Emotional changes in the run-up to menopause can sometimes lead to depression. It can be important to see a doctor to help determine whether you’re just feeling stressed or “blue” — or whether you might have clinical or major depression, a condition associated with a chemical imbalance in the brain. Changing hormones during perimenopause —… read on > read on >
When hair sprouts where you don’t want it, you can always shave, but other ways to remove unwanted body hair can last longer. The downside: Chemical hair removers can cause burning, itching or redness. “Hair removal creams, lotions and gels are quick and easy to use, but they can sometimes irritate the skin,” dermatologist Dr.… read on > read on >
An advisory panel to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday recommended a third Pfizer-BioNTech COVID vaccine booster shot for all Americans aged 65 or older, as well as for those deemed to be at high risk for severe illness. According to The New York Times, that vote came after a near unanimous decision… read on > read on >
Pfizer is expanding the recall of its anti-smoking drug Chantix (varenicline), the company announced Friday. The nationwide recall of all Chantix 0.5 mg and 1 mg tablets was prompted because they may contain levels of a nitrosamine, N-nitroso-varenicline, that are at or above levels approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Long-term ingestion of… read on > read on >
In kids and teens, symptoms of long COVID rarely last more than 12 weeks, a new international study reports. The researchers also found that exposure to the highly contagious Delta variant did not result in more serious disease in children compared to earlier variants, and that most cases of COVID-19 were asymptomatic or mild. Despite… read on > read on >
U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisors will meet Friday to consider whether it is safe and effective for Americans to receive a third “booster” dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. The FDA posted the materials it intends to use in the review on Wednesday. The advisory panel will review a variety of evidence, including new… read on > read on >
When the COVID-19 public health emergency ends, a new crisis in insurance coverage in the United States may begin. Fifteen million Americans who enrolled in Medicaid during the pandemic could lose their coverage when the emergency declaration ends, according to an analysis by the Urban Institute, a social policy think tank. Its researchers said states… read on > read on >
Health officials are bracing for a viral double whammy this fall and winter. “This year, we expect influenza and COVID-19 to circulate at the same time,” said Dr. Jonathan Grein, director of hospital epidemiology at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles. That’s why Grein and his colleagues remind Americans that it’s time to get your seasonal flu… read on > read on >
The White House has reached out to rapper Nicki Minaj over her concerns about the COVID-19 vaccine, which she said had caused swollen testicles in a friend of her cousin in Trinidad. A White House official said Minaj was offered a call with a doctor to address her questions about the vaccine, after her message… read on > read on >
Even when genetics and personality are working against you, having a strong network of supportive friends and family may help lower alcoholism risk, researchers say. “Genes play an important role in alcohol use,” stressed Jinni Su, an assistant professor of psychology at Arizona State University in Tempe, and lead author of a new study. But… read on > read on >
