Controversial fentanyl lollipops and similar products will no longer be made by drug makers, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has announced. Known as TIRF medications, these products contain fentanyl and are used to manage breakthrough pain in cancer patients who have become tolerant to around-the-clock opioid therapy, the FDA said in a statement released…  read on >  read on >

A cavalry of sorts can come to the rescue of combat veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a new study says. Combat veterans who regularly care for horses experience an easing of their PTSD symptoms, as well as an overall improved mental outlook, researchers found. Focusing on a horse’s welfare can help a veteran…  read on >  read on >

Doctors sometimes turn to antidepressants as a means of easing older people’s physical pain, but a new expert review finds there’s little evidence to support the practice. Antidepressants may even come with hazards for seniors who don’t need them, said researchers from the University of Sydney in Australia. “Harms of antidepressant use in older people…  read on >  read on >

An arthritis sufferer’s joints start to get ornery when the weather turns colder, getting stiff and achy as the mercury drops. Cold weather doesn’t cause arthritis, but it can make it worse, experts say. “Our joints operate best in temperate weather,” said Dr. Mariko Ishimori, interim director at the Cedars-Sinai Division of Rheumatology in Los…  read on >  read on >

Would-be dads don’t have to worry that taking the epilepsy drug valproate will result in children with birth defects, a new review concludes. Valproate, an anti-seizure drug, is known to cause birth defects and developmental disorders when taken by pregnant women. But the drug does not appear to have the same impact on the fetus…  read on >  read on >

The Hunan Seafood Wholesale wet market in Wuhan, China, has long been considered the most likely source of the coronavirus that caused the COVID-19 pandemic. That theory is now supported by a new study analyzing more than 800 samples collected in and around the market in January 2020 as the pandemic began. Those samples show…  read on >  read on >

It’s called the MIND diet and its primary aim is to help guard against thinking and memory declines as you age. But does it work? Yes, claims new research that found following the MIND diet for 10 years produced a small but significant decrease in the risk of developing thinking, memory and concentration problems. “With…  read on >  read on >