CBD Medicine May Help Ease Another Form of Seizure

SATURDAY, Dec. 7, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- Prescription-grade CBD may help control hard-to-treat seizures caused by a rare genetic disorder, a preliminary study suggests.

The study involved 224 patients with tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) -- a genetic condition that affects about one in 6,000 people, according to the U.S. National In...

Good Workouts Might Extend a Woman's Life

SATURDAY, Dec. 7, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- If you can tackle a tough workout, that may bode well for your longevity, new research suggests.

A woman's risk of dying from heart disease, cancer or other causes is much lower if she can engage in vigorous exercise, scientists report.

The new study included more than 4,700 middle-a...

Healthy Lifestyle, Regular Screening May Keep Cancer at Bay

FRIDAY, Dec. 6, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- A healthy lifestyle might be your best defense against cancer, an expert says.

About 42% of cancer cases and 45% of cancer deaths are attributable to modifiable risk factors, according to the American Cancer Society.

"Modifiable risk factors are behaviors within one's control, ...

Virtual Doc Visits Suffice for Many With Neurological Disorders

FRIDAY, Dec. 6, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- If you have a neurological disorder, a video chat with your doctor might be as good as an office visit for checking on your condition.

That's the conclusion of researchers who analyzed 101 studies on telemedicine use for concussion, traumatic brain injury, dementia, epilepsy, headache, multiple ...

FDA Testing Levels of Carcinogen in Diabetes Drug Metformin

FRIDAY, Dec. 6, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- Levels of possible cancer-causing chemicals in metformin diabetes medications are under investigation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Metformin is a prescription drug used to control high blood sugar in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Over the past year and a half, several typ...

FDA Approves First Generic Forms of MS Drug Gilenya

FRIDAY, Dec. 6, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- The first generic versions of the multiple sclerosis drug Gilenya have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The three generic versions of Gilenya (fingolimod) capsules were approved for the treatment of relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) in adults.

"Approving...

Domestic Abuse Can Leave Legacy of Poor Health

FRIDAY, Dec. 6, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- Women with a history of domestic abuse are more likely to develop chronic conditions that cause pain and fatigue, a new study says.

British researchers examined medical records of more than 18,500 women who had suffered domestic abuse between 1995 and 2017 and more than 74,000 who had not been a...

AHA News: Here's How Black Barbershops Could Save Lives and Millions in Health Costs

FRIDAY, Dec. 6, 2019 (American Heart Association News) -- A national program to fight high blood pressure by sending pharmacists to black barbershops could prevent thousands of strokes, heart attacks and deaths, and save the health care system $870 million a year, a new analysis shows.

The research, led by Dr. Dhruv S. Kazi of the Smi...

Houseflies: Just How Bad Are They for Your Health?

FRIDAY, Dec. 6, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- Everyone quickly shoos houseflies off their dinner plates, but exactly how disease-ridden are these pesky insects?

New research reveals that flies do pick up plenty of microbes from the nearby environment -- germs that can then be transmitted to your food or drink.

But there's also rea...

Cleaner Air Quickly Brings Big Health Benefits, Study Finds

FRIDAY, Dec. 6, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- When people are breathing cleaner air, their health generally improves -- rapidly, in some cases, a new review shows.

The report, from the Environmental Committee of the Forum of International Respiratory Societies (FIRS), details some of the evidence on air quality and human health. Overall, i...

BPA Levels in Humans Are Underestimated: Study

FRIDAY, Dec. 6, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- Levels of the widely used chemical bisphenol A (BPA) in people's bodies are much higher than once thought, according to scientists who say they've created a more accurate way to measure them.

BPA is used in many plastic products, including food and drink containers, and animal studies have shown...

3 Drugs for Severe Epileptic Seizures Are Equally Effective: Study

THURSDAY, Dec. 5, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- Three drugs used to treat severe seizures in epilepsy patients are equally effective, a new study finds.

The three medications -- levetiracetam (Keppra and Roweepra), fosphenytoin (Cerebyx) and valproate -- are commonly used to treat patients with "refractory status epilepticus." In these pati...

All 50 States Now Reporting Cases of Severe Vaping-Linked Lung Injury

THURSDAY, Dec. 5, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- Cases of a serious, sometimes fatal, form of lung injury tied to vaping have now been reported in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

In total, case numbers have risen to 2,291, according to the latest update from the U.S. Centers for Disease Contr...

More Than 1 in 4 High School Students Now Vape: CDC

THURSDAY, Dec. 5, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- An epidemic of vaping by American teenagers shows no signs of stopping, with 2019 data finding more than a quarter (27.5%) of high school students using e-cigarettes.

The rate was somewhat lower, but still troubling, among middle school kids -- about 1 in every 10 vaped, according to new r...

More Teen Time on Social Media, More Eating Disorders?

THURSDAY, Dec. 5, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- The more often young teens turn to social media, the more prone they are to eating disorders, new research suggests.

While the study does not prove social media use causes eating disorders, it raises a red flag, said study author Simon Wilksch. He's a senior research fellow in psychology at Fl...

Distracted by Their Smartphones, Pedestrians Are Landing in the ER

THURSDAY, Dec. 5, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- Talking and texting on your smartphone is a big no-no for drivers, but new research suggests the same should be true for pedestrians.

According to one database, more than 2,500 men and women went to an emergency room for head and neck injuries sustained while using a smartphone between 1998 an...

Vaping May Have Triggered Lung Illness Typically Only Seen in Metalworkers

THURSDAY, Dec. 5, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- A lung disease that normally strikes in the workplace has been linked to vaping in a new report.

A 49-year-old California woman who vaped marijuana came down with a form of pneumonia normally associated with exposure to hard metals in industrial settings, according to a case study published De...

'Mobile Stroke Units' Help Rush Treatment to Patients

THURSDAY, Dec. 5, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- If you're in the throes of a stroke, being stuck in an ambulance in big-city traffic is the last place you want to be -- unless you're riding in a specially equipped ambulance called a mobile stroke unit (MSU).

A new study reports that suspected stroke patients in New York City who were taken ...

AHA News: NFL Coaches' Drive for Success Can Be Hard on Their Hearts

THURSDAY, Dec. 5, 2019 (American Heart Association News) -- You're not likely to find any studies linking heart disease and NFL coaches – just a long list of familiar names.

Among them: Mike Ditka of the Chicago Bears, who had heart attacks in 1988 and 2018. Bill Parcells of the New York Giants and other teams, who needed bypass...

Mom-to-Be's Diabetes May Up Odds of Heart Disease in Her Kids

THURSDAY, Dec. 5, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- Children whose mothers had diabetes before or during pregnancy have an increased risk of developing heart disease by age 40, according to a new study.

The findings "highlight the importance of effective strategies for screening and preventing diabetes in women of childbearing age," said study ...