New parents bringing home their bundle of joy often carry something else with them as they leave the hospital: medical debt. That’s according to new research from Michigan Medicine that found postpartum women are more likely to have medical debt than those who are pregnant. The researchers studied this by evaluating collections among a statewide,… read on > read on >
All Health and Wellness:
Brains of Patients With Post-Op Delirium Could Be More Vulnerable
Delirium is common after older patients have surgery and can cause serious complications and distress, but its cause has been a mystery. New research has found that patients who develop postoperative delirium have increased openings in the blood-brain barrier, the layer of cells that prevent substances from entering the brain. “These findings are significant because… read on > read on >
Kids With Eczema May Need Further Allergy Tests
Some children who have a common form of eczema should also be tested for allergic reactions because they may have a second allergic-type eczema, a new study suggests. While atopic dermatitis is common and usually develops by age 5, allergic contact dermatitis has similar symptoms and can be triggered by a range of substances. In… read on > read on >
Megan Thee Stallion Urges Fans to ‘Check on Friends’ for Mental Health
Megan Thee Stallion is urging you to check on your friends. The rapper, whose offstage name is Megan Pete, is part of a new public service announcement called Seize the Awkward, a national campaign to encourage young people to talk to friends about mental health. “It’s important that we regularly check in on our friends… read on > read on >
Biden Administration Gives Funding Boost to Help Curb Suicides
The Biden administration is allocating $232.2 million in grants to help stem suicides and improve behavioral health care for at-risk groups. Suicide is happening at an “alarming” rate, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Last year alone, nearly 50,000 Americans died by suicide, up 2.6% from 2021, according to the… read on > read on >
Heavy Marijuana Use May Harm the Heart
People who abuse marijuana may be setting themselves up for heart problems down the road, Canadian researchers report. The new study found that people with so-called cannabis use disorder may have a 60% higher risk for a heart attack, stroke or other major heart-related event, compared to those who don’t abuse the drug. “There appears… read on > read on >
Is the First Cure for Advanced Rabies Near?
Rabies virus is incurable and almost always fatal once it has invaded the central nervous system, with the victim doomed to suffer a horrible death. But researchers now think they’ve found an effective and simple treatment that can cure even advanced cases of rabies. A monoclonal antibody injected into lab mice successfully protected them from… read on > read on >
Smoggy Days Raise Short-Term Odds for Stroke
Exposure to air pollution, even for just a short time, drives up your risk of having a stroke over the next few days, new research warns. That conclusion stems from a review of 110 studies conducted across Asia, Europe and the Americas. Depending on the specific nature of the pollutant in question, stroke risk rose… read on > read on >
Over a Third of Adults With Type 1 Diabetes Weren’t Diagnosed Until After 30
Type 1 diabetes has long been viewed as a childhood disease, but a new study suggests it might be time to revise that thinking. Investigators concluded that nearly 4 in 10 Americans with type 1 diabetes aren’t diagnosed with the blood sugar condition until they’re at least 30. “Our research adds to a growing body… read on > read on >
Coffee Won’t Raise Preemie Birth Risk, But Smoking Certainly Will: Study
Smoking during pregnancy is a significant risk factor for premature births, but drinking coffee is not, new research suggests. Women who smoked during pregnancy were 2.6 times more likely to give birth prematurely compared to nonsmokers, a risk that was double that of previous estimates, the University of Cambridge scientists found. “We’ve known for a… read on > read on >