Biden Will Move to Have Medicare, Medicaid Cover GLP-1 Weight-Loss Meds

• Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
• November 26, 2024
• Full Page

The outgoing Biden administration will propose that pricey GLP-1 obesity medications such as semaglutide (Wegovy), and tirzepatide (Zepbound) be covered by Medicare and Medicaid.

However, the move would have to be approved by the new Trump administration. 

Rig...

Cold Plunge or Hot Bath? What's Best for Ailing Muscles?

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• November 26, 2024
• Full Page

It’s common to find a pitcher soaking their elbow in an ice bucket following a baseball game, in an effort to save their arm for tomorrow’s innings.

But athletes about to hit the turf would be better off soaking their aching muscles and joints in a hot tub ra...

Study Finds GLP-1 Meds Can Also Help the Kidneys

• Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
• November 26, 2024
• Full Page

The potential health benefits of GLP-1 diabetes and weight loss meds keep piling up: New research shows they may also shield your kidneys from harm.

In the largest study to date on the effects of the drugs on the kidneys, researchers found GLP-1s help the protect the org...

Concussions Slow Brain Activity in High School Football Players

• Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
• November 26, 2024
• Full Page

TUESDAY, Nov. 26, 2024 (HeathDay News) -- A potentially important form of brain signaling appears to be affected whenever concussion strikes, according to new research involving high school football players.

“This study is important because it provides insight into...

Long COVID Brain Fog: Could the Lungs Hold Clues?

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• November 26, 2024
• Full Page

The “brain fog” of long COVID might be due to impaired lung function following a person’s infection, a new small-scale study says.

Reduced gas exchange in the lungs – oxygen coming in, carbon dioxide going out -- appears to be associated with brai...

Scientists Spot Gene That Could Help Cause Miscarriages

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• November 26, 2024
• Full Page

A gene that causes accelerated reproductive aging is directly tied to the risk of miscarriage in younger women, a new study says.

A mutation of the gene KIF18A speeds up the aging process of eggs in younger women, diminishing their fertility, researchers report.

&l...

Mom's Healthy Diet in Pregnancy Pays Big Dividends for Baby

• November 26, 2024
• Full Page

Moms who eat right during pregnancy are setting their kids up for good health, a new study says.

Expectant mothers who ate a quality diet were more likely to have kids with healthy birth weights, steadier growth patterns and a potentially reduced risk of obesity later in...

Preschoolers' Tantrums Can Be Early Sign of ADHD

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• November 26, 2024
• Full Page

Preschoolers prone to tantrums appear to have a higher risk of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) by the time they reach school age, a new study says.

Young children who struggle to control their emotions and behavior have more ADHD symptoms by age 7, resear...

Program Tripled Number of Completed At-Home Colon Cancer Tests

• November 26, 2024
• Full Page

People are three times more likely to undergo at-home colon cancer screening if they’re provided a free test, a new study says.

About 30% of patients mailed a free stool test kit completed their screening within six months, compared with about 10% of those who were...

Supreme Court Won't Hear Big Tobacco's Challenge to Cigarette Warning Labels

• Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
• November 25, 2024
• Full Page

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear a major tobacco company's challenge to a federal law that would mandate graphic images on cigarette packs. 

Some of the proposed images include a woman with a large lump on her neck alongside the message "WARNING: Sm...

Wildfire Smoke Exposure Linked to Dementia Risk

• Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
• November 25, 2024
• Full Page

People in Southern California with relatively high exposures to wildfire smoke over a decade also had significantly higher risks for dementia, a new study warns.

In fact, the fine-particle pollution created by these fires seems more closely tied to brain trouble than sim...

T-Day Dinner, Post-Election: Experts Offer Tips to Keep Things Calm

• Carole Tanzer Miller HealthDay Reporter
• November 25, 2024
• Full Page

Politics, especially the 2024 elections, can quickly turn the family Thanksgiving table into a battleground.

Steering clear of hot-button topics will not only help a big meal go down easier, it has health benefits as well.

Keeping the peace prevents a surge of fig...

Stroke Guidelines Updated, With Focus on Women and GLP-1s

• Carole Tanzer Miller HealthDay Reporter
• November 25, 2024
• Full Page

Women, especially those who had high blood pressure during pregnancy or entered menopause before age 45, are among those with a greater risk for stroke.

They and other high-risk groups are the focus of new stroke prevention guidelines from the American Heart Association ...

Vaping Immediately Changes Your Blood Flow

• Carole Tanzer Miller HealthDay Reporter
• November 25, 2024
• Full Page

Even when e-cigarettes are nicotine-free, they have an immediate effect on blood vessels, a new imaging study shows.

"E-cigarettes have long been marketed as a safer alternative to regular tobacco smoking," said Dr. Marianne Nabbout, a resident at University of Arkansas...

Yoga Helps Women Deal With the Mental Stress of Cancer

• Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
• November 25, 2024
• Full Page

A cancer diagnosis can bring overwhelming stress and depression to women, but new research suggests yoga can help ease that emotional toll.

“A wellness intervention that integrates yoga and psychological tools may strengthen the connections among the mind, body an...

Illinois Study Finds Steep Rise in Serious Complications of Pregnancy

• Carole Tanzer Miller HealthDay Reporter
• November 25, 2024
• Full Page

MONDAY, Nov. 25, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Chronic health problems like high blood pressure, gestational diabetes and obesity have fueled a troubling rise in maternal health issues and birth complications in Illinois, a new study finds. 

"These birth outcomes ar...

Reaching Age at Which a Parent Died by Suicide Raises Risk in Adult Child

• Carole Tanzer Miller HealthDay Reporter
• November 25, 2024
• Full Page

When people whose parents died by suicide reach that same age, their own risk often spikes, Danish researchers warn.

Reporting in the journal Suicide and Life-Threatening Behaviors, the researchers looked at data on more than 470,000 Danes whose parents...

Could a Common Thyroid Medicine Weaken Bones?

• Carole Tanzer Miller HealthDay Reporter
• November 25, 2024
• Full Page

New research suggests that a thyroid medication often prescribed to older Americans may be linked to a common problem in old age -- bone loss.

Levothyroxine is a synthetic hormone often prescribed to treat hypothyroidism. People with the condition don't make enough thyr...

Long COVID Hits the Young Harder Than the Old, Study Finds

• Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
• November 25, 2024
• Full Page

It might sound counterintuitive, but new research shows that when Long COVID strikes, younger patients appear more prone to severe symptoms than older folks.

That's tough on society as a whole, the study's lead author said.

“The impact of Long COVID is causi...

For Some, 'Tis the Season for Loneliness. Experts Offer Tips to Stay Connected

• November 24, 2024
• Full Page

For many, the holidays are a time when you connect with others and share time with loved ones. But for some, the holidays are a painful exercise in loneliness.

While a Northwestern Medicine study published last spring found loneliness is more prevalent in both young...