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Wintertime Is Prime Time for Head Lice: What Parents Need to Know

Head lice can be a wintertime headache for families and schools, but simple precautions can stop the spread of these pesky parasites.

Every year, 6 million to 12 million children in the United States, ages 3 to 11, experience head lice infestations, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Contrary to popular belie...

U.S. Adult Obesity Rate Fell in 2023, as Use of GLP-1 Meds Rose

The U.S. obesity rate declined for the first time in a decade last year, coinciding with the rise of GLP-1 weight-loss meds, a new study finds.

Data on almost 17 million adults nationwide showed the obesity rate -- which has been rising for years -- fell from 46.2% of adults in 2021 to 45.6% in 2023, Harvard University researchers report....

Eat Less Meat, More Beans & Lentils for Protein, New USDA Guidelines Say

Beans, peas and lentils take center stage in newly proposed changes to dietary guidelines for Americans.

In a report released this week by an advisory committee to the Agriculture Department, experts suggest that the protein-packed legumes are the perfect substitute for red or processed meat. They came to that conclusion after analyzing sc...

Newer Drug Could Be Advance Against Tough-to-Treat Breast Cancers

An experimental hormone therapy pill has shown promise in extending the lives of women with tough-to-treat advanced breast cancer, a new clinical trial shows.

The drug, imlunestrant, improved progression-free survival in patients whose breast cancer was driven by the female hormone estrogen.

The drug was particularly effective in bre...

Blood Test Might Alert Doctors to Problem Drinking

Have you been boozing more often than usual?

A new blood test might be able to tell if you’re damaging your liver from too many beers, margaritas or belts of scotch, researchers report.

A blood-borne byproduct of alcohol consumption called phosphatidylethanol (PEth) can give doctors a fair idea of how much liver scarring has oc...

'Watch and Wait' May Equal Active Treatment for Early DCIS Breast Cancers, Studies Find

A “watch-and-wait” strategy might be the best option for some women with early-stage, low-risk breast cancer.

According to two new studies presented Thursday at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, active monitoring of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) resulted in breast cancer recurrence rates similar to those of women who h...

Breast, Ovary Removal Can Lengthen Lives of Women With Breast Cancer Genes

It's a decision no woman wants to have to make, but new research shows that young breast cancer patients with high-risk genes may be able to prevent their cancer from returning if they have their breasts or ovaries removed.

Breast cancer patients aged 40 or younger with BRCA mutations had a 35% lower risk of death and 42% lower risk of can...

Air Pollution Could Be Raising Your Odds for a Blood Clot

Breathing in smoggy air over time can significantly raise a person's chances for dangerous blood clots, new research shows.

“What’s striking from our study is the increase in serious blood clotting disease with exposure to some of the most common types of pollutants in the air we breathe,” said study lead author Pamela Lu...

In Mouse Studies, New Hope Against a Dangerous Complication of Pregnancy

The same technology behind COVID vaccines might be able to protect both the mother and child from a dangerous complication of pregnancy.

A new mouse study published Dec. 11 in the journal Nature shows that injections based on that vaccine platform reduced the risk of preeclampsia in lab mice.

Preeclampsia is persistent high ...

Caregiving Stress Can Raise Blood Pressure for Young Black Women

Caregiving for children or sick loved ones can be very stressful. so much so it can affect your heart health, new research shows.

High caregiving stress increases risk of high blood pressure by nearly 40% among Black women ages 21 to 44, according to results published recently in the journal Hypertension.

“Our analysis...

Who's Most Likely to Get the Mpox Shot in U.S.?

When an outbreak of mpox first hit the United States in 2022, a vaccine called Jynneos was available to help protect the most vulnerable population, gay and bisexual men.

Now, there's new data showing which individuals in the LGBTQ+ community were most likely to get vaccinated against the virus.

According to the U.S. Centers fo...

Reiki May Help Ease the Pain of Cancer Treatment

The ancient Japanese practice of reiki "energy healing" might help some cancer patients deal with the pain that can come with infusion therapies, new research shows.

"Outpatients receiving reiki during infusion reported clinically significant improvements in all symptoms, high levels of satisfaction and a qualitatively positive healing exp...

Too Many U.S. Babies Still Sleep in Positions That Raise SIDS Risk

Despite decades of campaigns highlighting the "baby on back" recommendation for safe infant sleep, 12% of 4-month-old babies in the United States are still put to bed lying on their sides or tummies, a new report finds.

That number rises to 19% among infants aged 9 months and 23% among 1-year-olds.

Putting an infant to bed in a "non...

Too Much Screen Time Harms Preschoolers' Sleep, Behavior

Too much screen time can sabotage preschoolers' sleep, potentially turning them into terrors around the house, a new study warns.

Bad sleep can exacerbate children's struggles with poor attention, hyperactivity and moodiness, researchers reported Dec. 12 in the journal Early Child Development and Care.

Worse, kids can wind u...

U.S. Overdose Deaths Fell 17% in Just One Year

In news that suggest the U.S. opioid epidemic may be easing, drug overdose deaths fell 17% between July 2023 and July 2024.

Per new data released Wednesday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 94,000 people died from drug overdoses (ODs) during that 12-month period, down from more than 113,000 deaths between July 2...

Study Warns That Cats Might Be Bird Flu Carriers

Picture this: a beloved cat, playful and healthy one day, falls mysteriously ill the next. Soon after, the shocking culprit is revealed -- bird flu, a virus that most people associate with poultry and wild birds.

Now, scientists are warning that domestic cats could potentially prompt a public health crisis.

According to a new study ...

Only a Third of U.S. Kids Have Gotten Flu Shots

Despite a record number of American children dying from the flu last year, the percentage of kids getting their flu shots keeps falling.

In new data posted this week by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, only 37% of kids had received the vaccine as of Nov. 30 -- down from 43% at the same time last year.

This decline...

Mystery Illness Outbreak in Congo May Be Malaria

There's early evidence that a mysterious flu-like illness that has sickened 416 people and left 75 dead in the Democratic Republic of Congo over recent weeks may be malaria.

Laboratory samples taken from infected people are suggestive of malaria, although more research is needed to confirm that, health officials said.

“Of the 1...

FDA Asks Biden Administration to Limit Nicotine in Tobacco Products

In what appears to be a last-ditch effort to limit the harms of smoking before its term ends, the Biden administration has proposed a rule that would significantly lower the amount of nicotine in tobacco products.

The agency's efforts to counter the dangers of the addictive chemical stretch back to 2018, when it first proposed the idea. T...

Blood Test Might Help Doctors Spot Multiple Diseases

A blood draw is a typical part of a person's regular check-up.

But that blood sample might hold a lot more useful information about a person’s health than doctors are currently getting.

A new study shows that a routine part of a blood test called the complete blood count (CBC) could be used to help doctors identify or predict m...