Skin lightening products can be dangerous for consumers when they contain harmful ingredients that are illegal for over-the-counter sales, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned Wednesday. The potentially harmful ingredients are hydroquinone or mercury, the agency said in a news release. People who have used products with hydroquinone have suffered side effects that included… read on > read on >
Anyone who gets a new, unexplained skin rash should call their doctor and get medical care in case it’s monkeypox, public health officials advise. How can you tell when it is time to worry? The American Academy of Dermatology offers some tips for helping distinguish monkeypox from other health issues that cause rashes and for… read on > read on >
Long-term steroid use can reshape the structure of the brain, causing some parts to shrink and others to grow, a major new study reports. People taking steroids — even inhaled steroids — appear to have less intact white matter structure in their brains compared with those not taking the drugs, brain scans reveal. White matter… read on > read on >
Research has linked heart disease to specific autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus. Now, a huge study shows that autoimmune diseases as a group increase your chances of developing heart ills. Autoimmune diseases such as psoriasis, multiple sclerosis, lupus erythematosus and type 1 diabetes occur when the body engages in friendly fire against… read on > read on >
When teenagers with type 1 diabetes get better control of their blood sugar, their brains may benefit, a new clinical trial shows. Researchers found that when teenagers started treatment with a newer technology — often dubbed “artificial pancreas” systems — they were better able to avoid high blood sugar episodes than teens who stuck with… read on > read on >
Fertility preservation procedures for women with breast cancer won’t raise the risk of their cancer returning later, a new Swedish study shows. Women who had eggs or embryos frozen before going through chemotherapy did not have any increased risk of cancer recurrence or death compared with women who didn’t get the procedures, the investigators found.… read on > read on >
Life expectancy in the United States dropped for the second straight year, government health officials reported Wednesday. The decline from 77 years in 2020 to 76.1 years in 2021 puts U.S. life expectancy at the lowest level since 1996, according to the report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The drop of nearly… read on > read on >
Munching handfuls of microwave popcorn might be perfect for movie night, but your snack could be loading your body with potentially harmful “forever chemicals,” experts warn. Many microwave popcorn bags are lined with PFAS (perfluoroalkyls and polyfluoroalkyl substances), and evidence has shown that these chemicals will leach into the snack during popping. Studies have found… read on > read on >
In Washington state, 22 wildlife bridges and underpasses provide animals with a safe way through to search for food or escape predators and wildfires. It turns out the crossings have been benefiting humans, too. In a 10-mile radius around wildlife crossings, there are between one and three fewer collisions a year between vehicles and animals,… read on > read on >
Fentanyl, the synthetic opioid that’s driving a surge in drug overdose deaths, kills by stopping breathing even before someone loses consciousness, a new study reveals. To come to that conclusion, researchers ran electroencephalogram (EEG) tests on 25 patients who were undergoing operations lasting two hours or more. Pharmaceutical fentanyl can be used to supplement sedation… read on > read on >
