The blues and the jitters are very common among people battling chronic pain, a new evidence review says. About 40% of adults with chronic pain have symptoms of depression or anxiety, researchers report in JAMA Network Open. Women, younger adults and people suffering from fibromyalgia are particularly vulnerable to mood disorders caused by chronic pain,… read on > read on >
The time of day — or year — an asthma test takes place can affect its accuracy, a new study says. Routine asthma testing is more reliable when done in the morning, researchers reported in the journal Thorax. Starting at 8:30 a.m., the chances of the test accurately detecting a person’s asthma decreases by 8%… read on > read on >
Hours before his scheduled Senate confirmation, the White House has withdrawn the nomination of Dr. Dave Weldon to lead the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Weldon, a Republican and former congressman, said he was told Wednesday night that his nomination would not move forward because there were not enough votes for confirmation.… read on > read on >
Playing with a dog for just 15 minutes can significantly reduce a person’s stress, a new study reports. Stressed students who interacted with a friendly dog reported less stress, had a reduced heart rate and had lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol in their saliva, researchers said in the journal PLOS One. The experience… read on > read on >
Nostalgia might be met by eyerolls from some, as the emotion might inspire insipid images of rose-tinted glasses, gooey sentimentality and living in a time-lost past. But people prone to nostalgia have an edge when it comes to their health and well-being, a new study says. Nostalgic people have more close friends and put more… read on > read on >
A muscle-stimulating implant combined with a robotic exoskeleton can help restore movement in people paralyzed by a spinal cord injury, a new study says. The spinal cord implant delivers well-timed electrical pulses to muscles, stimulating natural muscle activity coordinated with supportive robotic movements, researchers reported March 12 in the journal Science Robotics. Five people paralyzed… read on > read on >
Patients generally don’t mind getting AI-written notes from their doctor’s office, unless they know the note came from a computer program, a new study says. Patients shown messages written by either AI, otherwise known as artificial intelligence, or a human doc tended to prefer the responses drafted by AI, although overall satisfaction was high for… read on > read on >
Agency says 90 percent of tested products have undetectable or extremely low levels of benzene read on >
Concussion damage could linger in an athlete’s brain for at least a year, long after they’ve rejoined their sport, a new study says. Concussed college athletes had brain changes that remained visible in brain scans up to a year after they’d been cleared to return to play, researchers reported in a study published March 12… read on > read on >
People with a higher genetic risk for type 2 diabetes also have a higher risk of heart attack, stroke and other heart-related diseases. But controlling that risk could be as simple as picking up a TV remote and hitting the “off” switch, a new study suggests. Limiting TV watching to no more than one hour… read on > read on >
