A Good Night's Sleep Is Key to School Success

TUESDAY, Sept. 17, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- Now that children are back in school, it's important to make sure they get enough shut-eye, sleep experts say.

"No matter the age, children report improved alertness, energy, mood and physical well-being when enjoying healthy, consistent sleep," said Dr. Ilene Rosen, past president of the Ame...

A Drink a Day Might Be Good for Diabetics' Health, Study Suggests

TUESDAY, Sept. 17, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- Chinese researchers may deserve a toast for their new findings that suggest light to moderate drinking may be beneficial for people with type 2 diabetes.

The review found that people who had a bit of alcohol daily had lower levels of a type of blood fat called triglycerides. But alcohol didn'...

Will Feeding Your Pets Raw Food Make You Sick?

TUESDAY, Sept. 17, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- Pet food-related infections in people are rare in households that feed their pets raw food, according to a large international survey.

There is ongoing controversy about whether feeding raw pet food such as uncooked meat, internal organs, bones and cartilage puts people at risk.

Res...

Study Finds Smog Particles Can Reach Developing Fetus

TUESDAY, Sept. 17, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- Air pollution can penetrate a pregnant woman's placenta and potentially threaten the health of a developing fetus, new research warns.

The study is "the first to show that air pollution particles can reach the fetal side of the placenta," said study author Hannelore Bove, a postdoctoral resea...

Hysterectomy Tied to Depression, Anxiety

TUESDAY, Sept. 17, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- Having a hysterectomy can be a traumatic experience, and new research now shows it may also increase the long-term risk for depression and anxiety.

"Our study shows that removing the uterus may have more effect on physical and mental health than previously thought," said senior author Dr. Sha...

Doubt Over Long-Term Use of Hormone Rx for Recurrent Prostate Cancer

TUESDAY, Sept. 17, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- Running contrary to current guidelines, new research suggests that use of hormone-suppressing treatment over the long term may not help some men battling recurrent prostate cancer, and may even cause harm.

In fact, the study found that long-term hormone therapy was tied to a raised risk of de...

Radiation Rx Might Ease a Dangerous Irregular Heart Beat

TUESDAY, Sept. 17, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- A new technique that uses a targeted high dose of radiation seems to prevent recurrence of a potentially deadly heartbeat for at least two years, researchers from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis report.

This irregular rhythm, called ventricular tachycardia (VT), occurs w...

At-Risk Men May Also Benefit From Regular Mammograms

TUESDAY, Sept. 17, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- Mammography has saved hundreds of thousands of lives by detecting breast cancer early in women.

Could such regular X-ray screening also help men?

A new study argues there's potential benefit in regular mammograms for men who are at high risk of breast cancer.

Mammography accurat...

Alex Trebek Heading Back to Chemo After Cancer Numbers Go 'Sky High'

TUESDAY, Sept. 17, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- "Jeopardy!" host Alex Trebek is heading back for another round of chemotherapy after losing a large amount of weight and having his numbers rise sharply, he told ABC's "Good Morning America" on Tuesday.

The news is a setback for the beloved game show host, who's been battling stage 4 pancrea...

High-Dose Radiation a Game Changer in Fighting Deadly Prostate Cancer

TUESDAY, Sept. 17, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- In what might be a major breakthrough, researchers report that high doses of radiation dramatically prolonged survival in men battling an advanced and aggressive form of prostate cancer.

This particular type of cancer occurs when tumors resurface and spread to a number of areas beyond the pr...

AHA News: Vitamin D Is Good for the Bones, But What About the Heart?

TUESDAY, Sept. 17, 2019 (American Heart Association News) -- Vitamin D plays an important role in overall health, but if you've been taking supplements to strengthen your heart, recent research may disappoint you.

Although vitamin D is best known for its role in developing strong bones, low blood levels have been linked to an increase...

Could Profit Be a Factor in Kidney Transplant Decisions?

TUESDAY, Sept. 17, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- In a finding that suggests money may sometimes guide whether someone gets a new kidney, researchers report that patients at U.S. for-profit dialysis centers are less likely to receive a transplant.

"For-profit dialysis facilities have a higher profit margin when they have more patients on dia...

Are You Just a Worrywart or Is It Something More?

TUESDAY, Sept. 17, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- Everyone goes through moments of worry, but for some people, anxiety takes over their lives. How can you tell if you're an average worrywart or if you might have an anxiety disorder? Your degree of distress is often a good indicator.

Normal anxiety typically comes from a specific source of st...

A Surprising New Source of Omega-3s

TUESDAY, Sept. 17, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- There's no shortage of reasons to get your omega-3s, which are abundant in fish and their oils.

But high consumption of fish and their oils has created a shortage around the world. In addition, fish can be costly, and there are also concerns about toxins, like mercury, which affect many fatty...

Could Daily Low-Dose Aspirin Still Help Some People?

MONDAY, Sept. 16, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- Debate over the benefits and drawbacks of daily low-dose aspirin has flared in recent years, with guidelines now generally urging against the regimen to prevent a first heart attack or stroke in healthy people.

But some people with good heart health still might benefit from taking daily low-do...

Later Bedtimes Could Mean Wider Waistlines for Teen Girls

MONDAY, Sept. 16, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- Teenaged girls who stay up late every night could pay a price in added pounds, new research shows.

There could even be greater ramifications for girls' health, with risks for "cardiometabolic" issues -- such as heart disease and diabetes -- rising with later bedtimes, the researchers said....

First Sexual Experience Was Forced for 1 in 16 U.S. Women

MONDAY, Sept. 16, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- Changes wrought by the #MeToo movement can't come soon enough, say researchers who found that for 1 in 16 U.S. women, their first sexual experience was forced.

"In a nationally representative sample of more than 13,000 women, 6.5% said their first sexual encounters was forced as oppos...

Scientists Find Unsafe Levels of Known Carcinogen in Menthol E-Cigarettes

MONDAY, Sept. 16, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- As doctors race to determine what is causing sudden and severe lung illnesses among some vapers, new research discovers dangerously high levels of a known carcinogen in menthol-flavored electronic cigarettes.

The chemical (pulegone) is used as a menthol and mint flavoring, even though it was r...

Where Women's Health Clinics Close, Cervical Cancer Outcomes Worsen

MONDAY, Sept. 16, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- As government funding dried up and many women's health clinics across America closed, cervical cancer screening rates fell and deaths from the disease rose, a new report shows.

Nearly 100 women's health clinics in the United States closed between 2010 and 2013, researchers said -- often due to...

Most Americans in the Dark About Cancer-Causing HPV, Survey Finds

MONDAY, Sept. 16, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- Among Americans aged 18 to 26, two-thirds of men and one-third of women still do not know that the human papillomavirus (HPV) is the leading cause of cervical cancer, a new survey finds.

The survey findings also showed that more than 70% of American adults don't know that the common sexual...