Efforts to cut back on risky opioid use for pain after surgery are trickling down to kids. New research shows that fewer Americans under the age of 18 were prescribed narcotics to treat surgical pain between 2014 and 2017, and these numbers dropped even more rapidly beginning in late 2017. While opioids can help kids…  read on >  read on >

MONDAY, April 4, 2022 (American Heart Association News) — Scientists debate whether Hispanic adults, who have higher rates of certain risk factors for cardiovascular disease, are nonetheless less likely to die from it than their non-Hispanic white peers. It’s something researchers call the “Hispanic paradox.” But a new study analyzing heart and stroke deaths over…  read on >  read on >

Now that many Americans can get not one, but two booster shots, how do you know if they are right for you? Michigan Medicine-University of Michigan offers some advice based on updated findings and recommendations. “Everyone over age 12 should get a [first] booster shot to help protect themselves not only from breakthrough infections, including…  read on >  read on >

It turns out that trees might be good medicine. How so? New research shows that having lots of trees in your neighborhood could improve your health and lower your medical costs. “It’s time to stop looking at trees simply as an amenity and start recognizing the essential services they provide,” said study author Ming Kuo,…  read on >  read on >

Correcting low blood sugar in infants reduces their risk of brain development problems later in life, new studies show. Low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) is common in babies, affecting more than 1 in 6. Glucose (sugar) is the main source of energy for the brain, and untreated hypoglycemia in infancy can affect a child’s brain development…  read on >  read on >

Could an annual eye exam save your sight if you have diabetes? Most definitely, one vision expert says. “Diabetes is known to alter the health of the blood vessels in the retina and these vascular changes do not cause symptoms in the early stages,” explained Dr. Jeffrey Sundstrom, an ophthalmologist and retina specialist at Penn…  read on >  read on >