A Primer on Preventing Sudden Infant Deaths

Sleep-related infant deaths are one of the leading causes of non-natural infant deaths, but a pediatric expert offers advice for keeping babies safe when they’re sleeping.

“Sleep position and sleep environment are very important factors to look at when thinking about infant sleep safety,” said Angie Hayes, a clinical research associa...

Drinking Alcohol Brings No Health Benefits, Study Finds

Dozens of studies have purportedly shown that a daily glass of wine or mug of beer could reduce your risk of heart disease and death.

But these studies are flawed, a new evidence review asserts, and the potential health benefits of moderate alcohol use vanish when those flaws and biases are taken into account.

At best, a drink or two...

Low Vaccination Rates Put U.S. at High Risk of New Mpox Outbreaks

U.S. public health officials want high-risk individuals who haven’t been vaccinated for mpox — previously called monkeypox — to do so before a potential resurgence of the virus in the coming months.

That surge could be worse than last year, federal modeling has found, but only about 23% of those at high risk for the virus have recei...

ADHD Med Prescriptions Spiked Early in Pandemic

Prescriptions for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) medications spiked during the COVID-19 pandemic, a new government report shows.

The trend may reflect both greater awareness among adults of ADHD symptoms and increased stress driving people to get the care they need.

“This report shows there is this growing populati...

Suspicious Mammogram? Out-of-Pocket Costs Keep Some Women From Follow-Up

Breast cancer screening may be free for women with health insurance, but high costs may still keep some from getting needed follow-up tests, a new study finds.

The study, of more than 230,000 U.S. women who underwent screening mammography, found that those in insurance plans with higher out-of-pocket costs were less likely to get follow-up...

Caregiving for Someone With Dementia

There is little doubt that caregiving for someone with dementia can be demanding and challenging, and that knowing how best to care for both the patient and yourself can be hard to figure out.

Here are some tips to help you navigate this difficult time and be the best caregiver you can be for your loved one.

According to the De...

'Harsh' Parenting Can Bring Mental Health Harms to Kids: Study

Parents who harshly discipline their young children may be putting them on a path toward lasting mental health symptoms, a new study suggests.

Researchers found that among 7,500 children followed from age 3 to 9, about 10% fell into a "high risk" group where mental health symptoms -- ranging from persistent sadness to acting out -- worsene...

New Clues to Recent Hepatitis Outbreak in Kids

New research has provided answers to a mystery involving an outbreak of severe hepatitis in children last year.

A total of about 1,000 cases emerged around the world in spring 2022, after the easing of COVID-19 lockdowns.

Children in about 35 countries, including the United States, experienced severe hepatitis that caused 50 kids t...

Monthly Injections Might Lower Bleeding in People With Hemophilia

An experimental injectable drug appears effective in reducing bleeds in patients with hemophilia A and B, according to a pair of new clinical trials.

Two-thirds of people with treatment-resistant hemophilia who were treated with the drug fitusiran had no bleeds at all after nine months, versus just 5% of people treated with drugs that enha...

Talking to Your Kids About School Shootings: Experts Offer Guidance

Children should feel safe at school, but learning of a mass shooting — like this week's tragedy at Covenant School in Nashville — can threaten their sense of security.

For parents, it can be challenging to know what to tell them.

Two children’s mental health experts from UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas offer some advi...

Health Highlights: March 31, 2023​

'Harsh' parenting can bring mental health harms to kids. In a new study, yelling and physical punishment were more likely than calm, consistent parenting to lead to emotional issues, researchers found. Read more

Talking to your kids about school shootings. Following yet another tragedy, tw...

Study Refutes Notion That Method of Delivery Impacts Baby's 'Microbiome'

Despite a longstanding assumption that babies’ gut microbiome development could be affected by whether they were born vaginally or through cesarean section, scientists report this doesn't appear to be the case.

A team of Canadian researchers looked to infant stool microbiome composition in the first weeks and months of life to evaluate t...

FDA Approves Drug for Cats With Allergic Skin Disease

Cats constantly licking and chewing because of a skin condition called feline allergic dermatitis may benefit from a new generic treatment approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The FDA approved Modulis for Cats on March 29, making it the first generic cyclosporine oral solution for cats with skin conditions resulting from thi...

Telehealth for Opioid Use Disorder Helped Curb Fatal ODs During Pandemic

Telehealth appointments — meetings with a doctor through a phone or video call — are valuable tools in the fight against opioid use disorder in the United States, researchers say.

The use of telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic, along with medications for addiction, reduced the risk for fatal overdose among Medicare recipients, a ne...

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...