When expectant or new moms experience depression, known as perinatal depression, loneliness may be a driving factor. “We found that loneliness was central to the experiences of expectant and new mothers with depression. We know that depression and loneliness are often interconnected — each one can lead to the other — and this may be…  read on >  read on >

TUESDAY, Feb. 28, 2023 (HealthDay Now) — A long-established Alzheimer’s drug can help people with a disorder that causes them to compulsively pull at their hair or pick at their skin, a new clinical trial has concluded. Memantine considerably improved symptoms in 3 out of 5 patients with either trichotillomania (hair-pulling disorder) or excoriation (skin-picking)…  read on >  read on >

Twenty percent of folks who are at high risk for heart disease refuse statins that could help prevent it, researchers report. They found that women were about 20% more likely than men to decline statin drugs when they were first recommended and about 50% more likely to never accept a statin recommendation. The research began…  read on >  read on >

Most Americans with type 2 diabetes are candidates for newer, pricey medications, but few are getting them, a new government study shows. Researchers found that of U.S. adults with the blood sugar disease, over 80% could stand to benefit from the medications, based on recommendations from the American Diabetes Association (ADA). But only 10% of…  read on >  read on >

Sen. John Fetterman will continue to be away from the U.S. Senate for several weeks but he is on the “path to recovery,” his spokesman said Monday. The senator is being treated for clinical depression at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center after checking himself in on Feb. 15. “We understand the intense interest in…  read on >  read on >

If it’s good for your heart, it’s good for your brain, too. This is the main message from a new study showing that seven heart-healthy habits can lower your chances of developing dementia down the road. This list includes being active, eating better, maintaining a healthy weight, not smoking, having healthy blood pressure, controlling cholesterol,…  read on >  read on >

TUESDAY, Feb. 28, 2023 (HealthDay News) – Whether women will continue to be able to get a medication abortion using the drug mifepristone in the United States hinges on the impending ruling of a federal judge in Texas. The case will soon be decided by U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk, who was appointed by former…  read on >  read on >

Pedestrian deaths have surged on U.S. roads in recent years, and they are climbing again. Pedestrian deaths hit a 40-year high in 2021, and numbers for the first half of 2022 were up about 5% over the same period in 2021, according to a new Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) analysis. It cites a variety…  read on >  read on >