Hospitals across America are shuttering their obstetric units, and the issue is most acute for women served by rural hospitals, a new study finds. By 2022, a majority (52%) of rural U.S. hospitals no longer had any maternity ward, compared to 36% of urban hospitals, according to a study from the University of Minnesota. Study… read on > read on >
Fatty liver disease may contribute to fragmented sleep patterns, robbing already sick people of good rest, a new study finds. These folks woke up more often in the night, and then lay awake longer waiting for slumber to reclaim them, researchers found. These patients also reported taking longer to get to sleep. And their sleep… read on > read on >
The sugar known as fructose could be a kind of rocket fuel for cancer cells, and lowering fructose intake could be one way to fight the disease, new research suggests. Fructose is already ubiquitous in American diets, due to the heavy use of super-sweet high-fructose corn syrup in products folks eat every day. “If you… read on > read on >
Access to psychotherapy has increased substantially among Americans, particularly young adults, a new study has found. About 12% of young adults received psychotherapy in 2021, followed by 8% of the middle-aged and 5% of seniors, researchers found. Overall, the percentage of U.S. adults receiving psychotherapy rose from about 7% in 2018 to 9% in 2021,… read on > read on >
Zepbound, the new GLP-1 weight-loss drug from Eli Lilly & Co., has outperformed its main competitor, Wegovy, in a clinical trial funded by Lilly. “Given the increased interest around obesity medications, we conducted this study to help health care providers and patients make informed decisions about treatment choice,” Dr. Leonard Glass, senior vice president of… read on > read on >
WEDNESDAY, Dec. 4, 2024 (Healtday News) — An investigation into an E. coli outbreak linked to McDonald’s Quarter Pounders has officially been closed, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced Tuesday. In total, 104 people from 14 states were sickened and 34 were hospitalized during the outbreak, while one older person in Colorado died, the… read on > read on >
About a third of America’s pharmacies have closed since 2010, amounting to an “unprecedented decline” in neighborhood drug stores, a new study finds. The drop began in 2018, primarily driven by store closures among chain pharmacies during a period of consolidation in the industry, researchers found. This has made it much more difficult for people… read on > read on >
Decades of lead exposure from car exhaust altered the mental health of millions of Americans, making them more prone to depression, anxiety and ADHD, a new study claims. Lead was first added to gasoline in 1923 to help keep car engines healthy, researchers said. But lead is toxic to brain cells, and there’s no safe… read on > read on >
American seniors still pay more for health care than their counterparts in most other wealthy countries do, despite coverage by Medicare, a new study finds. They are also more likely to postpone or skip needed care because of cost concerns. “In the U.S., nearly all older adults are covered by Medicare and can access, at… read on > read on >
Take the stairs. Tote heavy shopping bags. Walk up that hill. Play tag with a kid or a pet. Weaving these tiny bursts of vigorous physical activity into everyday life can halve a woman’s risk of a heart attack, a new study shows. An average of four daily minutes of this sort of activity appears… read on > read on >
