ALL ABOUT HEALTH -

26Feb 2023 by Janice Holland

Social Isolation, Loneliness Increase Risk of Fatal Heart Attacks and Strokes

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People who are socially isolated or feel lonely are about 30 percent more likely to experience or die from heart attacks and strokes, according to a new scientific statement from the American Heart Association.“Over four decades of research has clearly demonstrated that social isolation and loneliness are both associated with adverse health outcomes,” Crystal Wiley Cené, MD, MPH, lead author of the scientific statement, said in a statement.“Given the prevalence of social disconnectedness across the U.S., the public health impact is quite significant,” Dr. Cené said.The very young and very old may be particularly vulnerable, the AHA notes in its scientific statement.Almost one-quarter of adults 65 and older are socially isolated and up to about half of them are lonely. Persistent loneliness may be even more common for Generation Z,…

26Feb 2023 by Janice Holland

Congress Approves Bill to Cut Drug Prices, Extend Insurance Subsidies for Many Americans

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President Joe Biden is expected to sign into law legislation that aims to lower drug prices and extend health insurance subsidies for many Americans.The legislation, dubbed the Inflation Reduction Act, was approved by the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives. Biden praised the bill as a win for working families, and he said that there would be a celebration at the White House on September 6 in honor of the legislation.“This bill caps seniors’ out-of-pocket spending for prescription drugs at $2,000 per year — no matter what their drug bills would otherwise be, seniors will not have to spend more than $2,000,” Biden said in an August 7 statement after the legislation passed the Senate.“In addition, 13 million Americans, covered under the Affordable Care Act, will see their health…

26Feb 2023 by Janice Holland

Xofluza Approved to Treat and Prevent Flu in Children 5 to 12 Years Old

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Drugmaker Genentech announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved its flu drug Xofluza for children ages 5 to 12.The FDA greenlighted a supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA) for Xofluza (baloxavir marboxil) for the treatment of acute uncomplicated influenza in otherwise healthy children who have been symptomatic for no more than 48 hours, according to a statement released last week by the company. Xofluza is the first single-dose oral influenza medicine that’s been approved for children in this age group.Additionally, the FDA approved Xofluza to help prevent influenza in children in this age group following contact with someone with the flu.“Despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, influenza continues to be a threat to public health, and effective influenza antivirals remain critical to alleviating the burden on healthcare systems,” said Levi…

25Feb 2023 by Janice Holland

Capri Sun Juice Pouches Recalled Over Possible Contamination

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Kraft Heinz is voluntarily recalling thousands of cases of its Capri Sun juice pouches that might be contaminated with cleaning solution.The diluted cleaning solution, which is used on food-processing equipment, was inadvertently introduced into a production line at one factory, the company said in a statement. Approximately 5,760 cases of the drinks were potentially contaminated, or a total of about 230,400 individual drink pouches.Consumer complaints about an unusual taste led to the discovery of the possible contamination, the company said.Only the Wild Cherry flavor Capri Sun drinks were affected, and all the recalled cases of juice drinks had a “best when used by” date of June 25, 2023.Customers who bought recalled drinks shouldn’t consume the product. They can return it to the store where it was purchased. Customers can also…

25Feb 2023 by Janice Holland

First Suspected Case of Human-to-Dog Monkeypox Transmission

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Experts agree that prolonged personal skin-to-skin contact appears to be the primary way monkeypox is spreading in the current outbreak. However, a new case study finds that it may be possible for the virus to be passed from humans to their pets by way of snuggling or sharing a bed. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) now advises that people who are infected with monkeypox avoid close contact with their pets.“Monkeypox is an animal virus so it is not surprising that it can pass from humans into other animals,” says Amesh A. Adalja MD, senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security in Baltimore, who was not involved in the study. Dr. Adalja agrees with the updated CDC guidance: People should isolate from their pets when…

