Folks struggling with depression are much more likely to turn to marijuana to ease their symptoms these days, and that’s not necessarily a good thing, researchers report. Depressed people are more than twice as likely to have used pot within the last month and three times more likely to use it nearly every day in… read on >
The coronavirus pandemic silenced choirs around the globe, but researchers in Sweden say it may be safe to sing with others if you take precautions. “There are many reports about the spreading of COVID-19 in connection with choirs singing. Therefore, different restrictions have been introduced all over the world to make singing safer,” said Jakob… read on >
A lot has been made of the so-called “quarantine 15.” Now, a new study suggests certain people are more likely to binge eat during the coronavirus pandemic than others. Most often they are young adults who faced social stigma about being overweight before COVID-19 swept the globe. The researchers found this group had higher levels… read on >
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 9, 2020 (Healthday News) — Final testing of a leading coronavirus vaccine candidate was paused by drugmaker AstraZeneca on Tuesday after a trial volunteer experienced a serious adverse reaction. The company did not release specifics on the case, but whether the reaction was caused by the vaccine or was coincidental is still unclear,… read on >
Add a heightened risk for depression to the list of challenges facing the caregivers of loved ones who have Alzheimer’s disease. A new study found that older adults caring for spouses newly diagnosed with Alzheimer’s had a 30% increase in symptoms of depression compared to those whose spouses didn’t have Alzheimer’s or related dementia. And… read on >
Face masks may be invaluable in the fight against COVID-19, but they can make it difficult for people who stutter to communicate with others. About 3 million people in the United States stutter, according to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). The use of face masks in public is likely to continue for months or even… read on >
TUESDAY, Sept. 8, 2020 (Healthday News) — In a sobering illustration of the toll the coronavirus pandemic took this summer, tallies now show the number of Americans who have died of COVID-19 jumped from just under 100,000 to over 186,000 between Memorial Day and Labor Day, while cases more than quadrupled, to over 6.2 million.… read on >
The new coronavirus and antibodies that fight it can be in children’s bodies at the same time, surprised researchers have found. “With most viruses, when you start to detect antibodies, you won’t detect the virus anymore. But with COVID-19, we’re seeing both,” said Dr. Burak Bahar, director of laboratory informatics at Children’s National Hospital in… read on >
New hepatitis C medications are allowing people to receive a kidney transplant from a deceased donor who had the liver disease — a strategy aimed at getting more lifesaving organs to patients languishing on waitlists. Two new studies are highlighting the promise of the approach, showing that if patients are given the drug Mavyret, they… read on >
Social media has been rife with fake health products and financial scams during the coronavirus pandemic, a new study finds. Thousands of posts have touted illegal or unapproved testing kits, untested treatments and purported but counterfeit cures, according to researchers who analyzed posts on Twitter and Instagram. “From March to May 2020, we have identified… read on >
