Too Much Time Online Might Raise Kids’ Odds for Mental Health Woes

By Dennis Thompson  HealthDay Reporter WEDNESDAY, March 29, 2023 (HealthDay News) — Children’s screen use could be altering their developing brains as they enter adolescence and increasing their risk for mood disorders, a major new study finds. Children ages 9 and 10 who spend more time on smartphones, tablets, video games and TV exhibited higher … Read more

Why Are Uterine Fibroids Particularly Common in Black Women?

Kristamarie Collman, MD, had long had heavy menstrual periods. But 4 years ago, she started to notice other things that seemed off. She felt unusual pressure in her lower abdomen. She was going to the bathroom more often. The ab exercises that were part of her fitness routine had become harder to do. The combination … Read more

More Pregnant People Are Overdosing, and Stigma Plays a Role

March 30, 2023 – For Hendree Jones, PhD, executive director of an addiction clinic in Chapel Hill, NC, too many of her patients wait to seek addiction treatment because they’re afraid of facing backlash. They fear having their children taken away or going to jail and leaving them behind in an unsafe environment if they … Read more

Fatal Drug ODs Among U.S. Seniors Have Quadrupled in 20 Years

By Cara Murez  HealthDay Reporter THURSDAY, March 30, 2023 (HealthDay News) — Drug overdose deaths — both accidental and intentional — have quadrupled over the past 20 years among older adults in the United States, a new study finds. This increase in people ages 65 and older suggests the need for greater mental health and … Read more

What I Learned About Caring for Someone With AMD

By Joseph Adelman, as told to Hallie Levine I’ve been married to my wife, Jill, for over 40 years. We’ve been together since my teens. She’s my everything. When we learned in November 2014 that she had advanced macular degeneration or AMD, we were both scared. We’re active and travel a lot and have eight … Read more

Scientists Get Closer to Understanding ‘Hidden’ HIV

By Dennis Thompson  HealthDay Reporter WEDNESDAY, March 29, 2023 (HealthDay News) — Researchers are closing in on another immune system “hideout” that HIV uses to persist in the human body for years. A subset of white blood cells called myeloid cells can harbor HIV in people who’ve been virally suppressed for years, according to a … Read more

Nerve ‘Pulse’ Therapy May Help Ease Sciatica

By Dennis Thompson  HealthDay Reporter WEDNESDAY, March 29, 2023 (HealthDay News) — People suffering from sciatica gain lasting relief from a procedure that uses a fine needle to heat nerve roots near the spine, a new clinical trial shows. The minimally invasive procedure, called pulsed radiofrequency (RF), provided superior pain reduction and disability improvement out … Read more

Dogs, Cats Could Lower Children’s Allergy Risk

March 29, 2023 – If your little one has been begging for a furry friend, there may be another reason to give in.  New research shows that exposure to indoor cats and dogs in utero or early infancy leads to fewer cases of food allergies as the child grows. Over 65,000 children were tested. and 22% … Read more

Did Mattiedna Johnson Help Cure Scarlet Fever?

Mattiedna Johnson wasn’t a microbiologist by trade – she was a nurse – but that didn’t stop her from helping in the race to develop lifesaving antibiotics. Born in 1918 to Mississippi sharecroppers, Johnson was a high school salutatorian before graduating from nursing school in Memphis, TN, and starting work as a registered nurse. In … Read more