Listening to your favorite singers may do more than lift your mood — it could also protect your brain. A new study from Australian researchers found that older adults who regularly listened to music had a 39% lower risk of developing dementia compared to those who didn’t make music a part of their daily lives.…  read on >  read on >

One of humanity’s most common viruses is behind the autoimmune disorder known as lupus, according to a new study. Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) resides silently in the bodies of 19 out of 20 Americans, most commonly causing mononucleosis among teens and young adults, researchers said. But the virus can cause a minuscule number of immune cells…  read on >  read on >

Self-hypnosis might help some women in menopause find relief from hot flashes. Hot flash frequency and intensity decreased by more than 50% among women who listened to a daily audio hypnosis session, researchers reported Nov. 11 in JAMA Network Open. “All sessions were self-administered hypnosis, which demonstrated that women could learn how to use hypnosis…  read on >  read on >

Want to avoid migraines? Stick to your boring routine, a new study suggests. Any major disruption to a person’s daily routine — called a “surprisal” event — is strongly linked to a higher risk of a migraine attack within the next 12 to 24 hours, researchers reported Nov. 11 in JAMA Network Open. Too much…  read on >  read on >

The division lost about 1,000 staff this year amid turnover and morale concerns  read on >

If you’re a regular runner, logging miles on little sleep might be doing more harm than you think. A new study found that runners who slept poorly were nearly twice as likely to get hurt. The study, published in the journal Applied Sciences, surveyed 425 recreational runners and tracked their sleep habits and injuries over…  read on >  read on >

A new pill from Merck could change how millions of people treat high cholesterol and help prevent heart attacks and strokes without the need for injections. The drug, called enlicitide, slashes levels of harmful LDL cholesterol by up to 60%, similar to injectable PCSK9 drugs already on the market.  The pill blocks a liver protein…  read on >  read on >

Black adults living in food deserts can beat high blood pressure, with a little help. Folks living in an area with few grocery stores had a greater reduction in blood pressure if they participated in a program that home-delivered healthy eats, researchers recently reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association. They fared better…  read on >  read on >

Chowing down on ultra-processed foods – fast food, packaged snacks, heat-and-eat meals – increases young adults’ risk of health problems that contribute to diabetes, a new study warns. An increase in ultra-processed food intake is associated with a higher risk of prediabetes, in which early-stage high blood sugar can lead to type 2 diabetes, researchers…  read on >  read on >

Do you have regular migraine headaches? If so, you’ve got a lot of company. Nearly 1 in every 3 people worldwide suffer from a headache disorder, affecting almost 3 billion people, researchers will report in the December issue of The Lancet Neurology. It’s especially bad for women, who experience more than double the lifetime headache-related…  read on >  read on >

The rate of kids and teens with high blood pressure worldwide nearly doubled over the past two decades, according to a startling new report. In 2020, more than 6% of children and adolescents under 19 had high blood pressure, up from around 3% in 2000, researchers reported Nov. 12 in The Lancet Child & Adolescent…  read on >  read on >

People facing a major surgery might understandably think they need to conserve their energy, both for the procedure as well as the rehabilitation to follow. But they’d be better off if they engaged in “prehabilitation.” And a new study found prehab works best if a patient receives some one-on-one attention. Patients who got a personalized…  read on >  read on >