Opioids Still Overprescribed After Surgery: Study
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By Dennis Thompson
HealthDay Reporter
THURSDAY, April 19, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Doctors continue to prescribe far too many opioid painkillers to patients following surgery, a new study indicates.
In fact, one of every three patients prescribed an opioid, such as Oxycontin, didn’t take a single pill during their recuperation, said lead researcher Elizabeth...
U.S. Better Able to Tackle Health Emergencies
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FRIDAY, April 20, 2018 (HealthDay News) — The United States is more ready for health disasters than it was five years ago, but certain regions still lag behind, a new report shows.
The nation scored 7.1 on the 10-point 2018 National Health Security Preparedness Index. That’s nearly 3 percent better than last year and nearly 11 percent better than when the index was introduced five...
Opioid Scripts Down, But Anti-Addiction Meds Up
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April 20, 2018 — Prescriptions for opioid painkillers are declining in the United States while prescriptions for medications to treat opioid addiction are on the rise, new data show.
Prescriptions for opioid painkillers fell 10 percent last year, and new monthly prescriptions for the drugs fell by 7.8 percent, according to the IQVIA Institute for Human Data Science, which studies prescription...
Wrist Device Shows Promise for Hand Tremors
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By Amy Norton
HealthDay Reporter
FRIDAY, April 20, 2018 (HealthDay News) — A wrist device that stimulates nerves in the arm may bring some relief to people with hand tremors, a preliminary study suggests.
The research involved more than 100 patients with essential tremor — a neurological condition that causes trembling in the hands, legs, head or trunk. Researchers...
A Big Belly Bad for Your Heart
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FRIDAY, April 20, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Even if you’re not obese, too much belly fat could harm your ticker, researchers report.
“People with a normal weight but a fat belly have more chance of heart problems than people without a fat belly, even if they are obese according to BMI [body mass index],” said study author Dr. Jose Medina-Inojosa. He’s with the Mayo...
Can Marijuana Be The Answer For Pain?
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April 20, 2018 — Like many of her friends, Alexandra Callner, now 58, experimented with recreational marijuana when she was younger.
“I had tried it, and hated it, in my 20s,” Callner says. “When I was around pot smokers, I thought, ‘Ugh, losers.’...
What’s the Best Way to Track Your Blood Pressure?
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By Amy Norton
HealthDay Reporter
WEDNESDAY, April 18, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Blood pressure readings taken with a portable monitor may be a much better gauge of your prognosis than readings at the doctor’s office, new research suggests.
The study of nearly 64,000 adults found that “ambulatory” blood pressure monitoring was clearly better at predicting...
Just One Concussion Could Raise Parkinson’s Risk
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By Serena Gordon
HealthDay Reporter
WEDNESDAY, April 18, 2018 (HealthDay News) — If you’ve ever had a mild concussion, your risk of developing Parkinson’s disease goes up by 56 percent, a new study of more than 300,000 U.S. veterans suggests.
“Upwards of 40 percent of adults have had a traumatic brain injury [concussion], so these findings are...
Gene Therapy May Be Cure for Rare Blood Disorder
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By Dennis Thompson
HealthDay Reporter
WEDNESDAY, April 18, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Wanda Sihanath didn’t like the fact that her inherited blood disorder would not allow her to travel far from Chicago to attend college, but what could she do?
Without regular transfusions and blood testing, the beta-thalassemia she inherited from her parents could eventually...
More Cases in E. Coli Outbreak Tied to Romaine Lettuce
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WEDNESDAY, April 18, 2018 (HealthDay News) — The outbreak of E. coli illness tied to tainted Arizona romaine lettuce continues to expand, federal health officials said Wednesday.
“Since the last update on April 13, 2018, 18 more ill people have been added to this investigation, bringing the total number to 53,” the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a news...
