Giving birth during the coronavirus pandemic presents its own challenges, but the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) wants to reassure pregnant women that they need not panic. Instead, they “should be comforted to know that the hospital is a very safe place to have a baby now,” said Dr. Beverly Philip, president of the ASA.… read on > read on >
Aging potheads are now past 50 and still puffing away, but new research shows that many don’t disclose this to their doctors. Folks who use marijuana for medical reasons are more likely to tell their doctors about it than recreational users. Still, just a fraction of medical marijuana users opened up about their use, the… read on > read on >
Here’s reassuring news for moms-to-be: Pregnant women who receive the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccines appear to transfer protective antibodies to their babies, a new study says. The researchers assessed 122 pregnant women who received the vaccines. They also analyzed the cord blood of the women’s babies at the time of birth. The helpful antibodies… read on > read on >
Americans’ anxiety and concerns about COVID-19 remain high a year into the pandemic, and mental health effects of the health crisis are on the rise, a new survey shows. Hispanic (73%) and Black Americans (76%) are more anxious about COVID-19 than white people (59%), according to the American Psychiatric Association (APA) online survey of 1,000… read on > read on >
Health care in rural America has become ever more scarce during the coronavirus pandemic, with folks finding it increasingly difficult to find a doctor or get to a hospital. For a decade, rural areas have been losing hospitals to financial problems, forcing residents to either drive long distances or shrug their shoulders and forgo needed… read on > read on >
While more than half of American adults have gotten at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, many scientists and public health experts now believe that herd immunity cannot be reached in the foreseeable future. Instead, the virus will most likely become a manageable threat that will circulate in the United States for years to… read on > read on >
Breast reconstruction rates rose significantly among Black women after Obamacare expanded access to Medicaid, a new study says. It also found a large increase in reconstruction rates among women with lower income and education levels. The findings suggest “that Medicaid expansion was highly effective in doing what it was supposed to do — breaking down… read on > read on >
Critical care nurses with poor mental and physical health are more likely to make mistakes, but a more supportive work environment could improve the situation, a new study suggests. “It’s critically important that we understand some of the root causes that lead to those errors and do everything we can to prevent them,” said lead… read on > read on >
Say you twist your ankle playing catch with your kids. Or maybe your daughter has a rash that’s spreading. Do you visit urgent care or the hospital emergency department? Many cases of injury or illness can be handled at an urgent care clinic rather than a hospital emergency department, an expert says. “Urgent care is… read on > read on >
Anxiety was the cause of 64 vaccine reactions, including fainting, in people who got the Johnson & Johnson single-dose COVID-19 vaccine in early April at sites in five states, a new study finds. Researchers led by Anne Hause of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention noted that “anxiety-related events, including syncope [fainting], can… read on > read on >
