Latest Health News

MONDAY, June 22, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Can working or playing in the hot sun "fry" your brain? Yes, claims a new, small study that found too much heat on the head hampered thinking in volunteers. Most people know that high temperatures can cause heat exhaustion or heat stroke as the body's core temperature becomes dangerously high, but the beating sun can affect your brain even if your body temperature stays normal, researchers report. "Solar radiation has a separate, direct effect on people's capacity to perform functions that require thinking and coordination, even if the person is not overly hyperthermic, simply because their head is exposed to high solar radiation," said researcher Andreas Flouris, an associate professor in the department of exercise science at the University...

MONDAY, June 22, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- A new nonopioid pain reliever could be welcome news for people who have difficult-to-treat back pain. Tanezumab is what's called a monoclonal antibody. And it might offer extended relief from chronic lower back pain, a large, new study finds. However, a serious side effect remains a concern. Tanezumab works differently from other treatments, as it blocks nerve growth factor, a protein that causes pain, researchers say. "It appears that we are on the cusp of developing new drugs, which treat chronic pain by turning down the sensitivity of the nervous system, which is a whole new way of approaching the problem of chronic pain," said lead researcher Dr. John Markman. He's a professor of neurosurgery and neurology at the University of Rochester...

MONDAY, June 22, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Statin drugs, used for decades to treat high cholesterol, may also reduce deaths for women with ovarian cancer, a new study suggests. "These drugs are appealing as they are widely used, inexpensive, and well-tolerated in most patients. The associated reduction in ovarian cancer mortality is promising," said lead researcher Dr. Kala Visvanathan, a professor of epidemiology and oncology at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore. She pointed out that drugs to combat ovarian cancer are sorely needed, given its reputation as a "silent killer." That's because "there are no proven screening strategies" to catch ovarian tumors early, Visvanathan said, "so the disease is typically diagnosed at an advanced stage, when surgery is...

MONDAY, June 22, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Ouch! Many of us swear when we get hurt, and a new study shows it actually does help. Turns out that swearing can significantly increase your pain tolerance -- but only if you use real swear words, and not G-rated versions that mimic them, British researchers report. For the study, 92 volunteers held their hands in an ice bath. To assess their pain threshold, researchers timed how long it took them to begin to feel pain, and their pain tolerance was determined by how long they were able to keep their hands in the freezing water. Each participant did the experiment four times. In random order, they were instructed to repeat either actual expletives or the fake swear words "twizpipe" and "fouch." Using actual swear words increased their...