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WEDNESDAY, Oct. 18, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has proposed a ban on the use of formaldehyde in hair relaxers over concerns about its link to respiratory problems and certain cancers.Right now, the FDA only discourages using such hair-straightening products, which are typically used by Black women.Recent research has helped raise awareness about the potential dangers of using chemical hair relaxers.“We know that these products are very poorly regulated by the federal government in terms of what goes in there,” said Kimberly Bertrand, an associate professor of medicine at Boston University School of Medicine and the lead author of a recently published study on the dangers of relaxers. “You can’t look at an ingredient label and know that it...

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 18, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Many breast cancer survivors take a hormonal drug after cancer treatment to stave off a recurrence, but new research suggests these drugs may be less effective in women who are obese.Breast cancer cells in hormone-positive breast cancers are fueled by the female sex hormone estrogen. Aromatase inhibitor medications lower estrogen levels by stopping an enzyme in fat tissue called aromatase from changing other hormones into estrogen. When compared to breast cancer survivors of normal weight, women who were obese were 18% more likely to have a recurrence even when taking an aromatase inhibitor, and this increased risk was even higher among survivors who were severely obese, the investigators found.“Postmenopausal women with hormone...

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 18, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- A breast cancer diagnosis often causes anxiety and depression, but an empathetic doctor can help.Supportive communication is key to reducing patient uncertainty and promoting mental well-being, Rutgers University researchers have found.“Our findings suggest that provider communication is a key component to reducing uncertainty, and thus providers play a key role in helping to facilitate psychological well-being,” said lead researcher Liesl Broadbridge. She's a doctoral candidate at Rutgers School of Communication and Information in New Jersey.Discussing uncertainties and responding with empathy to patients' concerns is critical to their healing and recovery, according to the study authors.“Our findings are directly applicable as...

TUESDAY, Oct. 17, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Americans born in recent years can likely count on taking prescription drugs for about half their life, according to new research.For males born in 2019, it’s about 48% of their lives. For women, it’s 60% of their lifetime, the study found.“The years that people can expect to spend taking prescription drugs are now higher than they might spend in their first marriage, getting an education or being in the labor force," said Jessica Ho, an associate professor of sociology and demography at Penn State University. "It’s important to recognize the central role that prescription drug use has taken on in our lives,” Ho added in a university news release.Ho studied this using surveys from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)...