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 >

Cancer patients already have a lot to deal with emotionally and physically. But research shows that insured patients under 65 are also paying more for their treatments out-of-pocket than ever before. The study highlights the “growing financial burden for non-elderly patients with cancer with private health insurance coverage,” said senior study author Robin Yabroff, scientific…  read on >  read on >

Many teens look at screens at bedtime, but some apps are more likely to keep them awake than others, leading to sleep problems. That’s the upshot of a new study in which researchers found YouTube fans experienced consistent and negative effects on sleep. Surprisingly, traditional TV was associated with earlier bedtimes. “We’ve been seeing teenagers…  read on >  read on >

Monkeypox was the cause of death in a Los Angeles County adult last week, public health officials confirmed Tuesday. This is the first known death from monkeypox to be reported in the United States. The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health said the patient had been hospitalized and had a severely weakened immune system.…  read on >  read on >