equitable health care for all Americans," Harris said.The pandemic has exacerbated health care disparities for minorities and underserved communities. According to an analysis by the Kaiser Family...

TUESDAY, Nov 23, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- Addictive opioid painkillers aren't the only option for patients seeking relief following anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) knee reconstruction, researchers say.As the United States wrestles with skyrocketing rates of opioid abuse and drug overdose deaths, the findings may come as good news.After ACL surgery, Advil and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), acetaminophen (Tylenol) and muscle relaxers appear to offer the same degree of pain control to patients as prescription opioids like morphine, hydrocodone or oxycodone, the small study concluded."Opioid medications can be helpful in managing high levels of pain when appropriately prescribed," explained study co-author Dr. Kelechi Okoroha. He is an orthopedic surgeon and sports...

TUESDAY, Nov. 23, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- Folks who've had a clogged artery reopened probably can stop taking blood thinners sooner than previously thought, a new study argues.Patients are regularly prescribed blood thinners for a year or more after angioplasty. This is to make sure that blood doesn't clot inside the metal stent that now holds their artery open. That could cause a heart attack or stroke.But heart doctors are prescribing these blood thinners longer than necessary because guidelines are based on clinical trial data that's become outdated, according to new findings. "Our current guidelines may not apply to the average person, in practice," said lead researcher Dr. Neel Butala, a cardiology fellow at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. "The average person today...

TUESDAY, Nov. 23, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- Becoming a couch potato as you get older goes against evolution and puts your health at risk, a new study suggests.Humans have evolved to be active in their later years, and staying active can protect against heart disease and a number of other serious health problems, according to researchers at Harvard."It's a widespread idea in Western societies that as we get older, it's normal to slow down, do less, and retire," said the study's lead author, Daniel Lieberman. He is an evolutionary biologist at Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass. "Our message is the reverse: As we get older, it becomes even more important to stay physically active."Physical activity later in life shifts energy away from processes that can harm health — such as excess...