Wildfire smoke could interfere with the safety of surgeries, a new study warns. Inhaling the smoke could complicate the effects of anesthesia on surgical patients, and it also might hamper their recovery, researchers reported Aug. 6 in the journal Anesthesiology. “Wildfire smoke poses significant health risks, particularly in people with preexisting heart and lung disease,… read on > read on >
All Lifestyle:
Number of Uninsured Americans Rose to 8.2% in 2024
Following several years of record low rates of uninsured Americans, a new survey finds more folks are once again without health insurance. More than 8% of Americans did not have health coverage during the first few months of 2024, according to findings published Tuesday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. An estimated… read on > read on >
U.S. Spends $43 Billion Annually on Cancer Screening
Screening for cancer saves lives, but a new report shows it comes with a hefty price tag: The United States spends at least $43 billion annually on tests that check for five major cancers. Published Monday in the Annals of Internal Medicine, the new analysis focused on screenings for breast, cervical, colon, lung and prostate cancers.… read on > read on >
Is It Really Pneumonia? Study Casts Doubt on Hospital Diagnoses
Hospitals could be frequently misdiagnosing pneumonia, causing patients to receive the wrong treatments and potentially become deathly ill, a new study finds. More than half the time, a pneumonia diagnosis will change following a patient’s admission to the hospital, researchers report. Either someone initially diagnosed with pneumonia will end up actually sick from something else,… read on > read on >
Marriage, Gender, Education, Race All Influence How Long You’ll Live
A person’s lifespan appears to be linked to four specific social factors – marriage, gender, education and race. The interplay between those four factors helps explain differences in lifespan between Americans, researchers report. “There is a complex interaction between social and individual determinants of health, with no one determinant explaining the full observed variation in… read on > read on >
Fear of Falls, Injuries Can Plague Motorized Wheelchair Users
Head Injuries Common Among Police Officers, With Links to Mental Health Issues
Three out of four police officers have experienced at least one concussion, increasing their risk of mental health issues, a new study suggests. About 74% of Ohio law enforcement officers had suffered one or more head injuries during their lifetimes, researchers found. Around 30% had a head injury that happened on the job. However, fewer… read on > read on >
Botanicals Like Turmeric, Green Tea Are Harming Americans’ Livers
Botanicals like turmeric, green tea and black cohosh may seem benign, but their overuse is being increasingly linked to liver injury. New research suggests that 7% of U.S. adults are using at least one of the six leading botanicals, the equivalent of 15.6 million people. Many are ending up in hospitals for liver toxicity, researchers… read on > read on >
Depression May Lower Breast Cancer Survival
Depression can lower a woman’s chances of surviving breast cancer, a new study reports. Women with breast cancer and depression are more than three times as likely to die as women without either condition, researchers found. By comparison, breast cancer patients who aren’t also suffering from depression are only 45% more likely to die than… read on > read on >
Mpox Has Surged in Africa Amid Shortages of Vaccines and Treatments
Mpox cases have soared by 160% in Africa this year, as a lack of both vaccines and treatments hamper efforts to slow the spread of the virus. In a report released by the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday, officials said that mpox has now been detected in 10 African countries this… read on > read on >