Latest Health News

TUESDAY, March 2, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- Breathe easy, folks. A new study affirms that wearing a cloth or surgical face mask won't hamper your breathing.Researchers in Ohio based that conclusion on tests of 50 adults (median age: 33), both with and without masks. Nearly one-third said they had a chronic health condition, such as asthma.Volunteers' heart rate, oxygen levels and carbon dioxide levels were measured during six 10-minute tests: While sitting quietly and then walking briskly without a mask; while sitting quietly and then walking briskly while wearing a cloth mask; and while sitting quietly and then walking briskly while wearing a surgical mask.None of the participants developed a low level of oxygen or a high level of carbon dioxide in the blood while resting or walking...

MONDAY, March 1, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- If you decide to try pot to relieve your migraine, new research suggests you could be asking for trouble.In fact, marijuana use was linked to rebound headaches, which can occur when pain medication is overused, scientists noted."This study shows that there is some kind of association between cannabis use and medication overuse headache in people with chronic migraine, but it is unclear at this time whether patients are using cannabis to treat medication overuse headache, or if cannabis is contributing to the development of medication overuse headache, or both," said lead researcher Dr. Niushen Zhang. She's a clinical assistant professor of neurology and neurological sciences at Stanford University School of Medicine in California.Many people...

MONDAY, March 1, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- People taking statin drugs often complain of muscle aches, but a new study finds the medications are unlikely to be the culprit.The results come from a trial involving patients who had quit taking their statins, or were considering quitting, due to muscle pain.The researchers found that those aches were just as likely to flare when the patients were given a placebo (inactive pills) rather than an actual statin.Experts said the findings add to evidence that statin patients' muscle complaints often reflect a "nocebo" effect. That is, people expect to have muscle woes, so they do.The pain is real, and doctors should not dismiss it, said Dr. Khurram Nasir, chief of cardiovascular prevention and wellness at Houston Methodist Hospital.But this study,...

MONDAY, March 1, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- Spinal cord injuries can be devastating to the more than 17,000 Americans who suffer them each year. But many patients may have new reason for hope: Early research suggests infusions of stem cells could help them regain lost sensation and movement.These improvements may occur within days or weeks of receiving the stem cell therapy, and can last at least six months, according to the small study. "This is exciting because there are really limited treatment options for patients with spinal cord injury," said Dr. Griffin Baum, a spine surgeon at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, who was not involved in the research. The 13 people in the study had injured, but not severed, their spinal cords. Many experienced loss of motor function and...