Think Vaping Is Heathier for Your Heart Than Smoking? Think Again

MONDAY, Nov. 11, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- Vaping isn't necessarily better for your heart health than smoking tobacco, a pair of new studies argue.

They report that use of e-cigarettes negatively affects risk factors for heart disease in ways similar to traditional tobacco cigarettes:

• Levels of bad cholesterol and triglyc...

Frequent Pot Smokers Face Twice the Odds for Stroke

MONDAY, Nov. 11, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- Smoking pot doesn't do your heart or your brain any favors, a pair of new studies shows.

Frequent pot smokers are more than twice as likely to suffer a stroke compared with those who don't partake, the first study found.

They're also more likely to be hospitalized for a dangerously er...

Veterans Often Hit Hard by Deaths of Fellow Soldiers

MONDAY, Nov. 11, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- As Americans pay tribute to all veterans who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces Monday, new research suggests that how comrades died can affect levels of grief among soldiers who served in Afghanistan and Iraq.

"Our goal was to better understand how combat veterans experience the deaths of t...

Evening Meals Could Harm the Female Heart, Study Shows

MONDAY, Nov. 11, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- Late dinners and heavy evening snacking do no favors for women's hearts, a new study suggests.

Researchers at New York City's Columbia University found that those who ate more of their daily calories in the evening had a higher risk of heart disease.

One cardiologist who looked over t...

The On-Again, Off-Again Weight-Loss Diet

MONDAY, Nov. 11, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- Being on a weight-loss diet day in and day out for months on end can be challenging and even discouraging.

What's more, following the same never-ending diet could be the reason you aren't getting the results you're looking for. A study in the International Journal of Obesity found an al...

Exercise Tweaks to Revitalize Your Workout Regimen

MONDAY, Nov. 11, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- Is your workout routine in a slump? To keep challenging your body, it's important to tweak your regimen every three months or each season.

By aligning these changes to seasonal changes, you can also start the right prep for the next season's sports, such as training for skiing in the fall and hi...

Opioids Won't Help Arthritis Patients Long-Term: Study

SATURDAY, Nov. 9, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- Opioid painkillers may temporarily ease the discomfort of arthritis, but they have no clear lasting benefit, a research review finds.

In an analysis of 23 clinical trials, researchers found that, on average, opioid medications were somewhat effective at easing pain ...

Common Muscle Relaxant Could Pose Mental Dangers for Seniors

SATURDAY, Nov. 9, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- A commonly prescribed muscle relaxant known as baclofen can leave older kidney patients so disoriented that they land in the hospital, a new study warns.

"It can present with acute stroke-like symptoms, even though it's not a stroke," said senior researcher Dr. Amit...

Self-Testing for Cervical Cancer Increases Screening Rates

FRIDAY, Nov. 8, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- Mailing self-sampling kits to test for the cervical cancer-causing virus HPV significantly increased screening rates for the cancer, according to a new study.

The research included nearly 20,000 women in the Kaiser Permanente Washington (state) system who hadn't been screened for cervical cancer...

Trump Administration Wants to Raise Age to Buy E-Cigs to 21

FRIDAY, Nov. 8, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- Speaking outside the White House on Friday, President Donald Trump said his administration plans to raise the U.S. federal legal age to buy e-cigarettes from 18 to 21.

That's just one plank in the administration's new plan to curb youth vaping, Trump told reporters.

"We have to take ca...

Vitamin E Acetate Is Leading Suspect in Vaping-Linked Lung Illnesses: CDC

FRIDAY, Nov. 8, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- A new federal report points to an oily chemical known as vitamin E acetate as the likely culprit behind more than 2,000 cases of severe lung illness among vapers.

After taking fluid samples from the lungs of 29 vapers who were hospitalized for the illness in 10 states, scientists from the U.S...

Supplements Don't Prevent Kidney Disease in Type 2 Diabetics

FRIDAY, Nov. 8, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- Taking vitamin D and fish oil supplements won't prevent kidney disease in people with type 2 diabetes, a new study finds.

Many diabetics use the supplements, hoping they will have a positive effect on their kidneys and heart, the researchers said.

"We wanted this study to clarify wh...

New Tool Predicts Odds of Kidney Disease

FRIDAY, Nov. 8, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- Imagine that your doctor could predict your risk of kidney disease in the next five years with a simple calculation.

Researchers from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore report they have done just that.

"With the risk equations that we've developed, physicians should be able to deter...

Kratom May Cause Liver Damage: Study

FRIDAY, Nov. 8, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- The popular herbal supplement kratom may cause liver damage, researchers warn.

Kratom is widely available in smoke shops and online. It's a botanical product made from Mitragyna speciosa, a tropical evergreen tree found in Southeast Asia. At low doses, it's a stimulant. At high doses, i...

Survey Shows Americans Feel Stressed

FRIDAY, Nov. 8, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- Mass shootings, health care and the 2020 presidential election are significant causes of stress for American adults, a new survey finds.

The poll of more than 3,600 U.S. adults found that 71% of them said mass shootings are a major source of stress, an increase from 62% in 2018. Hispanic...

AHA News: On Chicago's South Side, Revitalization Aims for 'Culture of Health'

FRIDAY, Nov. 8, 2019 (American Heart Association News) -- Washington Heights, a historic neighborhood on Chicago's far South Side, faces the modern-day challenge of boosting health, education and economic opportunities for its residents.

At the forefront of this revitalization effort is The Endeleo Institute, and its success stories a...

Abnormal Gut Microbiome May Stunt Preemies' Growth

FRIDAY, Nov. 8, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- The gut microbiome of premature infants in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) may hinder their future growth, new research shows.

The study included 78 infants who weighed less than 3 pounds at birth. Their stool samples were tested weekly for their first six weeks in the NICU, and the result...

Give Newborn to Mom Right Away -- After Moving the Electrodes

FRIDAY, Nov. 8, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- Immediate skin-to-skin contact between newborns and their mothers is encouraged, but poses some potential risks in cases of cesarean birth, researchers say.

In a new report, the researchers described two cases where newly delivered babies came into contact with electrodes on the mothers' skin th...

A Tasty and Nutritious Way to Prepare Fish

FRIDAY, Nov. 8, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- Want to get more fish in your diet with a lot more flavor? This two-step technique yields a crispy outside and flaky fish within.

Cooking fish in a skillet is a fast and flavorful way to prepare this healthy, low-calorie protein. The trick to searing fish and getting a crisp top is to start with...

The Essential Upper Arm Shape-Up

FRIDAY, Nov. 8, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- Just because your upper arms are temporarily hidden under sweaters and jackets doesn't mean you should neglect them. Here's how to tone them with weights for better definition now and when they're fully back in view.

Hammer Curls: These are an effective variation of the bicep curl. Stand ...