Just a little exposure to secondhand smoke may increase your risk for the heart rhythm disorder atrial fibrillation (A-Fib), a new, large study suggests. People who have A-Fib, the world’s most common heart rhythm disorder, are five times more likely to have a stroke than their healthy peers. While passive smoking has been linked to… read on > read on >
A new oral vaccine could prove a potential alternative to antibiotics for people with recurring urinary tract infections, a new study says. More than half of patients with recurring UTIs (54%) wound up infection-free for nine years after receiving the oral spray vaccine, with no notable side effects, researchers report. “Before having the vaccine, all… read on > read on >
Suicides among U.S. college athletes have doubled over the past two years, according to data from the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Suicide is now the second most common cause of death for college athletes after accidents, results show. “Athletes are generally thought of as one of the healthiest populations in our society, yet the… read on > read on >
Childbirth is a harrowing ordeal, and it’s being made worse by mistreatment from health care providers during labor, a new study says. More than one in every eight women are mistreated during childbirth, researchers found. Most commonly, women’s requests for help during labor were refused or ignored, results show. Nearly 8% of women said this… read on > read on >
A good night’s sleep is often hampered by caffeine, hunger, alcohol or chronic pain. Now, America has a new cause of poor sleep: the sound of gunfire on city streets. New research shows that gunshots are twice as likely to occur at night, mostly affecting the sleep of people in low-income neighborhoods. In fact, nearly… read on > read on >
Three anti-smoking groups announced Tuesday that they have sued the U.S. government yet again after it missed its latest deadline for enacting a ban on menthol cigarettes. This is the second lawsuit that the plaintiffs — the African American Tobacco Control Leadership Council, Action on Smoking and Health and the National Medical Association — have… read on > read on >
People who gamble on sports are more likely to be binge drinkers as well, a new report finds. Both women and men who bet on sports were at least twice as likely to binge drink compared to non-gamblers, results showed. Further, the odds of binge drinking increased with the frequency of gambling. “With past research… read on > read on >
Cutting back on late-night alcohol sales might help curb crime in violence-ridden neighborhoods, a new report claims. Murders dropped by half (51%) within a month after one Baltimore neighborhood limited alcohol hours of sale for bars and taverns, researchers report April 1 in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine. Further, violent crimes declined in the surrounding… read on > read on >
Expecting or new mothers are much more likely these days to be diagnosed with anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, new research shows. However, more women are also getting treated for these problems rather than roughing it out, researchers report in April 1 issue of the journal Health Affairs. “Taken together, these studies show a… read on > read on >
As their aging brains shrink, older dogs can suffer the same memory and thinking problems as many older humans do. But dogs are just like humans in another way — playtime and social activities can help preserve their brain function, a new study finds. Exercising, socializing, playing with toys and playing with other dogs helped… read on > read on >
