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WEDNESDAY, Dec. 11, 2013 (HealthDay News) - If Johnny doesn't take to the violin, don't fret. A new study challenges the widely held belief that music lessons can help boost children's intelligence. "More than 80 percent of American adults think that music improves children's grades or intelligence," study author Samuel Mehr, a graduate student in the School of Education at Harvard University, said...
December 11, 2013
WEDNESDAY, Dec. 11, 2013 (HealthDay News) - When it comes to factors affecting children's school performance, DNA may trump home life or teachers, a new British study finds. "Children differ in how easily they learn at school. Our research shows that differences in students' educational achievement owe more to nature than nurture," lead researcher Nicholas Shakeshaft, a Ph.D. student at the Institute...
December 11, 2013
WEDNESDAY, Dec. 11, 2013 (HealthDay News) - A vaccine that protects children against four strains of flu may be more effective than the usual three-strain vaccine, a new study suggests. The four-strain (or so-called "quadrivalent") vaccine is available as a nasal spray or an injection for the first time this flu season. The injected version, however, may be in short supply, according to the U.S. Centers...
December 11, 2013
WEDNESDAY, Dec. 11, 2013 (HealthDay News) - If you were to switch from vegetarianism to meat-eating, or vice-versa, chances are the composition of your gut bacteria would also undergo a big change, a new study suggests. The research, published Dec. 11 in the journal -Nature-, showed that the number and kinds of bacteria - and even the way the bacteria behaved - changed within a day of switching from...
December 11, 2013
WEDNESDAY, Dec. 11, 2013 (HealthDay News) - The first generic versions of the antidepressant drug Cymbalta (duloxetine delayed-release capsules) have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. License to produce generic Cymbalta was granted to Aurobindo Pharma Ltd., Dr. Reddy's Laboratories Ltd., Lupin Ltd., Sun Pharma Global FZE, Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, and Torrent Pharmaceuticals Ltd.,...
December 11, 2013
MONDAY, Dec. 9, 2013 (HealthDay News) - Expectant mothers who smoke marijuana may triple their risk for a stillbirth, a new study suggests. The risk is also increased by smoking cigarettes, using other legal and illegal drugs and being exposed to secondhand smoke. Stillbirth risk is heightened whether moms are exposed to pot alone or in combination with other substances, the study authors added. "Even...
December 10, 2013
(HealthDay News) - Corded blinds and shades pose significant strangulation hazards for young children. Experts say parents should check every window in the home to make sure the covering doesn't pose a danger. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission offers these suggestions: - Use cordless blinds and shades in your home if children live there or visit. If any blinds and shades do have a cord, make...
December 10, 2013
(HealthDay News) - Shin splints are a common running injury. They occur when the tissue, muscles and tendons near the tibia bone in the front of the leg become inflamed. The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons says common symptoms of shin splints include: - Pain along the front of the tibia. Swelling around the front of the leg. Pain in the leg ranging from a dull, throbbing ache to a shooting...
December 10, 2013
Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by the editors of HealthDay: - Couric Apologizes for HPV Segment on Talk Show - Talk show host Katie Couric apologized Tuesday for an HPV segment on her program last week that was widely criticized, including accusations of irresponsibility and scaremongering. Writing in the -Huffington Post-, Couric said that some of the criticism...
December 10, 2013
TUESDAY, Dec. 10, 2013 (HealthDay News) - Strong state alcohol control policies make a difference in efforts to help prevent binge drinking, a new study finds. Binge drinking - generally defined as having more than four to five alcoholic drinks in a two-hour period - is responsible for more than half of the 80,000 alcohol-related deaths in the United States each year. "If alcohol policies were a newly...
December 10, 2013
TUESDAY, Dec. 10, 2013 (HealthDay News) - Private contractors who worked in Afghanistan, Iraq and other conflict zones over the past two years have high rates of depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a new study finds. Researchers conducted an anonymous online survey of 660 contractors who had been deployed to a conflict zone at least once between early 2011 and early 2013, and found...
December 10, 2013
TUESDAY, Dec. 10, 2013 (HealthDay News) - Better diabetes treatment has slashed rates of complications such as heart attacks, strokes and amputations in older adults, a new study shows. "All the event rates, if you look at them, everything is a lot better than it was in the 1990s, dramatically better," said study author Dr. Elbert Huang, an associate professor of medicine at the University of Chicago....
December 10, 2013
TUESDAY, Dec. 10, 2013 (HealthDay News) - Tooth loss and bleeding gums might be a sign of declining thinking skills among the middle-aged, a new study contends. "We were interested to see if people with poor dental health had relatively poorer cognitive function, which is a technical term for how well people do with memory and with managing words and numbers," said study co-author Gary Slade, a professor...
