Many people with tough-to-treat depression may be trying psilocybin, the active ingredient in magic mushrooms, as an alternative to antidepressants. Thinking that it’s a “natural” drug, folks might assume it comes without side effects. That assumption would be wrong. People in a new study who took psilocybin often experienced headache, nausea, anxiety, dizziness and elevated…  read on >  read on >

Black and Hispanic Americans are gaining a better understanding of CPR, with a growing number expressing confidence they could use it to save a life, a new survey finds. About 44% of Black Americans now feel confident performing conventional CPR, up from 30% just three years ago, the American Heart Association (AHA) survey has found.…  read on >  read on >

Long-term daily use of aspirin has been known to prevent colon cancer, but up to now it’s been unclear why that is. Now, researchers think they understand how aspirin acts against colon cancer, a new study says. Aspirin appears to boost aspects of the body’s immune response against cancer cells, according to findings published April…  read on >  read on >

The gender of your doctor may play a part in your prognosis: New research shows that hospitalized patients are less likely to die if they’re treated by a female physician. About 10.15% of men and 8.2% of women died while under the care of a female doctor, versus 10.23% and 8.4% when treated by a…  read on >  read on >

Want to prevent a respiratory infection? A fingerful of Neosporin antibiotic swabbed inside your nose might help you fight off a range of invading respiratory viruses, a new study claims. Lab animals whose noses were treated using neomycin — the main ingredient in over-the-counter Neosporin ointment — mounted a robust immune defense against both the…  read on >  read on >

Severe mental illness can contribute to a decline in a person’s physical health, with many chronic conditions slowly eroding their wellness, a new review finds. People with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder are more than twice as likely to have multiple chronic health problems such as heart disease or diabetes, researchers reported recently in The Lancet…  read on >  read on >

Many people dogged by depression are turning to the psilocybin found in “magic mushrooms” to ease the condition, and often reporting success. Now, new research suggests much of the credit for that success lies in the relationship between the patient and his or her therapist. It’s the magic of what researchers at Ohio State University…  read on >  read on >

People should rely on the well-established Heimlich maneuver to save a choking victim, rather than newfangled “anti-choking” devices, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration says. “The safety and effectiveness of over-the-counter anti-choking devices have not been established; they are not FDA approved or cleared,” the agency said in a safety communication issued Monday. The FDA…  read on >  read on >