Early College Class Times Can Hurt Students' Grades

Early morning college classes can be a prescription for poor attendance and lower grades, a new study suggests.

But starting classes later boosted both, as students got more sleep, were more likely to attend and were less likely to be groggy, which leads to better grades, researchers reported.

"Early morning classes likely impai...

Fully Legalizing Marijuana Could Raise Car Crash Rates

Marijuana legalization in the United States appears to be driving an increase in car crash deaths due to a jump in "intoxicated driving," researchers say.

In 4 out of 7 states that legalized recreational cannabis, deaths from car crashes rose 10%, according to the University of Illinois Chicago study. On a brighter note, suicide and opioid...

Doctors Convert Veins Into Arteries to Spare Patients Amputations

Cynthia Elford had recently lost her left leg to type 1 diabetes, after a sunburned big toe turned nearly black and forced an amputation.

Now, Elford was being told the same thing was happening in her right leg.

“I went to clip the toenail on the big toe of my right leg and I nipped my skin, just nipped it, and it was enough that i...

AHA News: Explaining Cardiovascular Risk Disparities Among Young People With Type 1 Diabetes

Black and Hispanic children with Type 1 diabetes are more likely than their white peers to develop stiffened arteries – a precursor to heart disease and stroke – during the first decade of their diabetes diagnosis, new research finds.

All of the higher risk for Hispanic children – and one-fourth of it for Black children – can be ex...

Remodeling Your Home for Wheelchair Access

Millions of Americans get around with the help of wheelchairs, from those born with disabilities to those who have been struck with disabilities later in life.

Home is a sanctuary for many -- a place where comfort, safety and ease are especially important -- so remodeling a house for wheelchair access makes sense.

Like with any renov...

Pets Could Help Prevent Food Allergies in Kids

While research has shown that having pets can lower the chances of respiratory allergies in children, a new study finds it might also reduce the risk of food allergies.

Japanese investigators found that young children exposed to dogs in the home were less likely to experience egg, milk and nut allergies, while those exposed to cats were le...

Migraines May Follow Daily Circadian Cycles, Study Shows

Your body's internal clock appears to play a big part in the time of day when severe headaches happen.

Migraines and cluster headaches have different characteristics and treatments, but experts have long noted that they share key features: Both are neurological diseases in their own right, rather than symptoms of another underlying condit...

Fatal Drug ODs Among U.S. Seniors Have Quadrupled in 20 Years

Drug overdose deaths -- both accidental and intentional -- have quadrupled over the past 20 years among older adults in the United States, a new study finds.

This increase in people ages 65 and older suggests the need for greater mental health and substance use policies, the authors said.

“The dramatic rise in overdose fatalities ...

'Death Gap' Widens Between United States & Europe

The United States has more excess deaths than high-income European countries, a divide that widened during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new study.

Excess deaths are those from all causes above and beyond what would be expected under usual conditions.

And the widening gap between Europe and the United States was not just due ...

How Round Is Your Heart? It Might Matter for Health

Assessing heart roundness may be a new way to diagnose cardiovascular conditions, new research suggests.

While doctors now use measures like heart chamber size and systolic function to diagnose and monitor cardiomyopathy and other related heart issues, cardiac sphericity (how round the heart is) may be another good tool.

“Roundness...

Health Highlights: March 30, 2023​

Pets could prevent food allergies in kids. Having a dog lowered the risk of egg, milk and nut allergies, while cats lowered the chances of egg, wheat and soybean allergies, new research shows. Read more

Migraines may follow daily circadian patterns. Your body's internal cl...

Pope Francis Remains Hospitalized With Respiratory Infection

Pope Francis will remain hospitalized for several days because of a respiratory infection that isn't COVID-19, the Vatican announced Wednesday.

“In recent days, Pope Francis complained of some respiratory difficulties, and this afternoon he went to Policlinico A. Gemelli for some medical checks,” Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said in ...

Living Near Noisy Traffic Might Raise Suicide Risk

Living with a lot of transportation noise can increase your risk of suicide, new research suggests.

A study from Switzerland found that with every 10-decibel increase of average road traffic noise at home, risk for suicides rose by 4%. An association between railway noise and suicide was less pronounced.

“We used suicides as an ind...

Report Finds Big Rise in U.S. Carbon Monoxide Deaths

A new report from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) reveals deaths from carbon monoxide poisoning are increasing in the United States.

The report looked at carbon monoxide (CO) deaths from 2009 to 2019, finding 250 consumer product-related CO deaths in 2019, more than any other year.

Generators and other engine-...

How to Prevent Falls: Tips for Older Adults

For older Americans, a fall is no laughing matter.

According to the National Council on Aging, more than 1 in 4 people over age 65 fall each year, and falls are the leading cause of fatal and non-fatal injuries among the elderly. However, falls are not a normal part of aging.

So why do the elderly fall more often? Common causes of fa...

WHO Experts Say Healthy Kids, Teens May Not Need More COVID Shots

New advice from the World Health Organization (WHO) says healthy children and teens may not need additional COVID-19 shots, though they may need to catch up on other routine vaccines.

“The public health impact of vaccinating healthy children and adolescents is comparatively much lower than the established benefits of traditional essentia...

Nerve 'Pulse' Therapy May Help Ease Sciatica

People suffering from sciatica gain lasting relief from a procedure that uses a fine needle to heat nerve roots near the spine, a new clinical trial shows.

The minimally invasive procedure, called pulsed radiofrequency (RF), provided superior pain reduction and disability improvement out to one year for patients with sciatica, according to...

FDA Approves First Over-the-Counter Nasal Spray for Opioid Overdoses

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday approved the over-the-counter use of a nasal spray that can reverse an opioid overdose.

Research has shown that wider availability of naloxone (Narcan) could save lives as the opioid epidemic rages on in this country.

“The FDA remains committed to addressing the evolving complexiti...

Could COVID in Pregnancy Raise Odds for Obese Kids?

The consequences of COVID-19 during pregnancy are still unfolding, but a new study delivers sobering news: Prenatal exposure to the virus may be linked to childhood obesity.

Looking at nearly 280 infants, researchers found those whose mothers had COVID while pregnant had lower birth weight compared to babies whose moms did not have a COV...

Missed Getting Your Steps Today? You're Still on Track for Health

For those who want to get active but feel that joining a gym or exercising on a daily basis is a bridge too far, new research may have found the sweet spot: walking.

After stacking the walking habits of 3,100 adults up against a decade’s worth of health outcomes, investigators concluded that those who logged roughly 8,000 steps in a...