Smokers find it easier to quit if they’re automatically offered support, even if they didn’t ask for it, a new clinical trial finds. Quit rates were higher among health system patients placed in an “opt-out” program, in which tobacco cessation medications and counseling are automatically prescribed upon learning they smoke, researchers found. It’s called an… read on > read on >
Health insurers would be required to cover the cost of over-the-counter birth control and emergency contraception under new rules proposed by the White House on Monday. “Since Roe v. Wade was overturned more than two years ago, Republican elected officials have made clear they want to ban or restrict birth control, defund federal programs that… read on > read on >
Walking pneumonia cases are surging among young children in the United States, federal health officials warn. “Bacterial infections caused by Mycoplasma pneumoniae increased in the United States since late spring and have remained high,” a statement issued Friday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention noted. “The proportion of patients discharged from emergency departments with… read on > read on >
The repeated fasting required for multiple surgeries in a row can slow a patient’s recovery and increase the risk of death, a new study warns. Surgical patients are asked to not eat after midnight prior to their procedure, to reduce the risk that they’ll throw up during general anesthesia and deep sedation. But folks having… read on > read on >
An overwhelming majority of teens and young adults are worried about how climate change will affect their future, a new survey has found. About 85% of 16- to 25-year-olds are worried about the impact of climate change on people and the planet, according to the survey of nearly 16,000 people from all 50 states. That… read on > read on >
A handheld pinprick blood test could someday deliver results in as little as an hour, a new study shows. The portable device, which fits in the palm of a hand, uses sound waves to separate a tiny whole blood sample down into microscopic biomarkers, researchers reported Oct. 16 in the journal Science Advances. The entire… read on > read on >
A global real-world study of the vaccine for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) finds it offers folks aged 60 and over 80% protection against severe illness and/or hospitalization. With U.S. vaccination rates falling, “I encourage older adults to follow CDC guidance and get vaccinated for RSV as we enter this year’s and every year’s respiratory disease… read on > read on >
PFAS “forever chemicals” can be found in drinking water around the world, whether it comes from a tap or a bottle, a new study warns. Ten specific PFAS chemicals were found in samples of bottled and tap water sourced from 15 countries around the world, researchers report. For example, the chemicals PFOA and PFOS were… read on > read on >
The 2023 illness and death in Nebraska of a stray kitten infected with rabies set off a large-scale effort to discover how the feline became infected in the first place. That’s because the strain of rabies the 6-week old kitten carried had never been detected so far west: The nearest other cases of the Eastern… read on > read on >
Doctors might be overprescribing sedatives to stroke survivors, a new study warns. About 5% of people are prescribed a benzodiazepine following a stroke, to help calm anxiety and improve sleep, researchers found. Benzodiazepine meds include Valium, Ativan and Xanax. But these prescriptions often are for pills that last longer than a week, which could hamper… read on > read on >
