Talking to a Loved One Battling Substance Abuse: Staying Positive Is Key

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• September 23, 2023
• Full Page

A conversation with a family member or loved one struggling with addiction can be the catalyst for getting help.

But it’s important to choose your words carefully when discussing possible addiction to controlled substances with your loved one, said Dr. Aleksandra Zgier...

RSV Vaccine Given in Pregnancy to Help Shield Newborns Receives Full U.S. Approval

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• September 22, 2023
• Full Page

Women may soon have a vaccine they can take during a pregnancy to help protect their newborn from respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

Following approval one month ago by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday also a...

Many Americans Frustrated in Search for Low-Cost COVID Boosters

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• September 22, 2023
• Full Page

Americans seeking out the new COVID boosters are finding themselves held back by insurance entanglements and supply delays.

Some insurers have balked at covering the vaccines, with people arriving at shot appointments only to be told that they’ll have to pay $100 or mo...

In 22 U.S. States, More Than a Third of Adults Are Now Obese

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• September 22, 2023
• Full Page

Obesity is on the rise across the United States.

In 22 states, 35% of adults or more were obese last year, new data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show.

Just 10 years ago, there were no states that had obesity rates at or above 35%.

Kraft Cheese Slices Recalled Due to Plastic Wrap Choking Hazard

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• September 22, 2023
• Full Page

Kraft Heinz said it is recalling over 83,000 packs of its Kraft Singles American processed cheese slices because of a packaging defect in the plastic that wraps the cheese slices.

A temporary issue developed on one of the wrapping machines, making it possible for a thin ...

Kids' ER Visits for Mental Health Crises Rise When School Term Begins

• Steven Reinberg HealthDay Reporter
• September 22, 2023
• Full Page

FRIDAY, Sept. 22, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- While the start of the school year can give kids and teens the chance to reconnect with friends and enjoy school sports and activities, it can also trigger stressors that send many to the emergency room for mental health woes...

Medicaid Reinstated for Nearly 500,000 Children and Families: CMS

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• September 22, 2023
• Full Page

FRIDAY, Sept. 22, 2023 (HealthDay News) – About 500,000 children and families have had their Medicaid reinstated after some states erroneously purged them because of a systems issue, the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) said Thursday.

The agency had first e...

Vaping Raises a Teen's Odds of Developing Asthma

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• September 22, 2023
• Full Page

New research underscores the harms of e-cigarettes, showing that vaping increases the risk of asthma in teens who have never smoked cigarettes.

Although e-cigarettes have fewer toxins than regular cigarettes, they still contain a mixture of harmful chemicals and raise th...

Newer Diabetes Meds Might Not Work as Well in Black Patients

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• September 22, 2023
• Full Page

FRIDAY, Sept. 22, 2023 (HealthDay News) – New research suggests some newer diabetes treatments may not be as beneficial for Black patients, after earlier drug trials included small numbers of non-white people.

Whether the medications -- called sodium-glucose co-transpo...

Scientists Spot Gene Mutation Linked to Esophageal Cancer

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• September 22, 2023
• Full Page

Researchers have found a gene mutation linked to esophageal cancer, which could lead to better prevention and treatment strategies.

Investigators from Case Western Reserve University in Ohio found the mutation, potentially helping those at risk of what is a highly letha...

Brain Trauma Could Help Trigger Heart Troubles

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• September 22, 2023
• Full Page

While the neurological impact of a traumatic brain injury (TBI) has long been studied, new research suggests TBIs are also hard on the heart.

The research team took a closer look at connections between the two organs, finding that nervous system dysfunction, neuro-infla...

Babies May Leave Cells Behind That Help Mom Prepare for Future Pregnancies

• Amy Norton HealthDay Reporter
• September 21, 2023
• Full Page

One pregnancy may leave behind microscopic souvenirs that prepare a mom's immune system for the next one, a new study suggests.

Experts said the research, carried out in lab mice, offers new insights into a longstanding puzzle: Why doesn't a pregnant woman's immune syste...

Today's COVID Is Increasingly Looking Like a Cold or Flu

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• September 21, 2023
• Full Page

Symptoms of mild COVID-19 infection have shifted this season, and now are more akin to those of allergies and the common cold, doctors say.

Many people with COVID-19 now are presenting with upper respiratory symptoms like runny nose, watery eyes and a sore throat, said D...

FDA Must Crack Down on Retailers Selling Tobacco to Teens: Report

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• September 21, 2023
• Full Page

A new government report finds that federal regulators need to do more to help in the battle to keep kids and teens off tobacco.

Among the report’s findings were that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration needs to get tough on retailers selling tobacco to youth and shou...

U.S. Resumes Free COVID Test Program

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• September 21, 2023
• Full Page

Americans will once again be able to get free at-home COVID tests.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced Wednesday that it will spend $600 million to buy and offer the tests, produced by 12 domestic manufacturers, and it will begin accepting or...

Suppressing Negative Thoughts Can Sometimes Be Healthy, Study Contends

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• September 21, 2023
• Full Page

A longstanding core belief of mental health maintains that people must confront their fears to ease the anxiety and depression stemming from those negative thoughts.

Now a new study argues that, for some people, suppressing negative thoughts and worries might be a more s...

In Mississippi, a Huge Jump in Cases of Babies Born With Syphilis

• Steven Reinberg HealthDay Reporter
• September 21, 2023
• Full Page

The United States is experiencing an alarming wave of congenital syphilis, and one southern state saw a 1,000% rise in babies born with the infection between 2016 and 2022.

The number of babies born with the infection in Mississippi rose from 10 in 2016 to 110 in 2022. S...

Gun Injuries Rise as Neighborhoods Gentrify

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• September 21, 2023
• Full Page

As working class neighborhoods gentrify, you'll likely see rents rise, pricey restaurants move in — and maybe also a rise in gunshot wounds, researchers say.

In U.S. neighborhoods that gentrified, gun injuries were 62% higher than they were in similar neighborhoods tha...

Wildfire Smoke Pollution a Growing Global Threat

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• September 21, 2023
• Full Page

More people around the world are exposed to wildfire smoke that has the potential to harm human health, and their numbers are growing, new research finds.

More than 2 billion people are exposed to at least one day of potentially health-impacting wildfire smoke each year...

Helping Undocumented Immigrants Find a Primary Care Doc Lowers ER Costs: Study

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• September 21, 2023
• Full Page

Helping undocumented immigrants in the United States connect with primary care doctors could be a money-saver, substantially reducing emergency department use and lowering health costs, a new study finds.

The findings are from a New York City program that helped arrange ...