The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine booster restored close to full protection against COVID-19 in a late-stage trial involving 10,000 people, the company announced Thursday. They said the booster was 95.6% effective and that they plan to submit the latest data to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and regulators in other nations. “These results provide further evidence…  read on >  read on >

Requiring COVID-19 shots for work, school or travel will boost vaccination rates without the backlash and mass walkouts that many have predicted, new research predicts. The findings come as growing numbers of U.S. states, cities and private companies start to enforce COVID-19 vaccine mandates. High-profile refusers like Brooklyn Nets’ guard Kyrie Irving and Washington State…  read on >  read on >

THURSDAY, Oct. 21, 2021 (American Heart Association News) — Hearing loss is a natural part of aging nobody likes to admit is happening. But happen it does – and ignoring it comes with a cost. It could put you at risk for another feared consequence of aging: dementia. “The greater your hearing loss, the more…  read on >  read on >

Though most U.S. dentists say non-opioid painkillers effectively manage dental pain, nearly half still prescribe potentially addictive opioid painkillers, a new survey reveals. In all, 84% of the 269 respondents said NSAID-acetaminophen combos are as effective as opioids or even more so, but 43% also said they regularly prescribe opioid medications. The findings were published…  read on >  read on >

A new study may allay concerns that strenuous exercise could up the risk for developing amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), an incurable neurological disease. No evidence of rising ALS risk was seen among adults who routinely work up a sweat by playing team sports or engaging in heavy gym workouts. Nor was increased ALS risk associated…  read on >  read on >

U.S. cancer patients in poor and rural areas are more likely to die by suicide than those in affluent, urban areas, a new study finds. “People who have received a cancer diagnosis are faced with a number of challenges, such as accessing reliable and affordable care, that can add to existing anxiety or depression associated…  read on >  read on >