Latest Health News

27Apr
2020

As Demand for Hand Sanitizer Soars, FDA Warns of Makers' Bogus Claims

As Demand for Hand Sanitizer Soars, FDA Warns of Makers` Bogus ClaimsMONDAY, April 27, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Some companies are selling hand sanitizers with unproven claims that they'll protect you from the new coronavirus, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warns. Last week, the agency issued its first warning letter for a hand sanitizer marketed with unproven COVID-19-related claims that violated federal law. The letter was issued to Prefense LLC for making misleading statements about its hand sanitizer, such as "Prefense … protects you from germs with just one application per day! It's like wearing an invisible glove." The company's website also wrongly claims that Prefense can "protect you from pathogens up to 24 hours or for 10 hand washes," according to an FDA news release. There is no evidence that hand sanitizing products can protect...

Saliva-Based COVID-19 Test Might Be Alternative to Deep...

27 April 2020
Saliva-Based COVID-19 Test Might Be Alternative to Deep Nasal SwabMONDAY, April 27, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Testing for the COVID-19 coronavirus can be an unpleasant affair, with a doctor or nurse shoving a cotton swab deep into your nasal cavity to get a good sample. But results that are just as accurate can be obtained from a more easily acquired saliva sample, a new Yale study reports. Saliva samples taken from just inside the mouth were more accurate and consistent than deep nasal swabs taken from 44 patients and 98 health care workers, the researchers reported. For instance, saliva samples detected the coronavirus in two health care workers without symptoms who'd previously been cleared by a deep nasal swab, the Yale researchers said. "We found it performs as well as, and in a number of cases better, than the nasopharyngeal swab," said lead...

Isolation During Coronavirus Pandemic a Trigger for...

27 April 2020
Isolation During Coronavirus Pandemic a Trigger for DepressionMONDAY, April 27, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- The isolation of social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic could trigger depression, British researchers say. "When we are down we tend to choose to do things that cheer us up, and when we are up we may take on activities that will tend to bring us down. However, in our current situation with COVID-19, lockdowns and social isolation, our choice of activity is very limited," said study co-author Guy Goodwin, a professor emeritus of psychiatry at the University of Oxford. Goodwin and his colleagues looked at more than 58,000 people in low-, middle- and high-income countries and compared those with low mood or a history of depression to those with high mood. The study assessed how people regulate their mood through their choice of...

Some NFL Players May Be Misdiagnosed With Brain Disease:...

27 April 2020
Some NFL Players May Be Misdiagnosed With Brain Disease: StudyMONDAY, April 27, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- The brain damage that may occur in football players has received a lot of attention in recent years. But a new study suggests that former players who get a diagnosis of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) when they're still alive may well be getting the wrong diagnosis. CTE can only be diagnosed with an autopsy, the researchers explained. Other conditions could cause the symptoms leading to a mistaken CTE diagnosis. "There is currently no universally agreed upon way to clinically diagnose a living player, yet our study found that many former players are reporting that they received CTE diagnoses from their medical care providers," said the study's lead author, Rachel Grashow. She's a research scientist at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of...

Did the Movie 'Joker' Reinforce Prejudice Against Mentally Ill?

27 April 2020
Did the Movie `Joker` Reinforce Prejudice Against Mentally Ill?MONDAY, April 27, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- The movie "Joker" won multiple awards and broke a box office record, but a new study is questioning whether it also fueled prejudices against people with mental illnesses. Researchers found that shortly after viewing "Joker," moviegoers showed an uptick in negative feelings toward the mentally ill. In contrast, there was no such change among people who saw a film that was similarly violent, but had no depiction of mental illness. The findings, published April 24 in the journal JAMA Network Open, add to concerns that were raised about "Joker" after its release late last year. The film gives a back story for the "Batman" villain, depicting him as struggling with mental illness, bullying and poor medical treatment. But the character's...

As Coronavirus Fears Surge, Keep Cleaning Products Away From Children

27 April 2020
As Coronavirus Fears Surge, Keep Cleaning Products Away From ChildrenMONDAY, April 27, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- The coronavirus pandemic has triggered a wave of accidental poisonings from household cleaners and disinfectants. With the National Poison Data System recently reporting a more than 20% spike in such emergencies, the American Cleaning Institute (ACI) emphasized the need to store cleaning products safely away from children. Bleach and alcohol-based hand sanitizers account for a large number of household poisonings since the pandemic took hold, according to a recent report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "It only takes a second for an accidental poisoning to occur," said Melissa Hockstad, the ACI's president and CEO. "That's why proper product use and safe storage is so important." She offers these safety...

Navigating the Grocery Store Safely

27 April 2020
Navigating the Grocery Store SafelyMONDAY, April 27, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Grocery shopping has become a daunting endeavor during the coronavirus pandemic, but there are things you can do to protect yourself and others, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration says. Prepare a shopping list in advance and buy just one to two weeks' worth of groceries at a time. Buying more than you need can create temporary shortages, the FDA said in a news release. Wear a face covering or mask while you're in the store. Some stores and localities may require it. Check your state, county or city guidelines for any other requirements. Carry your own wipes, or use those provided by the store to wipe down the handles of the shopping cart or basket. If you use reusable shopping bags, ensure they are cleaned or washed before each...

There Aren't Enough Coronavirus Test Kits to Safely Reopen America, Experts Warn

27 April 2020
There Aren`t Enough Coronavirus Test Kits to Safely Reopen America, Experts WarnMONDAY, April 27, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Governors preparing to relax social distancing orders and reopen their economies are about to make a dire mistake that could cause COVID-19 cases to surge in their states, infectious disease experts warn. The United States' ability to contain future COVID-19 outbreaks rests on its ability to test hundreds of thousands daily for the virus, and the country is nowhere near that capacity, researchers say. The United States needs at least 500,000 COVID-19 virus tests performed daily to even have a hope of safely reopening, more than triple the capacity officials have been able to achieve, Dr. Ashish Jha, director of the Harvard Global Health Institute, said during a media briefing on Wednesday. Others have estimated even more testing is needed,...

You Can't Get Coronavirus Through Sex, Study Suggests

MONDAY, April 27, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- You can't hug or shake hands these days without risking coronavirus infection, but new research finds that sexual intercourse might be safe. Researchers...

He Recovered From COVID-19. Can His Blood Help Others?

MONDAY, April 27, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Domenico Piccininni is one of the hundreds of thousands of people who have had a COVID-19 infection and recovered after a bit of misery, but with no...
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