25Feb 2023 by Janice Holland

FDA Clears Way for Over-the-Counter Hearing Aid Sales

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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the sale of over-the-counter hearing aids, a move that may make the devices cheaper and easier to access for millions of Americans.Consumers with mild to moderate hearing loss will be able to purchase hearing aids at retail stores and online without a medical exam, prescription, or fitting adjustment from an audiologist, the FDA said in an August 16 statement. Hearing aids could be in stores as early as mid-October, the FDA said.“Hearing loss is a critical public health issue that affects the ability of millions of Americans to effectively communicate in their daily social interactions,” said the FDA's commissioner, Robert M. Califf, MD, in the statement.“Establishing this new regulatory category will allow people with perceived mild to moderate hearing loss to…

25Feb 2023 by Janice Holland

A New Vaccine to Protect Against Lyme Disease Begins Final Trial

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A vaccine that would protect people as young as 5 years old from Lyme disease is recruiting participants for its third and final clinical trial, according to an announcement by Pfizer and the French pharmaceutical company Valneva, developers of the vaccine.The trial, Vaccine Against Lyme for Outdoor Recreationists (VALOR) will investigate the efficacy, safety, and immunogenicity of the investigational Lyme disease vaccine candidate, VLA15.“We are extremely pleased to reach this important milestone in the development of VLA15. Lyme disease continues to spread, representing a high unmet medical need that impacts the lives of many in the Northern Hemisphere,” said Juan Carlos Jaramillo, MD, chief medical officer of Valneva, in a release. “We look forward to further investigating the VLA15 candidate in phase 3, which will take us a step closer…

25Feb 2023 by Janice Holland

Fentanyl Pills Are Driving a Drug Overdose Spike Among U.S. High Schoolers

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Teen drug overdose deaths are increasing exponentially despite a significant decline in drug use among high schoolers in recent years.Drug overdoses among teenagers are still rare, but research published in JAMA found that the rate of U.S. overdose deaths among people ages 14 to 18 nearly doubled in 2020, and rose another 20 percent in the first half of 2021 compared with the previous decade.According to researchers, the rise in the past two years has not been driven by increased drug use during the COVID-19 pandemic or by addiction, but by an increasingly dangerous supply of opioid pills laced with fentanyl.Fentanyl — which is 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine — has been packaged in powder form and fraudulently sold as heroin for years. Teenagers are less likely to…

25Feb 2023 by Janice Holland

First FDA-Approved Birth Control Wearable Tech Hits the Market

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If your method of birth control involves abstaining from sex on the days when you’re most fertile, you might be monitoring changes in your body — such as subtle temperature fluctuations — to help determine exactly where you are in your menstrual cycle.One of the tricky things about this approach is that you need to remember to take your temperature first thing every morning.Now there’s a contraception app that can make this easier by syncing with a device on your finger that records your temperature while you sleep.What Is This Technology?Natural Cycles was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2018 as the first direct-to-consumer contraception app. It helps prevent pregnancy by calculating the days each month when people are most likely to be fertile according to slight…

25Feb 2023 by Janice Holland

White Mulberry Leaf Blamed in Death of CA Congressman’s Wife — What Are the Risks?

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Autopsy results for Lori McClintock, who died last year, are raising questions about herbal supplements after findings implicated white mulberry leaf in her death. Lori McClintock was the wife of U.S. Rep. Tom McClintock.According to the March 10 report from the Sacramento County coroner, which was recently obtained by Kaiser Health News (KNH) and released this week, the cause of death was gastroenteritis caused by “adverse effects of white mulberry leaf ingestion.”The report noted that a “partially intact” white mulberry leaf was found in McClintock’s stomach, but it wasn’t clear from the autopsy report whether she drank a tea with white mulberry leaves, ate fresh or dried leaves, or took a dietary supplement containing white mulberry leaf, KHN reported. The death was ruled accidental in the autopsy, according to KHN.Several toxicologists and doctors…