A widely prescribed opioid painkiller is not all it’s cracked up to be, a new evidence review has concluded. The opioid painkiller tramadol does little to reduce moderate to severe pain, according to results published Oct. 7 in the journal BMJ Evidence Based Medicine. At the same time, tramadol increases a person’s risk of serious… read on > read on >
The healthy habits people adopt and stick with in their 20s and 30s have a massive and direct impact on their risk of a heart attack or stroke decades later, a landmark study says. Young adults who fail to keep heart-healthy practices can see their risk of future heart disease skyrocket by as much as… read on > read on >
Rectal bleeding could be a powerful early warning sign of colon cancer among younger adults, a new study says. Such bleeding increased more than eightfold the odds of a colon cancer diagnosis among people younger than 50, researchers reported Tuesday at the American College of Surgeons’ annual meeting in Chicago. By comparison, a family history… read on > read on >
Concussions and traumatic brain injuries (TBI) have been considered a potential cause of ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. But a new study argues the association might be the other way around, with concussions providing an early warning sign among folks already in the early stages of ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis). The loss of… read on > read on >
In a blistering opinion piece published Tuesday in The Washington Post, six former U.S. surgeons general said Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is putting the nation’s health at risk. “Never before have we issued a joint public warning like this,” the six wrote. “But the profound, immediate and unprecedented threat that… read on > read on >
Seniors who get a concussion are more likely to develop dementia or falter as they age, a new study says. Older folks who suffered a traumatic brain injury (TBI) had a higher risk of dementia, requiring home care services or admission to a long-term care facility, researchers reported Oct. 6 in the Canadian Medical Association… read on > read on >
Fighting cancer can leave patients tired to their bones and researchers now think they might know why. Inflammation was linked to fatigue among nearly 200 women with early-stage breast cancer during and after treatment with radiation or chemotherapy, researchers reported Oct. 6 in the journal Cancer. Specifically, inflammation appeared to promote general and physical fatigue… read on > read on >
Inhalers provide breath-saving relief to people with asthma and COPD, but ultimately are undoing those good works by promoting climate change, a new study says. Inhalers generated more than 2 million metric tons of carbon emissions annually over the past decade, researchers reported Oct. 6 in the Journal of the American Medical Association. By researchers’… read on > read on >
A recently approved injectable drug can significantly stall deteriorating health among people newly diagnosed with the most severe form of high blood pressure, a new study says. Sotatercept reduced patient’s risk of deterioration by 76% due to pulmonary hypertension, or high blood pressure in the heart-to-lung system, researchers reported recently in the New England Journal… read on > read on >
Seasonal allergies are considered an annoyance to most, and maddening to some. Few think of seasonal sniffles and sneezes as potentially fatal — but we might be overlooking the danger they pose, a new study warns. High pollen counts are linked to a significant increase in suicide risk, according to findings published in the December… read on > read on >
