Pregnant women can get the COVID-19 vaccine without any fear of causing birth defects in their unborn child, a new study says. Researchers found no link between COVID vaccination in early pregnancy and birth defects, results show. There were also no differences in birth defect risk between either the Moderna and the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines, researchers… read on > read on >
Arthritis sufferers who also have COPD have a significantly higher risk of death than those without the chronic breathing disease, a new study says. People with arthritis and COPD are 41% more likely to die from any cause compared to patients with arthritis alone, researchers reported recently in the Journal of the COPD Foundation. Patients… read on > read on >
The blues and the jitters are very common among people battling chronic pain, a new evidence review says. About 40% of adults with chronic pain have symptoms of depression or anxiety, researchers report in JAMA Network Open. Women, younger adults and people suffering from fibromyalgia are particularly vulnerable to mood disorders caused by chronic pain,… read on > read on >
Young American women are greeting the prospect of pregnancy with a decided “meh,” driving down U.S. fertility rates, a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study says. The actual number of U.S. births declined by 14% between 1990 and 2023, and the fertility rate went down by 23%, according to a paper in… read on > read on >
The time of day — or year — an asthma test takes place can affect its accuracy, a new study says. Routine asthma testing is more reliable when done in the morning, researchers reported in the journal Thorax. Starting at 8:30 a.m., the chances of the test accurately detecting a person’s asthma decreases by 8%… read on > read on >
41 percent of parents wish the government was doing more to address bird flu read on >
Hours before his scheduled Senate confirmation, the White House has withdrawn the nomination of Dr. Dave Weldon to lead the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Weldon, a Republican and former congressman, said he was told Wednesday night that his nomination would not move forward because there were not enough votes for confirmation.… read on > read on >
Most low-birth-weight toddlers are not on track to be ready to attend school, a new study says. Only one-third of babies born weighing less than 5.5 pounds are ready to attend school by ages 3 to 5, researchers reported in the journal Academic Pediatrics. They tend to lag in early learning skills, self-regulation and social/emotional… read on > read on >
Playing with a dog for just 15 minutes can significantly reduce a person’s stress, a new study reports. Stressed students who interacted with a friendly dog reported less stress, had a reduced heart rate and had lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol in their saliva, researchers said in the journal PLOS One. The experience… read on > read on >
Nostalgia might be met by eyerolls from some, as the emotion might inspire insipid images of rose-tinted glasses, gooey sentimentality and living in a time-lost past. But people prone to nostalgia have an edge when it comes to their health and well-being, a new study says. Nostalgic people have more close friends and put more… read on > read on >
