Virtual reality (VR) might be able to provide cancer patients significant pain relief, a new study says. A small group of cancer patients reported a decrease in their pain after using VR headsets that allowed them to explore realistic underwater scenes, according to findings published recently in the journal Scientific Reports. These self-reports were backed…  read on >  read on >

The first sign of seizures for Amanda Bradbury were auras in her vision that cropped up around age 19. Then came frequent bouts of anxiety, struggling to maintain focus and follow conversations, forgetting things, and having difficulty speaking or even swallowing. “One of the things that would happen before a seizure is I’d get an…  read on >  read on >

A high-tech T-shirt loaded with sensors can help track patients’ vital signs after their release from a hospital, researchers say. The shirt could help people return home sooner to recover, based on findings from a small group of patients who wore the gadget-filled garment after urological surgery for cancer. “Our patients found the T-shirt easy…  read on >  read on >

Statins are very cheap and highly effective cholesterol-lowering drugs — but high-risk heart patients may have an even better option, a new evidence review says. Combining statins with another drug, ezetimibe, significantly reduces the risk of death in patients with clogged arteries, according to findings published March 23 in Mayo Clinic Proceedings. Using a high-dose…  read on >  read on >

The final days of acclaimed actor Gene Hackman are heart-rending — a man with Alzheimer’s disease wandering his home for nearly a week after the untimely death of his wife, before collapsing himself. Experts have speculated that Hackman, 95, might have died from takotsubo syndrome — more commonly known as “broken heart syndrome” — after…  read on >  read on >

Lifestyle factors like diet, exercise, smoking and blood pressure have a greater impact on the heart health of women than men, a new study says. Women with poor health have nearly five times the risk of heart disease compared to women with ideal health, according to findings scheduled for presentation Saturday at a meeting of…  read on >  read on >

Mammograms can be used to screen for more than just breast cancer, researchers say. The X-ray breast scans also can be used to assess calcium deposits in arteries, which is an indicator of heart health, researchers are scheduled to report Monday at a meeting of the American College of Cardiology in Chicago. Using artificial intelligence…  read on >  read on >