Mpox Spread in Congo May Be Slowing

• Robin Foster HealthDay Reporter
• November 5, 2024
• Full Page

In an early sign that the mpox outbreak in Africa might be ebbing, some health officials report that case counts seem to be stabilizing in the Congo, the epicenter of the outbreak.

The World Health Organization first declared the mpox outbreak a global health emerge...

Fish Oil Supplements Might Help Prevent Cancer

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• November 5, 2024
• Full Page

The omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids in fish oil supplements might help protect people from cancer, a new study claims.

Study participants with higher levels of omega-3s had lower rates of colon, stomach, lung and other digestive tract cancers, researchers found.

Li...

22 Pesticides Linked to Prostate Cancer Risk

• Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
• November 5, 2024
• Full Page

Exposure to any one of 22 pesticides may bring heightened odds of developing prostate cancer, a new analysis suggests.

The study was conducted over decades because prostate cancer is known to grow very slowly, noted a team led by Dr. Simon John Christoph Soerensen, of St...

A Visit to the ER Can Often Precede a Cancer Diagnosis

• Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
• November 5, 2024
• Full Page

Canadian researchers have found that about 1 in every 3 people newly diagnosed with cancer experienced at least one emergency department visit sometime during the three months prior to their diagnosis.

Many of the visits ended up being caused by symptoms related to the c...

Medicaid Covers GLP-1 Meds for Obesity in Just 13 States

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• November 5, 2024
• Full Page

Poorer folks’ access to blockbuster weight-loss drugs through Medicaid remains limited, a new KFF analysis has found.

Only 13 states currently allow Medicaid to cover treatment of obesity using glucagon-like peptide-1 agonist (GLP-1) medications, researchers discov...

Why Treatments Can Fail Folks With 'Wet' Macular Degeneration -- and What Might Really Work

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• November 5, 2024
• Full Page

Current treatments sometimes fail to help people with “wet” age-related macular degeneration -- and researchers now think they know why.

Wet AMD is caused by an overgrowth of blood vessels in the retina, the light-sensing tissue at the back of the eye. The ve...

Banning Menthol Cigarettes Might Drive Smokers to Quit-Smoking Therapies

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• November 5, 2024
• Full Page

Banning menthol cigarettes could help convince smokers quit the habit, a new study finds.

People who prefer menthol cigarettes would rather buy nicotine gum or other nicotine replacement therapies than switch to traditional tobacco cigarettes, researchers reported recent...

Diabetes Can Damage Your Eyes' Retinas: An Expert Explains

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• November 5, 2024
• Full Page

People with diabetes face a number of health challenges related to their chronic condition, and loss of vision due to retinal damage is one of them.

“Diabetes can silently damage a person’s most precious sense, their sight, before symptoms even appear. That&r...

Higher Heart Rate May Help Spur A-fib in Black Patients

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• November 5, 2024
• Full Page

An elevated heart rate could provide an important clue to which Black adults often have a dangerous heart rhythm disorder, a new study finds.

Higher resting heart rate is associated with increased risk of atrial fibrillation, researchers found.

What’s more, t...

In a National First, an Idaho Health Department Is Refusing to Give COVID Vaccines

• Robin Foster HealthDay Reporter
• November 4, 2024
• Full Page

In what may be a first for the United States, a regional public health department in Idaho will no longer provide COVID-19 vaccines, following a close vote by its board.

“I’m not aware of anything else like this,” said Adriane Casalotti, chief of govern...

'Dawson's Creek' Star James Van Der Beek Has Colon Cancer

• Robin Foster HealthDay Reporter
• November 4, 2024
• Full Page

Actor James Van Der Beek, perhaps best known for his role as Dawson Leery in the popular television series "Dawson's Creek," has announced that he has been diagnosed with colorectal cancer.

"I have colorectal cancer. I’ve been privately dealing with this diagnosis ...

Too Much Sitting Harms the Heart, Even in Folks Who Exercise

• Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
• November 4, 2024
• Full Page

There's just something about sitting.

New research shows that too much time on sofas and chairs harms the heart -- even among people who get the minimum recommended amount of daily exercise.

“Taking a quick walk after work may not be enough" to offset the hea...

World War II Data Shows Impact of Sugar on Kids' Health

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• November 4, 2024
• Full Page

The home front hardships of World War II illustrate how too much sugar is harming people’s health today, a new study shows.

British children who endured wartime rationing of sugar wound up with lifelong health benefits, researchers discovered.

Sugar restricti...

Mindfulness Meditation Could Have Direct Effect in Reducing Pain

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• November 4, 2024
• Full Page

Many people turn to mindfulness meditation to help them manage their chronic pain, a practice that’s been used for centuries.

However, it’s been an open question whether meditation is simply functioning as a placebo, rather than actually quelling pain.

...

Too Many Meds: 'Polypharmacy' Can Really Harm Alzheimer's Patients

• November 4, 2024
• Full Page

Alzheimer’s disease patients prescribed fistfuls of daily drugs are at greater risk of harm, a new study warns.

Patients with Alzheimer’s prescribed five or more daily medications suffer from more symptoms, falls and hospitalizations, and they are at greater ...

More Hot Flashes Could Mean Higher Odds for Type 2 Diabetes

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• November 4, 2024
• Full Page

Menopausal women with frequent hot flashes and night sweats are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes, a new study warns.

Middle-aged women who regularly suffer those well-known symptoms of menopause are 50% more likely to wind up with type 2 diabetes, researchers repor...

New Approach to Fight Huntington's Disease Shows Early Promise

• Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
• November 4, 2024
• Full Page

Huntington's disease is a devastating, fatal neurological illness with little means of treatment, but a new study in mice offers a glimmer of hope.

Huntington's occurs when inherited genes cause key proteins to fold and clump together within brain cells. Over time, this...

About 1 in 20 Women Use Marijuana During Pregnancy

• November 4, 2024
• Full Page

Although numerous studies have shown that marijuana use during pregnancy may harm both the fetus and a mom-to-be, almost 6% of women responding to a recent survey said they used weed while pregnant.

That's more than one in every 20 pregnancies, noted a team from the Univ...

Text-Messaging Program Helps Parents Keep Infants at Healthy Weight

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• November 4, 2024
• Full Page

Text messages and other online feedback can help prevent obesity in very young children, a new study demonstrates.

Kids had a healthier weight-for-height growth curve during their first two years if parents were offered electronic feedback on feeding habits, playtime and...

History of Concussion Could Raise a New Mom's Odds for Mental Health Issues

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• November 4, 2024
• Full Page

Women who’ve had concussions are more likely to suffer severe mental health problems following childbirth, a new study shows.

A history of concussion increased a new mother’s risk of severe mental illness by 25%, after adjusting for other factors, Canadian re...