Latest Health News

30Jun
2023

Fixing a Painful Joint Problem Won't Ease Mental Health Ills, Study Finds

Fixing a Painful Joint Problem Won`t Ease Mental Health Ills, Study FindsFRIDAY, June 30, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Blaming your ailing knees for feeling down?Unfortunately, even after physical pain eases, healing or fixing an injured joint often does not improve mental health, research shows.A new study found that anxiety symptoms only improved when a patient had major improvements in physical function.Depression, meanwhile, did not meaningfully improve even when the improvements to physical function were significant.“We wanted to find out if patients have fewer symptoms of anxiety and depression as physical function improves and pain lessens,” said senior study author Dr. Abby Cheng, an assistant professor of orthopedic surgery at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. “The answer is that they mostly do not.”It’s reasonable that...

Heat Waves a Hazard for People With Dementia

30 June 2023
Heat Waves a Hazard for People With DementiaFRIDAY, June 30, 2023 (HealthDay News) – Heat waves that hit the triple digits, like the ones now gripping many parts of the United States this week, can create dangerous conditions for folks who are vulnerable.One vulnerable group is people with Alzheimer's disease or dementia, who may not realize they're developing heat illness. But caregivers can take steps to keep them safer.“Triple-digit temperatures and heat indexes are especially dangerous for someone with a dementia-related illness such as Alzheimer’s disease, because the effects of dementia can impair their ability to notice if they are developing heat stroke or dehydration,” said Jennifer Reeder, director of educational and social services for the Alzheimer's Foundation of America (AFA). “Taking a few simple steps...

Don't Get (Sun)Burned This 4th of July Weekend

30 June 2023
Don`t Get (Sun)Burned This 4th of July WeekendFRIDAY, June 30, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Adding sun protection to your holiday gatherings takes little effort and can help you avoid the pain and potential side effects of sunburn.As Americans prepare to celebrate July 4 with parades, swimming and cookouts, the American Academy of Dermatology offers some tips for protecting your skin from the sun and reducing your future risk of skin cancer.One-third of American parents had a child who was sunburned in 2022, a survey of 1,000 parents revealed.“The survey data is troubling because blistering sunburns and childhood sunburns greatly increase your risk of getting skin cancer, including melanoma, the most serious form,” Dr. Anna Yasmine Kirkorian, chief of dermatology at Children's National Hospital in Washington, D.C., said in an...

Hepatitis C Can Kill, But Too Many Can't Access the Cure

29 June 2023
Hepatitis C Can Kill, But Too Many Can`t Access the CureTHURSDAY, June 29, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- More than 2 million people in the United States have hepatitis C, but most are not getting the safe treatment that can cure the disease, public health officials said Thursday.A new U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report details this problem and highlights the need for a proposed national program to expand access to the cure, in the form of antiviral pills.Left untreated, hepatitis C can lead to liver scarring (cirrhosis), end-stage liver disease and cancer.“Tens of thousands of Americans with hepatitis C are getting liver cancer, suffering liver failure, or dying because they can’t access lifesaving medicine,” said Dr. Jonathan Mermin, director of CDC’s National Center for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention....

CDC Gives Full Approval to RSV Shots for People Over 60; Vaccines Available This Fall

29 June 2023
CDC Gives Full Approval to RSV Shots for People Over 60; Vaccines Available This FallTHURSDAY, June 29, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Americans ages 60 and up can get their vaccine for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) this fall, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Thursday.On Thursday, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the outgoing CDC director, gave her signature to a recommendation made last week by an advisory panel of outside experts for a single dose of the vaccines made by Pfizer and GSK. The FDA sanctioned the shots last month for adults 60 and older.The CDC added in a statement that it is advising seniors to first consult with their doctors to determine if the vaccine is right for them.These higher-risk adults can get a single dose of either the Pfizer or GSK vaccine, both of which have already been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug...

PrEP Implant That Protects Against HIV Could Be Near

29 June 2023
PrEP Implant That Protects Against HIV Could Be NearTHURSDAY, June 29, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Animal research is pointing toward a new way to prevent HIV infection: a refillable implant that continuously delivers antiretroviral medications for up to 20 months at a time.Antiretrovirals are the cornerstone of PrEP, an infection prevention protocol that has been around since 2010.But the new approach -- though so far only tested in rhesus macaque monkeys -- promises an even more hassle-free way to deliver the drugs. The goal is to make PrEP easier to use for patients who have trouble adhering to a pill or injection timetable.“When taken as prescribed, PrEP can reduce the risks of HIV infection,” said study author Alessandro Grattoni, chair of the Department of Nanomedicine at Houston Methodist Research Institute.But the problem with...

Discovery of MS 'Severity Gene' Could Lead to Better Treatments

29 June 2023
Discovery of MS `Severity Gene` Could Lead to Better TreatmentsTHURSDAY, June 29, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- For the first time, scientists have identified a genetic variant that may make some people with multiple sclerosis (MS) vulnerable to faster progression.In a study of more than 22,000 people with MS, researchers found that those who carried a particular genetic variant faced a faster decline: They needed to use a walking aid about four years earlier, on average, than people who did not carry the variant.Experts said the finding -- reported June 28 in the journal Nature -- is a key first step to developing new treatments to slow the course of MS.There's nothing to be done about the genes people inherit, but understanding the genetics of MS progression could allow researchers to develop new medications that target the underlying mechanisms."The...

AHA News: Ohio Mother Goes Into Heart Failure After Fourth Pregnancy

29 June 2023
AHA News: Ohio Mother Goes Into Heart Failure After Fourth PregnancyTHURSDAY, June 29, 2023 (American Heart Association News) -- Marian Dancy is a mother of four and a payroll specialist with a local law enforcement agency in Columbus, Ohio. Her fourth pregnancy was the easiest, giving her a third daughter to round out her family.When the baby was about 6 months old, Dancy started getting winded and occasionally lightheaded. An episode where she momentarily lost her vision prompted a visit to her doctor."I kind of heard, 'You're young. You're healthy. It should pass. It'll be fine. Just check in with us if you start feeling worse,'" said Dancy, then 35.It wasn't long before she did feel worse and scheduled a virtual appointment with a different physician in the group. They couldn't find anything wrong or any clues in her family medical history. There...

Once Again, Smoke From Canadian Wildfires Envelops Many...

THURSDAY, June 29, 2023 (HealthDay News) – For the second time this month, massive plumes of smoke from hundreds of out-of-control Canadian wildfires are polluting much of America's air.Among...

Madonna Hospitalized With 'Serious' Infection; Postpones...

THURSDAY, June 29, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Pop superstar Madonna, 64, is in the hospital due to a “serious” infection and has had to postpone her upcoming tour, according to an Instagram...
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