Teens and adults with epilepsy are at increased risk for depression and should undergo regular screening, two new studies say. In one study, researchers evaluated nearly 400 teens, ages 15 to 18, with epilepsy. They found that 8 percent had moderate or severe depression and another 5 percent had attempted suicide or thought about it.… read on >
Teens with behavioral problems are more likely than others to use marijuana — but the drug itself doesn’t increase conduct problems, a new study indicates. The findings suggest that a “cascading chain of events” predict marijuana use problems as teens become young adults, according to the University of Pennsylvania researchers. “Cannabis use in and of… read on >
Emotional abuse may add to the woes of menopause, a new study suggests. Researchers found that women who are emotionally tormented by a spouse or partner may suffer from more night sweats, painful sex and hot flashes when their periods stop. “The data show that experience of domestic violence and emotional abuse, sexual assault and… read on >
Ambulance response times for cardiac arrest are longer in poor U.S. neighborhoods than in rich ones, which means poor patients are more likely to die, a new study finds. “When it comes to a cardiac arrest, every minute counts,” said study author Dr. Renee Hsia, a professor of emergency medicine at the University of California,… read on >
Electrical stimulation of a certain part of the brain may offer a new option for “treatment-resistant” depression, a small new study suggests. Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, found that 25 patients with moderate-to-severe depression gained significant improvement in their mood after electrical stimulation of a brain region called the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC).… read on >
There’s a good chance that some cases of the mysterious polio-like illness seen recently in U.S. children may have been misdiagnosed, a new study reports. Acute flaccid myelitis (AFM), which causes potentially life-threatening paralysis and primarily strikes children, has been recurring in the United States in every-other-year waves since 2014. But it’s likely some kids… read on >
A smokeless method of vaporizing and then inhaling pot packs a much more powerful punch than simply smoking weed, researchers say. That could raise safety concerns for users — driving, for example. Marijuana vaporizers heat pot to a temperature just below combustion, allowing people to inhale the intoxicating chemical THC from the plant material without… read on >
Smokers who switch to vaping can have the occasional cigarette without a complete relapse, new research suggests. The study included 40 people who quit smoking by using e-cigarettes (vaping). About half said they had either brief or regular tobacco smoking relapses, particularly in social situations. However, they didn’t view such slip-ups as the end of… read on >
Women who live a healthy lifestyle during the transition to menopause may help keep their blood vessels healthy as they age, a new study suggests. Compared with women who had the least healthy lifestyle, those who led the healthiest lifestyle had less thickening and buildup of fatty plaque in their arteries, researchers found. “Midlife is… read on >
Regular eye checkups are important, especially for children, the American Optometric Association says. The newborn checkup at the hospital isn’t enough, the group warns. By age 6 months, the association recommends that all children have a thorough eye exam. If your child has a healthy prognosis from the eye exam, the AOA says the child… read on >
