About a third of America’s pharmacies have closed since 2010, amounting to an “unprecedented decline” in neighborhood drug stores, a new study finds. The drop began in 2018, primarily driven by store closures among chain pharmacies during a period of consolidation in the industry, researchers found. This has made it much more difficult for people… read on > read on >
Decades of lead exposure from car exhaust altered the mental health of millions of Americans, making them more prone to depression, anxiety and ADHD, a new study claims. Lead was first added to gasoline in 1923 to help keep car engines healthy, researchers said. But lead is toxic to brain cells, and there’s no safe… read on > read on >
American seniors still pay more for health care than their counterparts in most other wealthy countries do, despite coverage by Medicare, a new study finds. They are also more likely to postpone or skip needed care because of cost concerns. “In the U.S., nearly all older adults are covered by Medicare and can access, at… read on > read on >
Take the stairs. Tote heavy shopping bags. Walk up that hill. Play tag with a kid or a pet. Weaving these tiny bursts of vigorous physical activity into everyday life can halve a woman’s risk of a heart attack, a new study shows. An average of four daily minutes of this sort of activity appears… read on > read on >
People who smoke and vape are less able to break free of their nicotine addiction than folks who only have one of those habits, a new review concludes. Instead, these “dual users” are more likely to eventually drop vaping and continue smoking tobacco, results show. The findings point to the insidious pull of nicotine and… read on > read on >
Taking even high doses of supplementary vitamin D won’t lower an older person’s odds for type 2 diabetes, new research confirms. Vitamin D supplements may have other benefits, but in otherwise healthy folks with sufficient levels of the nutrient, “our findings do not suggest benefits of long-term moderate- or high-dose vitamin D3 supplementation” in warding off… read on > read on >
GLP-1 meds are all the rage for weight loss nowadays, but not everyone can safely take the drugs to shed pounds. Invasive weight-loss surgeries can often be a tough sell, too. Now, researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) say they’ve developed an alternative: A small, implanted gastric balloon that people can inflate or… read on > read on >
An accumulation of fat lurking around the organs of obese people is strongly linked to a buildup of Alzheimer’s-linked proteins in the brain, new research finds. Buildup of this visceral fat in middle age may boost levels of the two damaging brain proteins, called amyloid and tau, explained a team led by Dr. Mahsa Dolatshahi,… read on > read on >
Pop music legend Elton John says that he can no longer see following an eye infection he battled last summer. The prolific singer-songwriter made the announcement Sunday at a charity gala performance of “The Devil Wears Prada: The Musical,” a theater production he scored. “I haven’t been able to come to many of the previews, because… read on > read on >
The hectic holidays play havoc on people’s nerves, not the least because they aren’t able to have any time to themselves. Nearly half (46%) of Americans say they don’t get the alone time they need during the holidays, according to a new national survey by the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. What’s more, 56%… read on > read on >
