WEDNESDAY, Nov. 6, 2024 (HealthDay News) — More than a third of Americans continue to express mistrust in the science behind COVID vaccines, a new study finds. This level of mistrust has remained relatively consistent, expressed by 36% of people in 2021, 33% in 2022 and 36% in 2023. PeopleContinue Reading
TUESDAY, Nov. 5, 2024 (HealthDay News) — 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 recently in the journal Drug andContinue Reading
FRIDAY, Oct. 25, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Some Americans should get more than one shot of the updated COVID vaccines because their age or certain health conditions make them more vulnerable to severe infections, U.S. health officials advised this week. Six months after their first shot, people 65 and olderContinue Reading
FRIDAY, Oct. 24, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Certain gut microbes might be linked to a person’s risk of developing Parkinson’s disease, a new study suggests. People prescribed multiple courses of penicillin antibiotics have a modestly lower risk of developing Parkinson’s, researchers found. Those antibiotics might be affecting bacterial populations inContinue Reading
THURSDAY, Oct. 24, 2024 (HealthDay News) — The recommended first age at which Americans should get the pneumococcal vaccine has been lowered from 65 to 50, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Wednesday. “Lowering the age for pneumococcal vaccination gives more adults the opportunity to protect themselvesContinue Reading
TUESDAY, Oct. 22, 2024 (HealthDay News) — At-home brain stimulation therapy can safely and effectively treat severe to moderate depression, a new clinical trial shows. Rates of treatment response and depression remission were three times higher in people receiving the noninvasive brain stimulation, researchers said. “The study results bring promiseContinue Reading
TUESDAY, Oct. 22, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Smokers find it easier to quit if they’re automatically offered support, even if they didn’t ask for it, a new clinical trial finds. Quit rates were higher among health system patients placed in an “opt-out” program, in which tobacco cessation medications and counselingContinue Reading
FRIDAY, Oct. 18, 2024 (HealthDay News) — A global real-world study of the vaccine for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) finds it offers folks aged 60 and over 80% protection against severe illness and/or hospitalization. With U.S. vaccination rates falling, “I encourage older adults to follow CDC guidance and get vaccinatedContinue Reading
THURSDAY, Oct. 17, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Is vaping finally losing its coolness for American teens? The latest tally of federal data finds that 550,000 school kids, mostly high schoolers, quit using e-cigarettes in 2024. Vaping rates fell from 10% of high school students in 2023 to 7.8% this year,Continue Reading
THURSDAY, Oct. 17, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Doctors might be overprescribing sedatives to stroke survivors, a new study warns. About 5% of people are prescribed a benzodiazepine following a stroke, to help calm anxiety and improve sleep, researchers found. Benzodiazepine meds include Valium, Ativan and Xanax. But these prescriptions oftenContinue Reading
THURSDAY, Oct. 17, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Folks who want solid protection during the cold and flu season should get the influenza vaccine now, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration says. The ideal time to get the flu vaccine is by the end of October, the FDA said in aContinue Reading
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 16, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Public concerns about contracting RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) have significantly declined during the past year, a new survey shows. About 1 in 4 people (26%) are now worried that they or a family member will get RSV during the next three months, theContinue Reading
SATURDAY, October 10 , 2024 (HealthDay News) — When going on vacation, there’s a lot to remember, but it’s a good idea if you add one more item to the to-do list. Baylor College of Medicine in Houston suggests creating a family travel medical checklist, to be sure that youContinue Reading
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 9, 2024 (HealthDay News) — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration currently mandates strong health warnings when vapes containing synthetic nicotine are advertised on Instagram and other social media. Trouble is, most vendors aren’t adhering to those rules meant to protect kids, a new study finds. It’s aContinue Reading