Telehealth flourished during the pandemic, and now a new study shows it saved lives: The practice meant more people struggling with opioid addiction stayed in treatment longer and thereby lowered their risk of dying from an overdose. For the study, researchers analyzed data among nearly 176,000 Medicare beneficiaries from September 2018 to February 2021. The… read on > read on >
Up to 9% of American teens say they’ve engaged in what’s known as “digital self-harm” — anonymously posting negative comments about themselves on social media. As is the case with acts of physical self-harm such as cutting, this “virtual” self-harm is associated with a higher risk for thinking about or attempting suicide, according to a… read on > read on >
Many teenagers have a hard time discerning between accurate health messages and “fake news,” a new study finds. Presented with a choice between fake and true health messages, about two in five teenagers considered both messages equally trustworthy, researchers found. Further, about one in 10 actually considered the fake message more trustworthy than the accurate… read on > read on >
Breathing in fumes from diesel exhaust may be more damaging to women than to men, a new, small Canadian study claims. “We already know that there are sex differences in lung diseases such as asthma and respiratory infections,” said lead researcher Hemshekhar Mahadevappa, from the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg. “Our previous research showed that… read on > read on >
Hours after a vaccine advisory panel to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention signaled its support for updated COVID boosters targeting Omicron variants, agency director Dr. Rochelle Walensky issued her endorsement as well. Walensky’s sign-off paves the way for the shots from Pfizer and Moderna to get into American arms within days. “The… read on > read on >
When the wildly popular TV show “This Is Us” wrapped up its final season this year, it did so with a storyline that showed one of the lead characters dealing with Alzheimer’s disease as her adult children disagreed over the type of care she should receive. Now, a new online survey of more than 700… read on > read on >
Skin lightening products can be dangerous for consumers when they contain harmful ingredients that are illegal for over-the-counter sales, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned Wednesday. The potentially harmful ingredients are hydroquinone or mercury, the agency said in a news release. People who have used products with hydroquinone have suffered side effects that included… read on > read on >
Long-term steroid use can reshape the structure of the brain, causing some parts to shrink and others to grow, a major new study reports. People taking steroids — even inhaled steroids — appear to have less intact white matter structure in their brains compared with those not taking the drugs, brain scans reveal. White matter… read on > read on >
Research has linked heart disease to specific autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus. Now, a huge study shows that autoimmune diseases as a group increase your chances of developing heart ills. Autoimmune diseases such as psoriasis, multiple sclerosis, lupus erythematosus and type 1 diabetes occur when the body engages in friendly fire against… read on > read on >
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday gave the green light to updated COVID booster shots from both Pfizer and Moderna that target Omicron variants, paving the way for the shots to get into American arms within a few days. “The FDA has been planning for the possibility that the composition of the COVID-19… read on > read on >
