Tinnitus, or “ringing in the ears,” affects up to 1 in every 10 people and can be disabling for some. Now, scientists at the Massachusetts Ear and Eye Infirmary believe they may have discovered a key cause of the condition: A degeneration of nerves crucial to hearing. “We won’t be able to cure tinnitus until… read on > read on >
All Health and Wellness:
Does Social Media Raise Teens’ Odds for Drug Use, Risky Sex?
Teens glued to Instagram, TikTok and other social media are more likely to drink, take drugs, smoke and engage in risky sexual behaviors, a new review warns. For example, spending at least two hours a day on social media doubled the odds of alcohol consumption, compared with less than two hours daily use, researchers report… read on > read on >
‘Couch Potato’ Lifestyle Could Raise Women’s Odds for Fibroids
Women in a Chinese study who sat for more than six hours each day faced substantially higher odds of developing uterine fibroids before menopause, a new study has found. Overall, more sedentary women had double the risk of developing the often painful and harmful uterine growths prior to menopause, say a team led by Dr.… read on > read on >
Could an Overactive Thyroid Harm the Aging Brain?
Elevated levels of thyroid hormone appear to harm the aging brain, increasing seniors’ risk of dementia or other cognitive disorders, a new study finds. High levels of thyroid hormone — a condition called thyrotoxicosis — was associated with thinking problems whether they came from an overactive thyroid gland or from taking thyroid medication, researchers found.… read on > read on >
Early Onset Heart Disease Is Key Factor in Later-Life Dementia
Minding your heart health when you’re young could spare your brain from dementia decades later, new research confirms. Chinese researchers looked at data on more than 450,000 older Britons. They found that people who’d already been in poor cardiovascular health before they reached the age of 45 had a 25% higher odds of developing dementia,… read on > read on >
Migraine? Reach for Prescription Meds, Not Ibuprofen
Migraine sufferers would do better to talk to their doctor about a prescription drug than reaching for a bottle of ibuprofen, a new study finds. Drugs like triptans, ergots and anti-emetics can be two to five times more effective for treating migraines than ibuprofen, according to a report published Nov. 30 in the journal Neurology.… read on > read on >
U.S. Suicide Numbers Hit New Record High in 2022
U.S. suicide numbers reached a grim new high in 2022. The increase was most acute among women over the age of 24, according to provisional data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Overall, almost 49,500 people lost their lives to suicide in 2022, the report found, a 3% rise from the nearly… read on > read on >
Mounjaro Beats Ozempic for Weight Loss in Early Trial
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 29, 2023 (Healthday News) — The diabetes drug Mounjaro prompted more weight loss among overweight and obese adults than Ozempic did in a real-world setting, researchers report. Both Mounjaro (tirzepatide) and Ozempic (semaglutide) mimic the effects of the gut hormone GLP-1, which triggers insulin production, helps control appetite and slows the movement of… read on > read on >
Commuting on a Highway? Your Blood Pressure May Pay a Price
It’s not just bumper-to-bumper highway traffic that’s causing your blood pressure to spike during your daily commute. New research shows that the exhaust fumes spewing from all those vehicles triggers a significant increase in car passengers’ blood pressure. The observed increase is comparable to the effect of a high-salt diet, researchers found, and the effect… read on > read on >
Brain Inflammation May Trigger Alzheimer’s-Linked Anger, Anxiety
Alzheimer’s patients are notoriously irritable, agitated and anxious – and researchers now think they know why. Brain inflammation appears to influence the mood problems of Alzheimer’s patients, rather than traditional markers of the disease like amyloid beta or tau proteins, researchers report in the Nov. 27 issue of the journal JAMA Network Open. Brain inflammation… read on > read on >