New research out of Canada offers some encouraging news amid concerns about the opioid epidemic. Doctors are prescribing a lower dose of the painkillers after older adults have surgery, the study found. They are not, however, writing fewer prescriptions for the potentially addictive drugs. “While it’s good news that the doses in opioid prescriptions are… read on > read on >
School-age kids who spend hours a day playing video games may outperform their peers on certain tests of mental agility, a new study suggests. Researchers found that compared with children who never played video games, those who regularly spent hours gaming had higher scores on two standard cognitive tests: one measuring short-term memory and another… read on > read on >
For the millions of people who live with vitiligo, a disease that robs the skin of its natural color, a newly approved cream called ruxolitinib (Opzelura) is quickly becoming a game changer. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved ruxolitinib for vitiligo in people aged 12 and older in July. The drug, part of a… read on > read on >
Folks who regularly use weed could be in for a rocky road if they ever require major surgery, a new study reports. Frequent marijuana users tend to experience more pain as they recover from surgery, and they require more opioid drugs (like morphine) to deal with that pain, the researchers found. “It’s not an enormous… read on > read on >
MONDAY, Oct. 24, 2022 (American Heart Association News) — The good news is that fear can persuade us to avoid dangerous situations or help us flee from an angry bear. The bad news is that fear can lead to chronic stress, with serious health consequences. So should that affect your Halloween plans? Probably not, said… read on > read on >
Training to become a doctor can be grueling, and now a new study finds a direct correlation between longer work hours and depression symptoms in first-year residents. Medical residency — the training that new doctors undergo at hospitals or clinics — is infamous for its demanding schedule, high pressure and relatively low pay. Research has… read on > read on >
MONDAY, Oct. 24, 2022 (HealthDay News) – About 88 nursing homes in the United States are on a watch list for worrisome care that puts residents in danger, but now they will face tougher penalties for any future violation. Those tougher penalties could include the loss of federal funding if they receive more than one… read on > read on >
Some Americans could pay up to $130 to get a COVID-19 vaccine made by Pfizer starting in 2023, but most will still get it for free. A Pfizer executive noted that people who would get its vaccine for free would likely include those on public health insurance programs such as Medicare or Medicaid and those… read on > read on >
Child tax credits had a huge impact in U.S. households that struggle to afford food. And after those credits ended, many low-income American families with children had trouble getting enough to eat. Food insufficiency increased substantially, by about 25%, between January and July after the Child Tax Credit payments stopped on Jan. 15, 2022. Black… read on > read on >
Getting into prescription or over-the-counter medicines at home is a major source of accidental poisoning for young children. Yet, nearly half of parents say they have leftover prescriptions at home, a new poll shows. “We found that it’s common for parents to keep medicines long after they are expired or no longer needed, which creates… read on > read on >
