In states where marijuana is legal, teens smoking pot and then getting behind the wheel of a car is common, a new study finds. “There’s a general public zeitgeist that marijuana is a pretty safe drug,” said study co-author Darin Erickson, an associate professor at the University of Minnesota’s School of Public Health. “In actuality,… read on >
Forget the mellow slacker image — pot smoking might actually make men more potent. Men who’ve smoked marijuana appear to have significantly higher sperm concentrations than those who’ve never given it a try, a new study reports. There’s also a potential link between pot use and testosterone, said senior researcher Dr. Jorge Chavarro. He’s an… read on >
As a highlight of his 2019 State of the Union address, President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced his administration’s plan to rid the United States of new transmissions of HIV by 2030. “In recent years we have made remarkable progress in the fight against HIV and AIDS,” Trump told the nation. “Scientific breakthroughs have brought… read on >
More than 160,000 people died in the United States of an unintended injury in 2016, the National Safety Council says. Unintended injury often happens when you least expect it, the council warns, such as while you’re on vacation, doing chores at home or driving across town. Here is the agency’s list of the top causes… read on >
Every five years, the U.S. government updates its dietary guidelines based in part on new research, but always with the goal of disease prevention. The 2015-2020 guidelines stress the need to shift to healthier foods and beverages. Although research links vegetables and fruits to a lower risk of many chronic illnesses and suggests they may… read on >
“140/90” had long been the line in the sand for getting high blood pressure under control. But in 2017, leading medical organizations lowered the definitions of normal, elevated and high blood pressure with the idea that starting treatment at lower “high” levels can better reduce heart attacks and strokes. This dramatically added to the number… read on >
An experimental vaccine for bone cancer in dogs could offer a road map for a human version of the treatment, researchers report. More than 10,000 cases of bone cancer in dogs occur in the United States each year. But the disease is not common in humans, with only 800 to 900 cases a year. About… read on >
Could the inflammation that drives psoriasis and other immune-linked illnesses be a major player in heart disease? In a new study, certain psoriasis drugs appeared to help to keep arteries clear, suggesting such a link. “Classically a heart attack is caused by one of five risk factors: diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, family history or smoking,”… read on >
Bouncing around at a trampoline park can be great fun, but a new study warns it can also be an invitation to sprains, strains and broken bones. Nationwide, more than 100,000 emergency room visits were related to trampoline injuries in 2014, according to the latest data from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Injuries that… read on >
Kale Hyder was an active teenager and basketball player when a mysterious polio-like illness struck. The 6-foot-2 youth from Davenport, Iowa, woke up with a stiff neck in June 2015 at age 15. Within weeks he was paralyzed from the chest down. He was diagnosed with transverse myelitis, and was told he would never regain… read on >
