When former President Jimmy Carter recently entered home hospice care after many years of cancer treatment, it was an invitation for families across America to consider how they would like to spend their final days. For experts in end-of-life care, the 98-year-old’s announcement was one last act of public service. “Hospice is often an incredible…  read on >  read on >

After a heart attack, home rehab can literally be a lifesaver, a new study finds. Taking part in a home-based cardiac rehabilitation program lowered the risk of dying from heart complications by 36% within four years, compared with patients who were not in a rehab program, researchers report. “Cardiac rehabilitation programs save lives,” said lead…  read on >  read on >

In a tight vote, U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisors on Tuesday recommended the approval of an RSV vaccine that could be used in Americans ages 60 and up. The vaccine, known as RENOIR, was developed by pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Inc. The same panel of advisors will weigh the potential approval of another respiratory syncytial…  read on >  read on >

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 >