December 10, 2013
TUESDAY, Dec. 10, 2013 (HealthDay News) - Most Americans do not deal with end-of-life issues and wishes, a new study indicates. Researchers analyzed data from nearly 8,000 people who took part in nationwide surveys conducted in 2009 and 2010, and found that only about 26 percent had completed an advance directive, also called a living will. There were significant associations between completing an...
December 10, 2013
TUESDAY, Dec. 10, 2013 (HealthDay News) - More action is needed to reduce illness and death among the millions of Americans exposed to silica dust at work, according to a new report. It has long been known that silica - a natural substance found in most rocks, sand and clay - causes the lung disease silicosis, and evidence has mounted in recent decades that silica causes lung cancer, said report co-author...
December 10, 2013
TUESDAY, Dec. 10, 2013 (HealthDay News) - Altitude may affect an athlete's risk of concussion, according to a new study believed to be the first to examine this association. High school athletes who play at higher altitudes suffer fewer concussions than those closer to sea level, researchers found. One possible reason is that being at a higher altitude causes changes that make the brain fit more tightly...
December 10, 2013
TUESDAY, Dec. 10, 2013 (HealthDay News) - Omega-3 fatty acids - nutrients long thought to be helpful for neurological health - can cross the usually impenetrable blood-brain barrier and make their way into the brain, a new study suggests. The finding could have implications for the use of omega-3s as a treatment for diseases such as Alzheimer's, the Swedish researchers said. As published in the -Journal...
December 10, 2013
TUESDAY, Dec. 10, 2013 (HealthDay News) - Americans trying to buy health insurance through the federal government's online health care exchange are having an easier time navigating the initially dysfunctional system, consumers and specialists say. Glitches that stymied visitors to the online exchange for weeks after its Oct. 1 launch have been subdued, allowing more consumers to review information...
December 10, 2013
TUESDAY, Dec. 10, 2013 (HealthDay News) - People who take certain acid-reflux medications might have an increased risk of vitamin B-12 deficiency, according to new research. Taking proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) to ease the symptoms of excess stomach acid for more than two years was linked to a 65 percent increase in the risk of vitamin B-12 deficiency. Commonly used PPI brands include Prilosec, Nexium...
December 10, 2013
TUESDAY, Dec. 10 (HealthDay News) - People with sleep apnea and hard-to-control high blood pressure may see their blood pressure drop if they treat the sleep disorder, Spanish researchers report. Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is the standard treatment for sleep apnea, a condition characterized by disrupted breathing during sleep. The sleep disorder has been linked to high blood pressure....
December 10, 2013
TUESDAY, Dec. 10 (HealthDay News) - Americans with health insurance are more likely than uninsured people to use preventive services such as flu shots and health screenings, according to a new study. They are no more likely, however, to take health risks such as smoking. The findings challenge the common concern that expanding health care coverage to more people might encourage unhealthy behavior that...
December 10, 2013
SATURDAY, Dec. 7, 2013 (HealthDay News) - A new hepatitis C drug that can be taken as a pill once a day was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday. The drug, called Sovaldi and made by Calif.-based Gilead Sciences Inc., works faster and should be much simpler to take for the millions of Americans who have the virus, which can destroy the liver if left untreated. The FDA said in...
December 9, 2013
SATURDAY, Dec. 7 (HealthDay News) - Few people realize how effective the vaccines against HPV (human papillomavirus) are for preventing cervical cancer, and even fewer talk about the vaccine with their doctors, according to a survey of more than 1,400 people. "From previous research, we know people are generally aware of the vaccine," said Kassandra Alcaraz, director of health disparities research...
December 9, 2013
SUNDAY, Dec. 8, 2013 (HealthDay News) - The vast majority of epilepsy patients who have brain surgery to treat the seizure disorder find it improves their mood and their ability to work and drive, a new study reveals. Meanwhile, a second study also indicates the procedure is safe and effective for patients over 60. "They're both reassuring findings," said Bruce Hermann, director of the Charles Matthews...
December 9, 2013
SUNDAY, Dec. 8, 2013 (HealthDay News) - Money problems can prevent women from getting recommended breast cancer treatments, a new study suggests. Researchers analyzed data from more than 1,300 women in the Seattle-Puget Sound area who were diagnosed with breast cancer between 2004 and 2011. The purpose was to see if their care met U.S. National Comprehensive Cancer Network treatment guidelines. Women...
December 9, 2013
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