A majority of women experience premenstrual mood swings and anxiety, making it a “key public health issue globally,” a new study finds. Researchers found that 64% of women experience these symptoms, which disrupt their daily lives. “Our study demonstrates that premenstrual mood symptoms are incredibly common worldwide,” said senior study author Dr. Jennifer Payne, director…  read on >  read on >

Children should get their flu shot as soon as it is available, preferably by the end of October, a leading medical group recommends. Flu vaccination lagged last year, with 55% of children getting their vaccines, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) noted. Coverage levels were 8 percentage points lower for Black children compared with white…  read on >  read on >

Folic acid, a B vitamin that’s used widely to fortify foods and lower the risk of birth defects, may carry a hidden risk for those who have to take huge quantities of it: A new study shows those folks were more likely to get COVID-19 and to die from it. “We examined whether COVID-19 diagnosis…  read on >  read on >

Parents who smoke should know that their kids are more likely to vape and try smoking. Those teens were 55% more likely to try e-cigarettes than those of nonsmoking parents and 51% more likely to have tried traditional cigarettes, according to a large study out of Ireland. It also found that the percentage who have…  read on >  read on >

Monkeypox, the contagious virus that causes a blister-like skin rash, may also cause heart problems, according to a new case study. In findings published Sept. 2 in JACC: Case Reports, doctors in Portugal described a 31-year-old patient with monkeypox who developed acute myocarditis about a week after his other symptoms started. “Through this important case…  read on >  read on >

Up to 9% of American teens say they’ve engaged in what’s known as “digital self-harm” — anonymously posting negative comments about themselves on social media. As is the case with acts of physical self-harm such as cutting, this “virtual” self-harm is associated with a higher risk for thinking about or attempting suicide, according to a…  read on >  read on >

While the number of Americans with known monkeypox infections is dropping, that may signal what’s happening in big cities, experts say. It is not the end of the outbreak, they warn. Cases are down about 40% in the United States, an NBC News analysis finds. The seven-day average of new reported cases had a daily…  read on >  read on >

Many teenagers have a hard time discerning between accurate health messages and “fake news,” a new study finds. Presented with a choice between fake and true health messages, about two in five teenagers considered both messages equally trustworthy, researchers found. Further, about one in 10 actually considered the fake message more trustworthy than the accurate…  read on >  read on >