The diabetes and weight-loss drug Ozempic does not appear to harm a developing fetus when taken by pregnant women, a new study reports. Researchers found no elevated risk of birth defects among newborns of women who took medications to control their type 2 diabetes, compared with those who took insulin. During the decade-long study, researchers… read on > read on >
All Health and Wellness:
Is Violence a Risk With Your New Romantic Partner? Watch for These Warning Signs
Many women and men begin new relationships never dreaming they could later be enmeshed in a cycle of intimate partner violence. Now, a new study finds there are early behavioral warning signs from a partner that suggest the risk for violence is there. And the more signs a person sees in the partner, the higher… read on > read on >
Pounds Return Once Zepbound Users Quit the Weight-Loss Drug: Study
Folks who take the blockbuster weight-loss med tirzepatide (Zepbound) may regain much of the weight they lost soon after discontinuing it, new research shows. A trial funded by Eli Lilly, the injected drug’s maker, found that “in patients with obesity or overweight, withdrawing tirzepatide led to substantial regain of weight.” On the other hand, continuing… read on > read on >
Over 3 Million Americans Struggle With Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Chronic fatigue syndrome strikes more Americans than many might think: In a first national estimate, new government data puts that number at 3.3 million. The condition clearly “is not a rare illness,” and is being fueled in part by patients who now suffer from long COVID, report author Dr. Elizabeth Unger, chief of the chronic… read on > read on >
Brain Serotonin Levels May Play Role in Alzheimer’s Onset
Loss of the “happiness” brain hormone serotonin might play a role in the decline of brain function as a person ages, a new study reports. People with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) had up to 25% lower levels of serotonin than healthy people in key regions of the brain associated with memory, problem-solving and emotion, researchers… read on > read on >
You’re Far Less Likely to Get an Opioid Now After Surgery
In response to the ongoing crisis of opioid misuse, U.S. doctors had already cut the amount of opioids they gave patients after surgery by 2022 to just a third of the amount given in 2016, new research shows. Much of the decline happened before the pandemic, however, and the rate at which doctors are reducing… read on > read on >
Sore Throat? Try These 5 Home Remedies for Relief
Sore throats are commonplace during cold and flu season, but luckily there are lots of home remedies that can help ease your misery, doctors say. These remedies “aren’t quick fixes for an illness,” but they can help ease discomfort, said Dr. Heidi Hutchison, a family practice physician at Penn State Health Medical Group – East… read on > read on >
FDA Approves Landmark Sickle Cell Gene Therapies
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday approved two milestone gene therapies for sickle cell disease, including the first treatment ever approved that uses gene-editing technology. Casgevy, developed by Vertex Pharmaceuticals of Boston and CRISPR Therapeutics of Switzerland, is the first medicine available in the United States to treat a genetic disease using the… read on > read on >
Hospitals in Ukraine Seeing Surge in Drug-Resistant Infections: CDC
As the war in the Ukraine rages on, new research shows that hospitals there are waging a battle of their own against a different kind of enemy: antibiotic-resistant “superbugs” that are spreading at an alarming rate. In a study published Thursday by the U.S. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, researchers from the CDC and… read on > read on >
Salmonella Illnesses Tied to Cantaloupes Have Doubled: CDC
FRIDAY, Dec. 8, 2023 (Healthday News) — A salmonella outbreak tied to tainted cantaloupes keeps expanding, with cases doubling since the last tally, U.S. health officials reported Thursday. “Since the last update [on] November 30, 2023, an additional 113 people infected with this outbreak strain of salmonella have been reported from four additional states, resulting in a… read on > read on >