Latest Health News

15Jun
2023

Most Americans Face Hassles With Their Insurance Plans, and It's Harming Care: Poll

Most Americans Face Hassles With Their Insurance Plans, and It`s Harming Care: PollTHURSDAY, June 15, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- A majority of insured Americans have struggled with a wide array of stumbling blocks when trying to get coverage for their health care needs, a new national survey shows.All told, the KFF report uncovered numerous obstacles to coverage with all types of health insurance, including an inability to find a covered in-network provider; delays in getting needed care; unexpected out-of-pocket costs; problems meeting pre-authorization requirements; and outright denial of claims.“We found that most people — about 60% — experience problems when they try to use their coverage,” noted survey lead Karen Pollitz, a senior fellow for health reform and private insurance at KFF and co-director of KFF’s program on patient and consumer...

AHA News: Hey, Dads: You Play a Big and Important Role...

15 June 2023
AHA News: Hey, Dads: You Play a Big and Important Role in Your Kids` HealthTHURSDAY, June 15, 2023 (American Heart Association News) -- Dads get plenty of attention on Father's Day, but they've sometimes been overlooked in research about how they affect their children's health.But from the start, fathers shape their children's health in significant ways, said James Muchira, an assistant professor at the Vanderbilt University School of Nursing in Nashville, Tennessee."Fathers, especially on Father's Day, need to know that they have a big part to play in modeling healthy behaviors," said Muchira, who studies how heart disease risks are transmitted across generations. "Their involvement is key."A father's influence is unique, complementing but not being redundant with a mother's role, said pediatrician Dr. Michael Yogman, an assistant professor of pediatrics at...

Rates for Suicides, Homicides Keep Rising for Young...

15 June 2023
Rates for Suicides, Homicides Keep Rising for Young AmericansTHURSDAY, June 15, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Suicides and homicides among young Americans are steadily increasing, U.S. federal health officials reported Thursday.Between 2007 and 2021, suicide rates among 10- to 24-year-olds soared 62% -- from 6.8 to 11 per 100,000, according to a new report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While homicide rates were stable from 2001 through 2006 and dropped 28% between 2006 and 2014, they surged 60% through 2021."Suicide and homicide are leading causes of premature deaths among kids," said lead author Sally Curtin, a statistician at CDC's National Center for Health Statistics."Not only are they both increasing, but they've converged," she said. "In 2021, it was about equally likely for a 10- to 24-year-old to die of suicide and...

Drug Overdoses Are Killing Men at Much Higher Rates Than...

15 June 2023
Drug Overdoses Are Killing Men at Much Higher Rates Than WomenTHURSDAY, June 15, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- American men die of drug overdoses at a higher rate than women, but new research shows that difference can't be completely explained by factors like misuse or greater use.A study led by scientists from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City and the U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) found that men were two to three times more likely than women to die of a drug overdose between 2020 and 2021. That included overdoses from opioids, such as fentanyl and heroin, and from stimulants, including methamphetamine and cocaine. Men use drugs at higher rates than women, but this doesn’t explain all of the difference, the study authors said. “Though men and women are being exposed to the modern, fentanyl-contaminated...

Race, Income Affect Your Risk for a Food Allergy

15 June 2023
Race, Income Affect Your Risk for a Food AllergyFRIDAY, June 16, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- While food allergies have not historically been top of mind for racial and ethnic minorities, new research shows that Hispanic, Black and Asian communities all face a higher prevalence of these issues.Money also mattered: In households where incomes were higher, at more than $150,000 a year, food allergies were less prevalent.“Food allergies are not frequently talked about impacting racial and ethnic communities,” said study co-author Dr. Ruchi Gupta, director of the Center for Food Allergy and Asthma Research and a professor of pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago. “It’s not on the radar. But we now know it does impact them more, and it’s important to improve awareness.”“It is also critical...

Inflammatory Bowel Disease Tied to Higher Odds for Stroke

15 June 2023
Inflammatory Bowel Disease Tied to Higher Odds for StrokeTHURSDAY, June 15, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Having inflammatory bowel disease, or IBD, could mean having a higher long-term risk of stroke, according to a new study.People with IBD are 13% more likely to have a stroke up to 25 years after their diagnosis than those without the condition, the researchers found. Their report was published June 14 in the journal Neurology.“These results show that people with inflammatory bowel disease and their doctors should be aware of this long-term increased risk,” said study co-author Jiangwei Sun, of the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden. “Screening and management of stroke risk factors may be more urgent in people with IBD,” Sun added in a journal news release.The findings don't prove that IBD causes this serious outcome, only that...

FDA Proposes Tougher Rules for Tattoo Providers to Curb Contaminated Inks

15 June 2023
FDA Proposes Tougher Rules for Tattoo Providers to Curb Contaminated InksTHURSDAY, June 15, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Regulators want your next tattoo to be as safe as it is trendy.The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued a draft of new guidance aimed at helping manufacturers and distributors of tattoo inks prevent microbial contamination.“With about 30% of people living in the U.S. having a tattoo, it’s imperative that the FDA take all necessary steps to help ensure that tattoo inks are free of contamination,” said FDA Chief Scientist Namandjé Bumpus. “Pathogens or other harmful substances in these inks can cause infections and serious injuries," she said in an agency news release. "The FDA is issuing this draft guidance to help tattoo ink manufacturers and distributors recognize situations in which tattoo ink may become contaminated with...

Pregnancy Seems to Ease MS Symptoms, and Research May Show Why

15 June 2023
Pregnancy Seems to Ease MS Symptoms, and Research May Show WhyTHURSDAY, June 15, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Women with multiple sclerosis temporarily get much better when pregnant, and researchers now think they know why.Pregnancy causes a downshift in a woman’s immune system, and it appears that this unintentionally improves symptoms associated with the autoimmune disorder MS, according to a new study published recently in the Journal of Neuroinflammation.Previous research has shown that MS relapses decrease by 70% during the last third of pregnancy, researchers said. Other autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis also improve with pregnancy.Nerve function in MS is hampered because the immune system starts attacking the fat that serves as an insulating sheath around nerve fibers. The nerves become inflamed, and this can lead to nerve...

Crohn's Disease: What Is It, and How Can It Be Treated?

THURSDAY, June 15, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Crohn's disease can turn your life into a gastrointestinal nightmare, but there is hope.According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive...

For Folks Without the Condition, Taking ADHD Meds to Get...

WEDNESDAY, June 14, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- So-called “smart drugs” meant to enhance brain performance are more likely to leave users ineffectually spinning in place, a new study has...
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