Latest Health News

6Jul
2020

Common Blood Pressure Meds May Lower Colon Cancer Risk

Common Blood Pressure Meds May Lower Colon Cancer RiskMONDAY, July 6, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Millions of Americans take medication to keep their blood pressure down. A new study suggests that two types of blood pressure drugs might do double-duty, keeping colon cancer away, too. Angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (often called ACE inhibitors) and angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) help lower blood pressure by relaxing and opening up narrowed blood vessels, allowing blood to flow freely. Researchers analyzed the health records of almost 200,000 adult patients in Hong Kong from 2005 to 2013. Compared to nonusers of the drugs, those who took ACE inhibitors or ARBs had a 22% lower risk of developing colon cancer in the three years following a colonoscopy that declared them cancer-free, they found. The researchers, from the...

Obamacare Helps Poorer Americans Spot Cancer Earlier: Study

6 July 2020
Obamacare Helps Poorer Americans Spot Cancer Earlier: StudyMONDAY, July 6, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Medicaid expansion under Obamacare may have decreased the number of poorer Americans diagnosed with advanced cancer, a new study suggests. The study focused on Ohio, which was among the first states to expand its Medicaid program under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in 2014. The researchers found that in the three years after expansion, low-income residents saw a 15% drop in their odds of being diagnosed with metastatic cancer. That refers to cancers that have spread from the original site to other parts of the body. While metastatic cancer can be treated, it is most often incurable, according to the U.S. National Cancer Institute. Medicaid is the publicly funded insurance program for the poor. The new findings suggest that its expansion...

Major Medical Groups Urge Americans to Wear Face Masks

6 July 2020
Major Medical Groups Urge Americans to Wear Face MasksMONDAY, July 6, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Three major medical groups are urging Americans to wear face masks, wash their hands and practice social distancing as coronavirus cases continue to surge in the United States. In an open letter to the public released Monday, the groups noted that stay-at-home orders and other social distancing policies curbed the spread of COVID-19 in the spring. "But in the weeks since states began reopening, some of the steps that were critical to the progress we made were too quickly abandoned. And we are now watching in real-time as a dramatic uptick in COVID-19 cases is erasing our hard-won gains," stated the letter from the American Medical Association, the American Hospital Association, and American Nurses Association. "Hospitals in some states are...

How Immune System Fights COVID-19 May Be Key to Vaccine...

6 July 2020
How Immune System Fights COVID-19 May Be Key to Vaccine SuccessMONDAY, July 6, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Even the sickest COVID-19 patients make T-cells to fight the infection, a new study finds. This means that a COVID-19 vaccine will have to cause the body to make T-cells along with antibodies, researchers say. The immune response to the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID-19, was the same in American and Dutch patients in the study. "You want vaccine approaches to be grounded in observations from rather diverse settings to ensure that the results are generally applicable," said study co-leader Alessandro Sette. He's a professor and member of the La Jolla Institute (LJI) for Immunology's Infectious Disease and Vaccine Center in La Jolla, Calif. Working with researchers in the Netherlands, his team followed 10 COVID-19 patients who had...

With Pandemic-Related Stress, Abuse Against Kids Can Surge

6 July 2020
With Pandemic-Related Stress, Abuse Against Kids Can SurgeMONDAY, July 6, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Stress from social distancing and isolation to stop the spread of COVID-19 can lead to increased family violence at home, Tulane University experts say. These changes in routine can upset kids, who may lash out and test limits. Stress from bad behavior, along with financial and other concerns can result in angry outbursts -- even verbal and physical abuse, said Dr. Charles Zeanah Jr., chair of psychiatry, and Dr. Myo Thwin Myint, an assistant professor of psychiatry. They offered their insights in a perspective piece published in the July issue of the journal Pediatrics. Here's their advice for parents who feel overwhelmed: Recognize that stress, anger, worry and irritability are to be expected under the uncertainty the pandemic has...

Will the COVID-19 Pandemic Leave a Mental Health Crisis in Its Wake?

6 July 2020
Will the COVID-19 Pandemic Leave a Mental Health Crisis in Its Wake?MONDAY, July 6, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Stressed from home-schooling your kids? Lonely from lockdown? Worried about a sick loved one isolated in a nursing home? Worried you might lose your job? The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is affecting everyone's mental health in ways small and large, and experts are concerned that for many, today's anxiety will become a tidal wave of mental health problems in the years ahead. The pandemic is adding to what already was an underrecognized mental health crisis in the United States, according to Dr. Don Mordecai, national mental health and wellness lead at Kaiser Permanente in Oakland, Calif. Rates of anxiety and depression have steadily risen for years, as have deaths of despair related to suicide and drug overdose, he said during a HD Live!...

New U.S. Coronavirus Cases Hit Another High

6 July 2020
New U.S. Coronavirus Cases Hit Another HighFRIDAY, July 3, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- For the 27th day in a row, the rolling seven-day average for daily new coronavirus cases in the United States set another record on Sunday, climbing past 48,000 COVID-19 infections in just 24 hours. At the same time, coronavirus-related hospitalizations rose to their highest levels to date in Arizona and Nevada, the Washington Post reported. "We're right back where we were at the peak of the epidemic during the New York outbreak," former U.S. Food and Drug Administration commissioner Scott Gottlieb said Sunday on the CBS show, "Face the Nation," the Post reported. "The difference now is that we really had one epicenter of spread when New York was going through its hardship, now we really have four major epicenters of spread: Los Angeles,...

8 Tips to Ease Your Pets Through July Fourth Fireworks

4 July 2020
8 Tips to Ease Your Pets Through July Fourth FireworksSATURDAY, July 4, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- You may enjoy the fireworks on the Fourth of July, but there's a good chance Fido and Fluffy do not. "Even pets that are not usually sensitive to loud sounds and noise can become extremely stressed due to the sound of fireworks," said John Howe, president of the American Veterinary Medical Association. "It's hard not to feel helpless when you see them shaking and panting and so obviously distressed," he added. With a little advance preparation, you can ease your pets' anxiety and keep them calm. Here's how: Try a workout. Take your dog(s) out for play and exercise earlier in the day. This can help burn off extra energy, limit their their anxiety later and help them rest more soundly. Update I.D. Make sure your pet has up-to-date...

Multiple Surgeries for Cleft Lip, Palate Won't Cause...

FRIDAY, July 3, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Having multiple surgeries for cleft lip and palate doesn't appear to have a major impact on children's mental health, a new study shows. But there may be...

Follow Exercise Guidelines and You'll Live Longer, Study...

FRIDAY, July 3, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Getting the recommended amount of exercise could cut your risk of early death, a new study indicates. U.S. government guidelines recommend at least 150...
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