Headphones have a much greater impact on listeners than external speakers because they put voices “inside your head,” a new study explains. “Headphones produce a phenomenon called in-head localization, which makes the speaker sound as if they’re inside your head,” said study co-author On Amir, a professor of marketing at the University of California, San… read on > read on >
An increase in telemedicine during the pandemic and easier access to prescription drugs to end a pregnancy may help explain why more than half of U.S. abortions are now done with a combination of medicines instead of surgery, researchers report. The percentage of abortions done with U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved mifepristone pills rose from… read on > read on >
Extreme heat from climate change is making it harder for people with mental illness and drug addiction to cope and adding to pressure on pandemic-stretched U.S. emergency rooms. During these severe summer temperature spikes, Americans with depression, anxiety, mood disorders and drug addiction are increasingly flocking to hospital ERs for help, a new study finds.… read on > read on >
Add better brain health to the growing list of protections your beloved pet may provide you: New research suggests that older adults with a furry companion showed slower mental declines than those without one. “Prior studies have suggested that the human-animal bond may have health benefits like decreasing blood pressure and stress,” said study author… read on > read on >
THURSDAY, Feb. 24, 2022 (American Heart Association News) — Before she gave the feeling a name, Mary-Frances Winters felt it constantly. She calls it “a dull droning sound that is always present” and “an underlying syndrome of sorts that permeates my very being.” It’s the exhaustion born of “the day-to-day small acts of aggression, or… read on > read on >
THURSDAY, Feb. 24, 2022 (American Heart Association News) — In his decades as an actor, Jason Gray-Stanford has appeared in a few medical dramas, often as a patient. And in his best-known role, as Lt. Randy Disher on “Monk,” he faced all kinds of cases that defied easy explanation. But the real-life drama of getting… read on > read on >
Dozens of different spray products — deodorants, shampoos, sunscreens, athlete’s foot treatments — have been recalled in recent months due to contamination with the cancer-causing chemical benzene. Most recently, six Brut and Sure aerosol antiperspirants faced recall last week due to benzene contamination. But that’s just the latest in a string of benzene-related recalls that… read on > read on >
Pancreatic cancer is notoriously difficult to treat and beat, but new research suggests that commonly prescribed high blood pressure drugs may boost survival in patients. Known as angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE inhibitors) and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs), those who took them saw slight bumps in survival. Folks with pancreatic cancer who took an ARB had… read on > read on >
Updated criteria to guide COVID-19 restrictions will be announced by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention later this week or early next week, according to a CDC scientist involved in the process. Currently, the agency’s guidance on measures such as mask use and social distancing is based on the number of new cases… read on > read on >
Despite the crushing challenges of navigating a worldwide pandemic during the past two years, Americans remain as optimistic as ever, a series of surveys shows. The surveys were conducted between 2008 and 2020, and included 2.7 million adults who were asked to use a 10-point scale to rank their current life satisfaction, with 10 being… read on > read on >
