Melatonin Gummies to Get Safety Labeling, Child-Safe Bottles After Poisonings

In the wake of a sharp rise in the number of young children accidentally eating melatonin supplements, an industry group has called for tougher safety guidelines for packaging and labeling the sleep-aid supplements.

Companies have 18 to 24 months to voluntarily add child-deterrent packaging and improve warning language on the labels of ove...

CDC Warns of 19 Cases of Botched Botox Shots in 9 States

Counterfeit or mishandled Botox shots have triggered harmful reactions in 19 people in nine states, U.S. health officials warned Monday.

In its alert, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said nine people had been hospitalized and four were treated with an antitoxin because of concerns that the botulinum toxin had spread bey...

A More Diverse Nature Brings Better Mental Health

Want to feel happier?

Live in or near a place with a rich diversity of nature, a new study says.

Environments with plentiful natural features -- trees, birds, plants and rivers -- are associated with better mental well-being than the more spartan landscapes of suburbia, researchers found.

Further, spending time in areas like th...

Blinking: It's About More Than Moistening the Eye

Most folks think of blinking as the eyes' version of windshield wipers, clearing the eye of debris and maybe lubricating it, too.

But blinking is much more than that, researchers report: It also helps the brain process what it's seeing.

That's perhaps counterintuitive: Wouldn't it make sense to not blink, so eyes are receivi...

Brain's Cerebellum Could Help Direct Prosthetic Limbs

Tapping the power of the small brain region called the cerebellum could improve patients’ ability to move cutting-edge robotic limbs, a new study suggests.

The cerebellum is an ancient structure located under the brain, just above where the spinal cord connects to the brain.

This structure has largely been overlooked by prosthetics...

Antibiotics Probably Won't Ease Your Cough, Even If Infection is Bacterial: Study

Doctors sometimes prescribe antibiotics to help treat a cough, but a new study shows the drugs won’t help reduce the severity or duration of coughing -- even if a bacterial infection is the culprit.

Lower respiratory tract infections that cause coughing have the potential to become more dangerous, with 3% to 5% of these patients sufferin...

U.S. Medical Drug Shortages Reach Record High

Americans are facing more shortages of the drugs they need for medical care than ever before, a national pharmacy database shows.

The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHSP) and the University of Utah Drug Information Service started tracking drug shortages as far back as 2001.

Their latest data shows that things haven...

One in 3 Women With Migraines Say Attacks Occur During Periods

Among U.S. women with migraine, a third say the attacks tend to coincide with their periods, a new survey finds.

Migraines that occur during menstruation are often frequent and severe, but only about one in five respondents said they used medications aimed at preventing the headaches.

“If you have migraines related to your menstru...

Pets Are Passing Drug-Resistant 'Superbugs' to Their Owners

Dogs and cats can pass antibiotic-resistant bacteria to their owners, raising concerns that household pets could be contributing to the world’s antibiotics crisis, a new study says.

Cases of these “superbugs” being passed between sick dogs and cats and their healthy owners have been identified in the U.K. and Portugal, according to r...

Americans Short on Sleep, Stressed Out About It: Poll

While more than half of Americans say they would feel better with more sleep, only 42% say they are getting as much shut-eye as they need, a new poll finds.

"This is nearly a reversal of the figures last measured in 2013, when 56% of Americans got the sleep they needed and 43% did not," the poll authors wrote.

Women under the age of ...

Researchers Probe Moments of Lucid Clarity Among People With Advanced Dementias

Lucid episodes are an unexpected occurrence among people with late-stage Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.

But these spontaneous events -- in which a person temporarily regains an ability to communicate that appeared to be permanently lost -- are not always a sign of impending death, a recent study argues.

Half the time, p...

'Feeling Like a Burden' Can Be Motivator for Suicide in Preteens

Quiet preteens who feel they're a burden on others are more likely to have suicidal thoughts and behaviors, a new study reports.

Criticism from parents or caregivers also increased the likelihood of suicidal thoughts and behaviors, researchers found.

Preteen girls with these traits are at especially high risk, according to the study ...

Chemicals Stored in Your Garage Could Raise Odds for ALS

Volatile and toxic chemicals commonly stored in garages can increase the risk of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

Gasoline or kerosene, gas-powered equipment and lawn care chemicals represented the top three risk factors for ALS found in garages, researchers report.

Exposures to each of these increased ALS risk around 15%, result...

Exercise Could Help Your Heart by Calming the Brain: Study

You know exercise is great for your cardiovascular health, but new research suggests that your brain has a lot to do with it.

It's all about physical activity's ability to lower stress levels within the brain, explained a team at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) in Boston.

Bolstering that finding, their study found that ex...

Planning Safe Summer Camp Fun for Kids With Allergies & Asthma

Preparing a kid for summer camp is already a daunting task, and it’s even more complicated if your child has allergies or asthma, experts say.

“Kids with allergies and asthma need an extra layer of protection when they head off to summer camp,” said allergist Dr. Gailen Marshall Jr., president of the American College of Allergy, Asth...

Big Rise in Young Adults Undergoing Permanent Sterilization After Dobbs Decision

An increasing number of young men and women have decided they never want parenthood in the wake of the Dobbs decision revoking the constitutional right to an abortion, a new study finds.

The number of young adults opting to undergo a permanent sterilization procedure abruptly increased nationwide following the June 2022 decision by the U.S...

Almost 1 in 4 People Disenrolled From Medicaid Are Now Uninsured

Nearly a quarter of Americans who lost their pandemic-era Medicaid coverage say they're now without any health insurance, a new survey finds.

More than half (54%) of these currently uninsured adults cited cost as the reason keeping them from having coverage.

The survey of 1,227 adults was conducted this February and March by KFF (fo...

Chlamydia Vaccine Shows Promise in Early Trial

A chlamydia vaccine has triggered immune responses in an early trial, raising hopes that one day it might help curb the spread of the sexually transmitted infection (STI).

There is currently no vaccine for chlamydia, which is the most common bacterial STI in the United States, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prev...