TUESDAY, May 24, 2022 (American Heart Association News) — Congenital heart defects may be much more common among children of women with heart defects than of men with heart defects, according to new research. Smaller studies had already reported a higher offspring risk for mothers with congenital heart defects, or CHDs. But researchers wanted to… read on > read on >
All Health and Wellness:
With Abortion Access Under Threat, Doctors Focus on ‘Contraceptive Counseling’
Women are more apt to use birth control when doctors treat it like a routine preventive health service, a new research review shows. The analysis of 38 past studies found that women were more likely to use contraception when doctors were proactive about counseling them on the options, and in many cases providing the contraceptive.… read on > read on >
Cancer Patients Have Even Greater Need for COVID Boosters: Study
Cancer patients continue to face more risk from COVID-19, even if they’ve been vaccinated. Although vaccination is effective for most people who have cancer (even though they’re immunocompromised by the disease and their cancer treatments), its effectiveness wanes more rapidly in this group, by three to six months compared to the general population, new research… read on > read on >
AHA News: Family’s Heart Disease History Inspired Her Fitness – and Got Her to the Base of Mount Everest
TUESDAY, May 24, 2022 (American Heart Association News) — Lisa Abbott scrolled through the online auction offerings of the American Alpine Club’s fundraiser. As a rock climber, ice climber, scuba diver and marathon runner, she enjoyed daydreaming about the various trips up for grabs. One offering stood out: a guided two-week trek through the Khumbu… read on > read on >
Pandemic Has U.S. Hospitals Overwhelmed With Teens in Mental Crisis
The COVID-19 pandemic and the isolation it imposed took a dramatic toll on kids’ mental health, increasing the demand for services in an already overburdened system. As a result, many kids found themselves being “boarded” in emergency departments as they awaited care, according to a new study conducted at Boston Children’s Hospital. The average wait… read on > read on >
Mixed Martial Arts Fighters Show Signs of Brain Changes
The football gridiron and the boxing ring have come to be understood as danger zones for the brain, with repetitive hits to the head causing long-term damage to some athletes. The same might be true of the MMA octagon as well, a new study says. The more that participants in mixed martial arts spar in… read on > read on >
Can Mindfulness Really Change Your Brain?
Meditation and other mindfulness practices may improve your attention, but they won’t lead to structural changes in your brain in the short-term, according to a new study. Previous studies have shown that learning new skills, aerobic exercise and balance training could trigger changes in the brain, and some research has suggested that mindfulness regimens could… read on > read on >
Making U.S. Cities Greener Could Have Saved Thousands of Lives
Creating more parks and other green spaces could have prevented tens of thousands of deaths in dozens of large U.S. cities over the past two decades, a new study says. “We’ve known that living in greener areas can have a positive impact on our physical and mental health, but there is a lack of data… read on > read on >
Gay Community Most Vulnerable to Monkeypox Threat, Vaccines Available Soon: CDC
At a Monday media briefing, U.S. public health officials said they are tracking a handful of travel-related monkeypox cases that have been reported across the country. Anyone can catch monkeypox, but at this time it appears to be “circulating globally in some parts of the gay community,” Dr. John Brooks, a medical epidemiologist with the… read on > read on >
1 Dirty Pool, Many Cases of E. Coli: Summer’s Swimming Danger
As the weather warms and families flock to pools, dirty water may dampen the fun. Swimmers at a Pennsylvania community pool learned that the hard way when in June 2021 more than a dozen kids were seriously sickened by two types of bacteria, E. coli and C. difficile. “These are pathogens that can cause pretty… read on > read on >