Misusing over-the-counter medications can have dangerous consequences, but recent social media trends encouraging this could be downright deadly for gullible teens, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned Thursday. One concerning trend has been a challenge that encouraged people to cook chicken in NyQuil or other over-the-counter cough and cold medicines. It’s not appetizing, of…  read on >  read on >

U.S. health officials are advising doctors not to overuse the only antiviral for monkeypox because there is a risk of the virus mutating and rendering the drug useless. TPOXX (tecovirimat) works by targeting just one protein found on monkeypox, as well as smallpox and similar viruses. Its use for monkeypox is still considered experimental, according…  read on >  read on >

While adults typically need steroid medication to treat Bell’s palsy, most children can recover without treatment, a new study finds. Bell’s palsy temporarily causes weakness and paralysis in facial muscles, making half of the face droop. The study — a randomized controlled trial held in 11 emergency departments in Australia and New Zealand — included…  read on >  read on >

Some survivors of sexual assault may face a further trauma after seeking medical care: a huge emergency room bill. That’s the finding of a new study that analyzed U.S. emergency department charges for care related to sexual assault. Researchers found that survivors without health insurance could end up with thousands of dollars in medical bills.…  read on >  read on >

Rapid at-home COVID tests have become less reliable with the emergence of the Omicron variant, new research suggests. Only one of three widely used rapid antigen tests met World Health Organization (WHO) standards for accuracy, Dutch researchers report. For the study — published Sept. 14 in The BMJ — they tested nearly 6,500 people with…  read on >  read on >

THURSDAY, Sept. 15, 2022 (HealthDay News) – The end of the COVID-19 pandemic is in sight, the leader of the World Health Organization declared Wednesday, with deaths at their lowest level worldwide since the new coronavirus first began to spread in March 2020. However, the death rate is relatively flat and not yet at their…  read on >  read on >

Air pollution may cause irregular heart rhythms in otherwise healthy teens within two hours of exposure, a new study shows. Irregular heart rhythms, or arrhythmias, occur when the heart’s electrical impulses don’t work properly. Symptoms may include heart flutters, chest pain, fainting or dizziness. Some arrhythmias increase a teen’s chances of sudden cardiac death or…  read on >  read on >