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...

AHA News: Taking Blood Pressure at Home May Better Predict Heart Problem in Black Adults

MONDAY, Sept. 16, 2019 (American Heart Association News) -- Checking blood pressure at home or elsewhere outside a doctor's office could help predict a certain heart problem among black adults better than the same check done during a medical visit, new research suggests.

The study published Monday in the American Heart Association jou...

Kids Often Prescribed Drugs 'Off-Label,' Raising Concerns

MONDAY, Sept. 16, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- When a child gets sick, doctors are increasingly relying on what's known as "off-label" use of medications, a new study says.

Off-label use of a drug means that it hasn't been specifically studied and approved for the condition, age group or weight of the person getting the prescription.

Even Dolphins Are Threatened by Antibiotic-Resistant 'Superbugs'

MONDAY, Sept. 16, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- Scientists have found one more way Flipper is a lot like people: The sharp rise in antibiotic resistance affecting humans is also happening to dolphins.

The discovery stems from a 13-year study of bottlenose dolphins in Florida's Indian River Lagoon.

"We've been able to provide a la...

Get Up-to-the-Minute Safety Alerts Sent Straight to Your Inbox

MONDAY, Sept. 16, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- From defective child car seats to deadly virus outbreaks at restaurant chains, you're likely to learn of major product recalls and serious health warnings through various news outlets.

But there's such a large number of alerts, big and small, that you might not hear about all of them, or hear ...

Online Learning: What's in It for You?

MONDAY, Sept. 16, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- Taking courses online has made it easier for thousands of college students to meet their degree requirements, but this type of learning may hold the most benefit for people who are interested in continuing education throughout their lives.

Courses that let you explore a topic of interest or ga...

Purdue Files for Bankruptcy Over Opioid Crisis Suits, With Many States Objecting

MONDAY, Sept. 16, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, touching off what could be a fierce battle by dozens of states hoping to recoup billions spent fighting the opioid crisis.

As reported by The New York Times, there are over 2,600 pending federal and state lawsuits lodged...

Don't Let Kids Wander Alone in Parking Lots

FRIDAY, Sept. 13, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- Many children walk through parking lots without adult supervision, putting them in great danger, a new study warns.

Researchers watched 124 kids, ages 2 to 10, and their adult companions as they crossed a parking lot at a community recreation center.

The team found that 67% of th...

Adult Support Can Make the Difference for Boys From Tough Neighborhoods

FRIDAY, Sept. 13, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- Strong adult social support can help prevent violence among teen boys growing up in poor neighborhoods, new research shows.

The study included nearly 900 boys in poor areas of Pittsburgh, aged 13 to 19, who took part in a sexual violence prevention trial.

The researchers looked at ...

Most U.S. Parents Say Vaccination Should Be Requirement for School: Poll

FRIDAY, Sept. 13, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- More than 8 in 10 U.S. adults say kids should be required to get vaccinated in order to attend school, but far fewer trust the safety of vaccines, a new poll finds.

The nationwide poll from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health sampled 1,550 adults (704 parents and 846 others) and foun...

Links Between Smog, 2nd Pregnancies and Preterm Birth

FRIDAY, Sept. 13, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- Exposure to higher levels of air pollution in a second pregnancy than in a first may increase the risk of preterm birth, a new study says.

U.S. National Institutes of Health researchers analyzed data from more than 50,000 women who gave birth in 20 hospitals in Utah between 2002 and 2010, as w...

Heartburn Drug Zantac May Contain Small Amounts of Known Carcinogen, FDA Says

FRIDAY, Sept. 13, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- A substance that could cause cancer has been found in some ranitidine heartburn and ulcer medicines, including the brand-name drug Zantac, and the source of this contamination is being investigated, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration says.

While preliminary tests found low levels of the nit...

More U.S. Teen Girls Are Victims of Suicide Than Thought, Study Finds

FRIDAY, Sept. 13, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- The gender gap in teen suicide is smaller than previously estimated, with more girls dying by suicide each year, a new study contends.

Suicide death rates among 10- to 19-year-old girls have been systematically underestimated, while rates among boys have been overestimated, according to the repo...

AHA News: Women With Heart Failure Less Likely to Get Heart Pump Device

FRIDAY, Sept. 13, 2019 (American Heart Association News) -- Women are less likely than men to receive a mechanical heart pump that is becoming the norm for people with advanced heart failure, according to new research.

The study, published Friday in the American Heart Association journal Circulation: Heart Failure, took a deepe...

Most Cyclists Suffering Head Injuries Not Wearing Helmets: Study

FRIDAY, Sept. 13, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- Only about one in five U.S. adults and one in 10 children and teens who suffered head and neck injuries in cycling crashes said they wore a helmet, a new study finds.

An analysis of data from more than 76,000 cyclists nationwide who experienced such injuries between 2002 and 2012 found that on...