Offering both the promise of better patient compliance with health care, but also fears of a medical “Big Brother,” a newly approved “digital pill” allows physicians to track whether or not it’s been ingested by patients. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has given the nod to Abilify MyCite, for use in patients with schizophrenia,… read on >
As many as 20 percent of Americans get the winter blues when days grow shorter. For instance, you might feel blue around the holidays because of stress or if loved ones are far away. It’s usually mild and clears up on its own in a short amount of time. But up to 6 percent of… read on >
Your heart will thank you if you stick to a mostly plant-based diet, a new preliminary study suggests. Researchers evaluated five dietary patterns. They found that people who ate a plant-based diet most of the time had a 42 percent lower risk of developing heart failure over four years than those who ate fewer plant-based… read on >
Everyone knows that sustained high blood pressure does no favors for your heart or life span. But new research suggests that up-and-down shifts in blood pressure may be equally hazardous to your health. “The takeaway from the study is, if you allow your blood pressure to be uncontrolled for any period of time, or notice… read on >
A spike in the amount of time teenage girls in the United States spend online is a likely culprit behind the surge in rates of depression, suicide and contemplation of suicide, new research suggests. The finding stems from an analysis of fatal injury data collected between 1999 and 2015 by the U.S. Centers for Disease… read on >
Consumption of sodas and other sweet drinks — a big source of sugar in Americans’ diets — has dropped in the past decade among both kids and adults, researchers find. Overall, the number of adults who said they drank a sugary beverage on a daily basis dropped by 12 percentage points between 2003 and 2014,… read on >
You’ve probably heard of “distracted driving,” but what about “distracted walking?” Largely due to the immense popularity of cell phones, pedestrian deaths reached nearly 6,000 in the United States last year, a 9 percent jump over 2015, the National Safety Council says. Walking remains a great way to get healthy exercise, but you should keep… read on >
A life-threatening heart emergency can spell financial doom for people who don’t have health insurance, a pair of new studies shows. Around 4 out of 5 uninsured patients hospitalized for a heart attack, stroke or heart bypass surgery faced financial ruin before the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was passed in 2010, the researchers reported. “Medical… read on >
Heart patients who’ve bought an all-electric Tesla need not worry that their car might interfere with their implanted defibrillator. That’s the finding from a new study of 34 seniors who had the devices, which help guard against dangerous irregular heartbeats. The study “demonstrates the safety of the Tesla electric vehicle in patients with cardiac defibrillators… read on >
Holiday parties are fun social gatherings, but they can also be diet disasters. Here’s how to enjoy yourself while sparing yourself hundreds of extra calories. First, eat healthy in the hours leading up to the party. Focus on lean protein, whole grains and simply prepared fruits and vegetables to pack your day with nutrients, suggests… read on >
