Psychedelics Like Psilocybin, MDMA Tied to Higher Odds for Schizophrenia

People are at higher risk of schizophrenia if they indulge in psychedelic drugs, a new study warns.

Patients who land in the ER following hallucinogen use have a 21-fold higher risk of developing schizophrenia compared to the general population, Canadian researchers report.

Even after controlling for a person’s existing substan...

Big Post-Election Surge Seen in Online Sales of Morning-After Pills

In the wake of Donald Trump's victory in the presidential election, retailers report that online sales of emergency contraceptives have soared.

The spike in purchases of what is also known as the morning-after pill or Plan B suggests women worry the incoming administration might soon limit their access to emergency contraception, Monica Ce...

Canadian Teen Hospitalized in Critical Condition With Bird Flu

Amid an ongoing outbreak of bird flu in American dairy herds and poultry flocks, Canadian officials have announced that a teen in British Columbia has been hospitalized in critical condition with what is believed to be bird flu.

It’s not clear how the teenager picked up the H5N1 virus because the patient is not known to have any cont...

Liquor, Wine, Beer: Which Comes With the Worst Lifestyle?

Bottoms up: The type of alcohol you prefer may say something about your lifestyle, new research reveals.

Beer drinkers are more likely to have an unhealthy lifestyle than folks who prefer wine or liquor, scientists report.

Beer drinkers have lower-quality diets, are less active and are more likely to smoke than those who drink wine, ...

Overtreatment Common for Older Men With Prostate Cancer

Overtreatment of prostate cancer is increasing in the United States among men with limited life expectancy, a new study reports.

Procedures like radiation therapy and prostate surgery are being employed more often in these men, causing side effects like incontinence and impotence without adding any more years to their lives, researchers fo...

Fatty Liver Disease Now Affects 4 in 10 U.S. Adults

Obesity, alcohol use and other factors are driving up rates of fatty liver disease among American adults, new research warns.

By 2018, federal data showed that 42% of adults had some form of fatty liver disease -- higher than prior estimates, according to a team led by Dr. Juan Pablo Arab, a liver specialist with at Virginia Commonwealth U...

Good Night's Sleep Wards Off High Blood Pressure in Teens

High blood pressure is a rare health issue among teens, but U.S. case numbers are creeping upwards.

Now, research published recently in the Journal of the American Heart Association, shows that healthy sleep can help keep hypertension at bay in the young.

That's probably because "disrupted sleep can lead to changes in the b...

Telehealth Can Help Prevent Suicide in Those at High Risk

Therapy provided via telehealth can reduce a person’s risk of suicide, a new study reports.

Cognitive behavior therapy reduces suicide attempts and suicidal thoughts even if delivered for a short time via telehealth, according to results published Nov. 12 in the jouirnal JAMA Network Open.

That's good news, given that ...

Most Parents Don't Ask About Unlocked Guns in Homes Their Kids Visit

Most parents haven’t considered the potential risk of an unlocked, poorly stored firearm in a house their child is visiting, a new study shows.

More than 60% of Illinois parents have never asked another parent about an unlocked gun in their home before allowing their child to visit for a playdate, researchers found.

Most said t...

America's Epidemic of STDs May Finally Be Slowing

TUESDAY, Nov. 11, 2024 -- The epidemic of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in the United States appears to be cooling off after more than two decades, a new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study says.

Gonorrhea cases dropped for a second year in 2023, declining 7% and falling below pre-pandemic levels, researchers sa...

Vitamin D Supplements Could Help Lower Blood Pressure in Obese People

Vitamin D supplements might lower blood pressure in seniors who are obese, reducing their heart health risk, a new study says.

But taking more than the recommended daily dose will not provide additional health benefits, researchers report in the Journal of the Endocrine Society.

“Our study found vitamin D supplementati...

Grandparents & Grandkids: Poll Shows Them Helping Each Other

Grandchildren are a true blessing for seniors, helping them avoid loneliness and keeping them on their toes, a new poll reports.

Overall, 72% of people with grandkids say they hardly ever feel isolated, compared with 62% of those without grandchildren, according to results from the University of Michigan’s National Poll on Healthy Ag...

Kids Still Find It Easy to Buy Flavored Vapes Online

If you think that federal restrictions on the sale of tobacco products make it nearly impossible for your teen to buy vapes online, new research suggests you're mistaken.

In 2020, the Preventing Online Sales of E-Cigarettes to Children Act banned e-cigarettes and vaping products from being shipped through the U.S. Postal Service ...

U.S. Alcohol Intake Rose During Pandemic, and for Years After

Even as the pressures of the pandemic began to ebb, Americans' growing dependence on alcohol did not, a troubling new study shows.

Two years into the globe-altering health crisis, the percentage of Americans who consumed alcohol -- which had already spiked between 2018 and 2020 -- inched even further up in 2021 and 2022. Not only that, bu...

Beta Blockers Unnecessary for Folks Without Heart Failure; May Be Linked to Depression

Beta blockers are go-to meds for many people who've survived a heart attack.

However, new Swedish research has found that they might not be needed for heart attack survivors whose hearts have retained a normal pumping ability. 

Using them in this group might even raise patients' odds for depression, the data showed.

&ldquo...

Bird Flu Is Decimating Elephant Seal Colonies

The H5N1 strain of avian flu is now passing easily among South America's elephant seals and drastically cutting herd populations, a new report finds.

"It is likely that more than half of the reproductive population died due to the virus. It will take decades before the numbers are back to the 2022 population size," said Valeria Falabella, ...

Genomic Test Might Quickly Diagnose Any Type of Infection

A cutting-edge genetic test can rapidly detect and identify almost any kind of disease-causing microorganism in the human body, whether it’s a virus, bacteria, fungus or parasite, researchers say.

Doctors have been using the genetic test for more than a decade to identify pathogens in spinal fluid, after its development at the Univer...

Could Asthma Harm a Child's Memory Skills?

Asthma is associated with memory problems in children, a new study has found.

Further, the early onset of asthma might worsen potential memory deficits in kids, researchers found.

This is the first study to make such a connection, researchers said.

“This study underscores the importance of looking at asthma as a potential...