Checking your blood pressure at home? Pay attention to arm position. A new study by Johns Hopkins researchers confirms that it makes a “huge difference” when it comes to getting an accurate measurement. And, the authors add, health care providers need to be more careful about it, too. “[Patients] must advocate for themselves in the… read on > read on >
All Health and Wellness:
Yellowjackets and Bees Swarm in NC in Helene’s Aftermath
Even as folks in North Carolina continue to clean up following the devastation of Hurricane Helene, a new health danger has emerged: The massive flooding that swept away roads and towns also uprooted the underground nests of yellow jackets, bees and other stinging insects. That has triggered a surge in swarms that attack and sting… read on > read on >
Minority Patients More Likely to Be Denied the Free Preventive Care Mandated by Obamacare
Two new studies show insurers continue to deny claims for preventive care that is supposed to be free under Obamacare. And insurers are more apt to reject claims from patients who are Asian, Black or Hispanic as well as those with low incomes, researchers recently reported in the journal JAMA Network Open. “What we document… read on > read on >
Bright Light Therapy May Ease Multiple Forms of Depression
Light therapy: It’s long been a go-to therapy for seasonal affective disorder (SAD), a kind of depression that can beset some people when winter looms and days shorten. But new research is suggesting that time spent in front of light box might ease other forms of depression as well. The new review of data was… read on > read on >
Colonoscopies Among the Young Are on the Rise
Colon cancers are increasing among younger Americans, so much so that experts advised in 2021 that colonoscopy screening begin at the age of 45, not 50 as had been previously recommended. Now, research shows the new guideline may have led to a tripling in the use of the gold-standard screen among folks ages 45 to… read on > read on >
Trauma at Life’s Beginning Can Mar Its End, Study Finds
Whether abusive parents, drug addiction or gun violence are to blame, the fallout from childhood traumas can reverberate until a person’s final days of life, new research shows. “We found that early-life trauma in particular, especially physical abuse by parents, was strongly related to end-of-life pain, loneliness and depressive symptoms,” said senior study author Dr.… read on > read on >
Folks With Chronic Pain & Their Doctors Often Differ on Medical Marijuana
If you’re in chronic pain and believe medical marijuana to be the solution, there’s a good chance your doctor might not agree. In a new survey of people living in states where medical cannabis is legal, 71% of people with chronic pain thought the federal government should legalize the drug, but only 59% of physicians… read on > read on >
Hearing Loss Can Raise Risks for Cognitive Decline
A new, large study from France underscores the link between adult hearing loss and dementia. “Given the major burden of cognitive decline and the absence of curative treatment, identifying modifiable risk factors is of importance,” a team led by Dr. Baptiste Grenier, of the Université Paris Cité, wrote Oct. 1 in the journal JAMA Network… read on > read on >
Food Allergies Spur Serious Anxiety in Most of Those Affected, Survey Finds
The large majority of people with food allergy, and the caregivers of kids with such allergies, say the condition has led to psychological distress, a new study finds. However, only about 1 in every 5 such people have ever been assessed and counseled on their anxieties, the same report also found. “Our research highlights a… read on > read on >
This Season’s Flu Vaccine Cuts Risk of Hospitalization by Almost 35%
THURSDAY, Oct. 3, 2024, HealthDay News — The Southern Hemisphere’s flu season is winding down, and new data shows this year’s flu shot was 34.5% effective in keeping folks there who got influenza from needing hospital care. Most (68.3%) of those sent to hospital had the A(H3N2) strain of flu, according to the report from… read on > read on >