Latest Health News

19Aug
2020

Could Gene Therapy Stem the Damage of Parkinson's?

Could Gene Therapy Stem the Damage of Parkinson`s?WEDNESDAY, Aug. 19, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- It may be possible to protect Parkinson's patients' brains from further damage by turning off a "master regulator" gene, researchers report. "One of the biggest challenges in treating Parkinson's, other than the lack of therapies that impede disease progression, is that the disease has already laid waste to significant portions of the brain by the time it is diagnosed," said researcher Viviane Labrie, an associate professor at the Van Andel Institute, in Grand Rapids, Mich. "If we can find a way to protect critical brain cells from Parkinson's-related damage early on, we could potentially delay or even prevent symptom onset," she suggested in an institute news release. Labrie and her colleagues compared the brains of Parkinson's patients...

Pharmacists in All U.S. States Can Give Kids Childhood Shots

19 August 2020
Pharmacists in All U.S. States Can Give Kids Childhood ShotsWEDNESDAY, Aug. 19, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Children can now be vaccinated by pharmacists in all 50 states as the U.S. government seeks to prevent a decline in routine vaccinations during the coronavirus pandemic. While 28 states already allowed pharmacists to vaccinate children, the directive announced Wednesday by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will temporarily override restrictions in 22 states starting this fall, the Associated Press reported. The directive was issued by HHS head Alex Azar using emergency powers he has during the U.S. coronavirus epidemic, which was declared a public health emergency. "Especially as we approach the school season, it is critical that children have easy access to the pediatric vaccinations to enable them to get back to...

'Morning Sickness' Doesn't Stick to the A.M., Study Confirms

19 August 2020
`Morning Sickness` Doesn`t Stick to the A.M., Study ConfirmsWEDNESDAY, Aug. 19, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- As many expectant mothers can unhappily attest, the nausea and vomiting known as "morning sickness" can occur at any time of the day. In a new study, British researchers analyzed diaries kept by 256 women from the day they learned they were expecting until the 60th day of their pregnancy. While vomiting was most common between 7 a.m. and 1 p.m., nausea was likely all day long. And many women reported vomiting even into the evening. The most common hour for nausea and vomiting was 9 a.m. to 10 a.m., when 82% experienced nausea and 29% experienced vomiting. About 94% of the women had one symptom or the other during the study, and 58% experienced both, according to findings published recently in the British Journal of General Practice. By...

Birth Control Pill Could Cut Women's Risk for Asthma

19 August 2020
Birth Control Pill Could Cut Women`s Risk for AsthmaWEDNESDAY, Aug. 19, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Could birth control pills build a bulwark against asthma? New research suggests that hormonal contraceptives, which alter the natural ebb and flow of female hormones, may do just that. A study of more than half a million women in the United Kingdom found that those who used hormonal contraceptives -- be it pills or patches or shots -- had a significantly lower risk of developing asthma than women who did not. Female hormones have a mysterious relationship with asthma. Asthma is more common in boys than in girls during childhood, but after puberty women are more at risk for developing asthma and more likely to experience severe symptoms. Every hormonal event in a female's reproductive cycle -- puberty, menstruation, pregnancy and...

Pandemic Means Financial Hardship for Many With Diabetes

19 August 2020
Pandemic Means Financial Hardship for Many With DiabetesWEDNESDAY, Aug. 19, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- People with diabetes face a higher risk of developing complications from COVID-19, but a new survey reports they have also suffered more economic fallout from the pandemic. In June, 18% of people with diabetes were out of work compared to 12% of the general population. And one-third of people with diabetes have lost at least some income since the pandemic began versus about 29% of the general population, the survey released by the American Diabetes Association and dQ&A found. That loss of work and income can have immediate and serious consequences for people with diabetes. Nearly one in four people with diabetes -- and half of those who'd lost income since the pandemic began -- said they had to dip into savings, take out a loan or use...

Dental Groups Push Back on WHO's Call to Delay Routine Care

19 August 2020
Dental Groups Push Back on WHO`s Call to Delay Routine CareWEDNESDAY, Aug. 19, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- The World Health Organization recommended postponing routine dental care during the coronavirus pandemic, but the American Dental Association (ADA) strongly disagrees. "Oral health is integral to overall health. Dentistry is essential health care," said ADA President Dr. Chad Gehani. "Dentistry is essential health care because of its role in evaluating, diagnosing, preventing or treating oral diseases, which can affect systemic health." When coronavirus surged in March, the ADA asked dentists to postpone all but urgent and emergency treatment. But on July 27, the association adopted an ad interim policy that states dentistry is essential health care. The ADA and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention called on dentists to...

Antibiotics Might Lower Effectiveness of Birth Control Pill

19 August 2020
Antibiotics Might Lower Effectiveness of Birth Control PillWEDNESDAY, Aug. 19, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Doctors have long suspected it, but a comprehensive new study provides more evidence that antibiotics can reduce the effectiveness of birth control pills. That means women who are using both types of drugs at once should take extra precautions to avoid an unintended pregnancy, the study's British authors say. The study couldn't prove cause and effect. However, it "suggests there is an interaction of antibacterial drugs with hormonal contraceptives, which can potentially impair the effectiveness of the contraceptives," concluded a team led by Dr. Robin Ferner of the Institute of Clinical Sciences at the University of Birmingham. The findings didn't surprise one American ob-gyn. "We have known for a long time that certain antibiotics will...

COVID-19 and Hurricane Season Could Be Deadly Mix

19 August 2020
COVID-19 and Hurricane Season Could Be Deadly MixWEDNESDAY, Aug. 19, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- A hurricane is bearing down on your coastal community, bringing with it deadly storm surge flooding and airborne debris propelled by high winds. But this year there's another killer lurking about -- the invisible menace posed by the COVID-19 coronavirus. Public health and emergency management experts are sounding the alarm that the twin risks of the annual hurricane season and the COVID-19 pandemic are likely to overlap in the coming weeks and months. "The ways to mitigate both risks are in many respects in contradiction. We mitigate COVID by keeping people apart, and you mitigate the risk of hurricanes by moving people typically into close, confined spaces, and that makes things quite difficult," said Dr. Sandro Galea, dean of the Boston...

As Pandemic School Year Starts, Survey Shows Most...

WEDNESDAY, Aug. 19, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- As the school year begins across America under the shadow of COVID-19, a new survey shows most parents are feeling overwhelmed and abandoned. Just 1...

Women Smokers Less Likely to Get Cancer Screenings

TUESDAY, Aug. 18, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Women smokers already have one bad habit. A new study finds another: They're less likely than others to go for cancer screenings. Moreover, they're more...
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