Rewards of Tight Blood Pressure Control Outweigh Risks, Trial Finds

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• February 21, 2025
• Full Page

The health benefits of aggressive blood pressure control outweigh the potential risks for seniors, according to the latest results from a major clinical trial.

About 85% of seniors treated to a target blood pressure of 120 systolic (the top number in a blood pressure rea...

OD Deaths Decline in U.S., Driven By Drop In Opioid Fatalities

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• February 21, 2025
• Full Page

America’s opioid crisis is showing signs of subsiding, a new report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says.

Drug overdose deaths (OD) decreased by 4% between 2022 and 2023, according to the CDC’s National Center for Health Statist...

Black Cancer Death Rate Declining, But Higher Risk Remains

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• February 21, 2025
• Full Page

Cancer deaths among Black men and women in the U.S. have declined during the past decade in the United States, a new American Cancer Society (ACS) report says.

The cancer death rate decreased 49% among Black men and 33% among Black women between 1991 and 2022, according ...

This Flu Season Is Worst In A Decade

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• February 21, 2025
• Full Page

The current flu season is shaping up to be the worst in a decade.

So far, there have been at least 29 million illnesses and 370,000 hospitalizations related to the flu -- the most since the 2015-2016 season, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Preventio...

TV Violence Linked To Aggression In Teenage Boys

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• February 21, 2025
• Full Page

FRIDAY, Feb. 21, 2025 (HealthDay news) -- Superhero slugfests and TV tough-guy shootouts might have long-term effects on a preschool boy’s behavior, a new study says.

Boys exposed to violent media between ages 3 and 5 are more likely to develop aggressive and antis...

Walking Exercises Improve Stroke Rehab

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• February 21, 2025
• Full Page

Stroke patients leave the hospital with better prospects if they’re forced to hoof it more during recovery, a new study suggests.

Adding a half-hour of progressive walking exercises to standard stroke rehab measurably improves patients’ quality of life and mo...

Raw Pet Food Recalled After Bird Flu Sickens, Then Kills Two Cats

• India Edwards HealthDay Reporter
• February 20, 2025
• Full Page

Two indoor cats in Oregon were euthanized after contracting bird flu, leading to a recall of raw pet food sold in both Oregon and Washington, health officials have announced.

The cats were from separate households and had consumed the same Wild Coast Raw Boneless Free Ra...

Muscle-Building Supplements Linked to Body Image Disorder in Young Adults

• India Edwards HealthDay Reporter
• February 20, 2025
• Full Page

Protein shakes and pre-workout mixes are popular among gym-goers, but they might signal a deeper issue for some young adults.

A study published Feb. 19 in the journal PLOS Mental Health linked use of multiple muscle-building supplements to muscle dysmorphia...

Bird Flu May Spread Through the Air, Study Finds

• India Edwards HealthDay Reporter
• February 20, 2025
• Full Page

The highly contagious H5N1 bird flu virus may be spreading through the air under certain conditions, according to a new study from the Czech Republic.

Government veterinarians made the discovery while investigating a mysterious outbreak at a highly secured chicken farm l...

Should Your Teen Receive Non-Surgical Cosmetic Treatments?

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• February 20, 2025
• Full Page

Social media often tempts teenagers with non-surgical ways to improve their appearance, such as laser hair removal, skin and teeth whitening, chemical peels, botox, and face and lip fillers.

And a new poll finds that a substantial number of parents are ready to support t...

U.S. Facing Critical Hospital Bed Shortage

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• February 20, 2025
• Full Page

U.S. hospitals could face a bed shortage as early as 2032, with occupancy remaining elevated even as the country recovers from the COVID pandemic, a new study suggests.

Average hospital occupancy following the pandemic has been about 75%, researchers found, dividing the ...

Unexplained Stroke Risk Doubled Among Young Smokers

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• February 20, 2025
• Full Page

Smoking more than doubles the risk of unexplained strokes among younger adults, a new study warns.

And heavy smoking is even worse, with stroke risk more than quadrupled among adults who smoke more than a pack of cigarettes every day for 20 years compared to peo...

Radon Exposure Linked to Increased Asthma Symptoms in Children

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• February 20, 2025
• Full Page

A radioactive gas could be contributing to asthma among schoolkids, researchers have found.

Children exposed to elevated levels of radon gas tended to have more asthma symptoms, results show.

“Residential radon has not previously been described as an environm...

U.K. Kids Help Improve Treatment, Rehab For Traumatic Brain Injury

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• February 20, 2025
• Full Page

Mia Jack was stealing a glance backward when she lost control of the quadbike she’d been motoring around a family gathering.

Jack, then 12, flew over the handlebars and slammed headfirst into a tree. 

“I was wearing a helmet at the time, but appare...

LGBTQ+ Stress and Stigma Increase Risk of Mental Health Problems

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• February 20, 2025
• Full Page

The societal stress and stigma of being LGBTQ+ can increase a person’s risk of mental health problems, a new study suggests.

People in sexual and gender minorities are more likely than heterosexuals to suffer from problems like anxiety, depression, PTSD, bipolar di...

Scientists Have New Theory About Record Heat

• Carole Tanzer Miller HealthDay Reporter
• February 19, 2025
• Full Page

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 19, 2025 (HealthDay News) — You aren't imagining it: The cloud cover isn't what it used to be, and scientists say it is helping fuel Earth's hottest temperatures on record.

Global temperatures clocked in at roughly 1.5 degrees Celsius above predindu...

Trump Administration Reverses Plan to End Free COVID Test Program

• India Edwards HealthDay Reporter
• February 19, 2025
• Full Page

The Trump administration changed course on Tuesday, deciding to keep the government's free COVID test program running, just minutes before the website, COVIDtests.gov, was set to shut down.

Earlier that day, The Washington Post reported that officials were prepa...

Denied by Insurance? Why Fighting Back Sometimes Works

• India Edwards HealthDay Reporter
• February 19, 2025
• Full Page

After three years, $40,000 in medical bills and five insurance denials, April and Justin Beck finally won their battle to get life-changing treatment for their 9-year-old daughter, Emily.

Emily, once an energetic kindergartner in Georgia, began experiencing severe behavi...

Women Of Color Receive Slower Response To A Bad Mammogram

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• February 19, 2025
• Full Page

Women of color are less likely to receive prompt follow-up testing after abnormal mammogram results, a new study has found.

Minority women are less likely than white women to receive a same-day advanced imaging or biopsy after an abnormal mammogram, even though they have...

Docs Don't Track Pregnancy Complications That Threaten Long-Term Health

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• February 19, 2025
• Full Page

Women who develop a complication like diabetes or high blood pressure during pregnancy are at higher risk of stroke or heart disease in the years after delivery.

Unfortunately, their doctors aren’t taking this health risk seriously enough, a new study suggests.