Smoking pot doesn’t do your heart or your brain any favors, a pair of new studies shows. Frequent pot smokers are more than twice as likely to suffer a stroke compared with those who don’t partake, the first study found. They’re also more likely to be hospitalized for a dangerously erratic heart rhythm, according to… read on >
Vaping isn’t necessarily better for your heart health than smoking tobacco, a pair of new studies argue. They report that use of e-cigarettes negatively affects risk factors for heart disease in ways similar to traditional tobacco cigarettes: Levels of bad cholesterol and triglycerides are elevated in people who use e-cigarettes, according to results from the… read on >
Wet leaves, fog, sun glare, frost and wildlife are some of the driving hazards that motorists encounter each Autumn, says the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. To stay safe while driving at this time of year, PennDot encourages you to: Slow down and use caution, especially where there are deer crossing signs. Be most careful during… read on >
Pets may feel like part of the family. But when you’re pregnant, you need to be careful and care for your pets in a way that is safe, says the March of Dimes. For pregnant women who own pets, the March of Dimes suggests: Do not let your pet jump up on your belly. If… read on >
A commonly prescribed muscle relaxant known as baclofen can leave older kidney patients so disoriented that they land in the hospital, a new study warns. “It can present with acute stroke-like symptoms, even though it’s not a stroke,” said senior researcher Dr. Amit Garg, a professor of nephrology at Western University in Ontario, Canada. “It… read on >
Opioid painkillers may temporarily ease the discomfort of arthritis, but they have no clear lasting benefit, a research review finds. In an analysis of 23 clinical trials, researchers found that, on average, opioid medications were somewhat effective at easing pain in patients with osteoarthritis. That’s the common form of arthritis in which cartilage cushioning the… read on >
Nearly nine in 10 American adults lose sleep to binge watch TV, a new survey finds. The more than 2,000 U.S. adults who took part in the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) poll in September ranked sleep as their second-highest priority, with family being first. But despite considering sleep important, 88% said they’d stayed… read on >
Mailing self-sampling kits to test for the cervical cancer-causing virus HPV significantly increased screening rates for the cancer, according to a new study. The research included nearly 20,000 women in the Kaiser Permanente Washington (state) system who hadn’t been screened for cervical cancer in more than three years. About half got an HPV (human papillomavirus)… read on >
Speaking outside the White House on Friday, President Donald Trump said his administration plans to raise the U.S. federal legal age to buy e-cigarettes from 18 to 21. That’s just one plank in the administration’s new plan to curb youth vaping, Trump told reporters. “We have to take care of our kids, most importantly, so… read on >
Taking vitamin D and fish oil supplements won’t prevent kidney disease in people with type 2 diabetes, a new study finds. Many diabetics use the supplements, hoping they will have a positive effect on their kidneys and heart, the researchers said. “We wanted this study to clarify whether these supplements have any real kidney benefit… read on >
