Medical marijuana could be a viable alternative to opioid painkillers for people dealing with arthritis or chronic back pain, two new studies show. Many patients prescribed opioids for their chronic pain wound up taking fewer painkillers — or stopping them altogether — after doctors certified them for medical cannabis, said lead researcher Dr. Asif Ilyas,… read on > read on >
Knee replacement surgery is increasingly common among people over 80 sidelined with knee pain, and the procedure isn’t as hazardous for them as often assumed. That’s the main message from a new study of more than 1.7 million seniors who underwent knee replacement surgery. The findings come as no surprise to Dr. Thomas Fleeter, whose… read on > read on >
At-home COVID-19 tests are a key tool in containing the spread of the coronavirus. But a few safety precautions are in order to prevent serious injury, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warns. The tests can cause harm if they’re not used according to manufacturers’ instructions, and they also need to be kept out of… read on > read on >
A healthy diet and regular exercise are crucial for the long-term health of cancer survivors, a new American Cancer Society (ACS) guideline emphasizes. “The link to a healthy diet and regular exercise in long-term cancer survival has become even more clear during the last several years,” said Dr. Arif Kamal, chief patient officer at the… read on > read on >
Antibodies from a COVID-19 infection linger in most children for up to seven months, even if they had no symptoms, a new study finds. To come to that reassuring conclusion, researchers analyzed data from 218 children in Texas, ages 5 to 19, who were enrolled in an ongoing survey launched in October 2020 to track… read on > read on >
Scars from facial surgery look worse to skin cancer patients themselves than to others, so it’s important for surgeons to prepare patients beforehand, researchers say. Doctors can help by outlining the healing process and explaining what their scars will look like in the weeks after surgery, the study authors suggested. “Our research seems to support… read on > read on >
What appears to be appendicitis can actually be cancer of the appendix in some cases, especially in patients under the age of 50, a new study suggests. While antibiotics can be used instead of surgery to treat acute appendicitis, patients who receive antibiotics should be closely followed in case they actually have cancer, according to… read on > read on >
Before slathering on your Jergens moisturizer, check the label. Certain lots have been recalled because they may be contaminated with bacteria that pose a risk to people with weakened immune systems. Pluralibacter gergoviae bacteria typically pose little medical risk to healthy people, according to Kao USA Inc., which recalled 3-ounce and 10-ounce Jergens Ultra Healing… read on > read on >
Parents of children with special needs face a number of challenges, so here’s some advice from an expert. “Raising children is an adventure for any parent, but the journey for parents of children with special needs often has a few more twists and turns,” said Dr. Thomas Challman, medical director of the Geisinger Autism &… read on > read on >
The early months of the COVID-19 pandemic kept millions of Americans away from routine cancer screenings. Now a new study finds that many U.S. screening programs were still not back to normal by 2021. The study, of more than 700 cancer facilities nationwide, found that in January 2021 — a year after COVID’s emergence in… read on > read on >
