A proposed ban on menthol cigarettes could have a significant impact on smoking rates, especially among minorities, new U.S. research suggests. Adult smokers who are younger, have mental health problems and are from racial/ethnic minority groups are more likely to use menthol cigarettes than other groups, according to a study from Columbia University Mailman School… read on > read on >
All Health and Wellness:
Study Debunks Theory That Depressed People Are Just More ‘Realistic’
Some people believe in the idea of “depressive realism” — that depressed people are just more realistic than others about how much they control their lives. But a new study upends that theory. The idea has been around for about four decades, ever since a 1979 study of college students that seemed to support the… read on > read on >
Allergy Meds in Street Opioids Make Overdoses More Deadly
A new study is sounding the alarm about the addition of antihistamines to street forms of opioids — and how they might make a fatal overdose more likely. The prime drug in question is diphenhydramine, found commonly in over-the-counter allergy meds such as Benadryl. Because opioid use can spur itchy skin in people who misuse… read on > read on >
Curbing Football Drills Could Make High School Football Safer
Tackling drills are typically a staple of high school football practices, but new research suggests dropping them from training might cut the risk of head hits. Using mouth guards with sensors that recorded every head hit, researchers found players who spent 5,144 minutes in non-contact practice had just 310 head hits, while those who had… read on > read on >
COVID Drug Paxlovid Might Interact With Heart Meds
The COVID-19 antiviral Paxlovid has been a game-changer in the global pandemic, shielding high-risk patients from the coronavirus’ most devastating effects. But Paxlovid can itself pose a risk for people taking widely prescribed heart medications to lower cholesterol, prevent blood clots or manage irregular heartbeat, a new paper warns. Some heart patients might need to… read on > read on >
AHA News: She Was Working Out at the Gym When Her Heart Stopped
THURSDAY, Oct. 13, 2022 (American Heart Association News) — On an August morning, Nicole Tetreault, her husband, Brian, and their 2-year-old daughter, Ella, had eaten breakfast and taken a walk. Nicole hadn’t been feeling well since Friday. She’d had a headache and was nauseous. But on Sunday she was feeling better. She’d missed several days… read on > read on >
FDA Says ADHD Med Adderall Is in Short Supply
People with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or narcolepsy may rely on the drug Adderall, but it is in short supply, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced Wednesday. The Adderall and Adderall IR shortage is due to intermittent manufacturing delays at Teva, one of the companies that produces the medication. While other companies continue to produce… read on > read on >
Lifetime of Stress Tied to Big Rise in Cancer Risk
Over time, men and women under chronic stress face a significantly higher risk that they will die as a result of cancer, a new study warns. The finding comes from an analysis of more than three decades of U.S. data from a federal health and nutrition survey. After adjusting for a number of influential factors… read on > read on >
Study Casts Doubt on Mediterranean Diet’s Benefit to Brain
A healthy diet might not protect you from dementia as some have suggested, according to a new Swedish study. The Mediterranean diet — which includes lots of vegetables, fruits, fish and healthy fats and little dairy or meat — has been touted as brain-protective. But Swedish researchers now say it appears not to be. Others,… read on > read on >
Gene Therapy Helps Those With Rare Form of Blindness See Better at Night
An experimental gene therapy offers hope for rapid improvement in the night vision of adults who have a congenital form of childhood-onset blindness, researchers report. In this ongoing clinical trial at the Scheie Eye Institute in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia, researchers delivered AAV gene therapy (when an… read on > read on >