WEDNESDAY, Feb. 28, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Though the dangers of smoking during pregnancy to both mother and baby are well-known, just over 7 percent of women still light up while pregnant, a new government report shows. Younger and less educated moms-to-be were the most likely to continue puffing onContinue Reading
TUESDAY, Feb. 27, 2018 (HealthDay News) — A simple urine test apparently can reveal how old your body really is — showing its biological, not chronological age. That information can then help determine your risk for age-related diseases and even death, a new study suggests. The test checks for aContinue Reading
TUESDAY, Feb. 27, 2018 (HealthDay News) — The expression “my better half” — used to describe one’s spouse — may be more than a cliche. Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis conducted a five-year study that involved nearly 5,000 married people of all ages, and included questionnaires about spouses’Continue Reading
FRIDAY, Feb. 23, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Antioxidants — it’s a hot nutrition buzzword, but do you know what they really are? Antioxidants are naturally occurring chemicals that block the activity of other chemicals called free radicals. Free radicals are formed naturally in the body and actually play an importantContinue Reading
THURSDAY, Feb. 22, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Antidepressant drugs actually do help ease depression, countering debate over whether the medications do what they’re supposed to, a large research review has found. Some antidepressants, though, are more effective and better tolerated than others, the findings showed. The researchers analyzed data fromContinue Reading
TUESDAY, Feb. 20, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Researchers say they are one step closer to testing a heroin vaccine in humans — in what they hope will become an additional weapon in fighting America’s opioid epidemic. Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute, in California, have developed an experimental vaccine thatContinue Reading
TUESDAY, Feb. 20, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Smokers who think cigars or pipes are somehow safer than cigarettes may want to think again, new research indicates. The study tracked the health and habits of more than 357,000 Americans from 1985 to 2011. It found that, compared to people who hadContinue Reading
TUESDAY, Feb. 20, 2018 (HealthDay News) — An opioid addiction treatment program for Rhode Island prison inmates appears to have significantly reduced overdose deaths among those who are released, researchers say. The program screens all inmates for opioid addiction and provides medications to treat the addiction. It was launched inContinue Reading
FRIDAY, Feb. 16, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Can the adoring gaze of a dog or the comforting purr of a cat be helpful to people with mental illness? Absolutely, new research suggests. Although furry companions won’t replace medications or therapy for mental health concerns, they can provide significant benefits, accordingContinue Reading
WEDNESDAY, Feb. 14, 2018 (HealthDay News) — If you worry about ever getting cancer, you might want to pass on the processed foods at your supermarket. Every 10 percent dietary increase in packaged snacks, fizzy drinks, sugary cereals and other highly processed foods boosts the risk for cancer by 12Continue Reading
WEDNESDAY, Feb. 14, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Brain plaques believed to contribute to Alzheimer’s disease melt away in mice when robbed of a key enzyme, researchers report. And the rodents’ intellectual function actually improved as their amyloid plaques dissolved from lack of beta-secretase (BACE1), an enzyme critical in the formationContinue Reading
MONDAY, Feb. 12, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Devices that send electrical pulses to the brain — in the comfort of your own home — are a treatment option for depression and certain other conditions. But a new research review finds little evidence they work. The therapy — known as cranialContinue Reading
SUNDAY, Feb. 11, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Has your favorite tabby gotten a tad tubby? You can help that fat cat slim down safely. But be forewarned: It won’t happen overnight. Researchers at the University of Illinois put eight overweight neutered male cats on a diet for 18 weeks. TheyContinue Reading
THURSDAY, Feb. 8, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Two cancer drugs can stall the progression of a particularly hard-to-treat form of prostate cancer, a pair of new trials shows. Both a newly developed drug called apalutamide and an already approved drug called enzalutamide (Xtandi) kept prostate cancer from spreading for twoContinue Reading