ALL ABOUT HEALTH -

01Mar 2023 by Janice Holland

Does the Ink Used in Tattoos Pose a Health Risk?

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In the last decade, the number of Americans with at least one tattoo has grown nearly 50 percent, from 21 percent in 2012 to an estimated 30 percent, according to an Ipsos poll conducted in 2019. And the trend is even more popular in younger people — those under 55 are more than twice as likely to have a tattoo.What may surprise some people is that although tattoo businesses are subject to stringent sanitation and health protocols, a key component — the ink used to create the body art — is unregulated in the United States. In many cases, that may not be an issue, but a new study shows that the lack of oversight has resulted in mislabeled and potentially concerning ingredients.“I think right now our most important finding…

01Mar 2023 by Janice Holland

Nearly Half of All Cancer Deaths Around the World Could Be Prevented

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A new, first-of-its-kind global study found that nearly 1 in 2 cancer deaths — an estimated 4.45 million a year — can be attributed to preventable risk factors, with smoking, high body mass index (BMI), and drinking too much alcohol topping the list.Although cancer is the second leading cause of death worldwide (after heart disease) this is the first study to look at a multitude of factors on a global level, according to the authors. The findings were published on August 20 in The Lancet.“This study illustrates that the burden of cancer remains an important public health challenge that is growing in magnitude around the world. Smoking continues to be the leading risk factor for cancer globally, with other substantial contributors to cancer burden varying,” said Christopher Murray, MD, DPhil, co-senior…

28Feb 2023 by Janice Holland

‘Polypill’ Reduces Risk of Repeat Heart Attacks

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For years, doctors have prescribed a standard regimen of medications to help heart attack survivors avoid another serious cardiovascular event. And for just as long, many patients have struggled to keep up with all of these pills.Results of a new clinical trial suggest that the solution may be a so-called “polypill” containing three of these commonly prescribed medications: aspirin to prevent clots that lead to heart attacks; an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (ACE inhibitor) to control blood pressure; and a cholesterol-lowering statin.For the trial, researchers randomly assigned almost 2,500 heart attack survivors to take either a three-drug polypill or a standard drug regimen with similar medications, each prescribed separately. After about three years of follow-up, patients on the polypill were 33 percent less likely to die of cardiovascular-related causes than people…

28Feb 2023 by Janice Holland

Button Batteries Are Sending More Children to the Emergency Room

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Button batteries and lithium coin batteries — small, disk-shaped batteries — are the power source for a multitude of everyday objects, including remote controls, hearing aids, key fobs, and many children’s toys. Unfortunately, these tiny devices that add convenience to our lives can pose a serious health risk to or even kill children who swallow them.A new study found that the number of battery-related ER visits for children 18 years old and younger between 2010 and 2019 more than doubled compared with 1990 to 2009, and the majority of injuries occurred in patients 5 years old or younger. The findings were published August 29 in Pediatrics, the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics.“Unfortunately, past prevention efforts have yet to lead to significantly reduced injury rates,” said the study's lead…

28Feb 2023 by Janice Holland

Muscle Aches and Pains Are Not Caused by Statins in 90 Percent of Cases

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Millions of Americans are prescribed statins, medications that help lower cholesterol and have been shown to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke. Even though the medications have decades of safety and efficacy data behind them, many people decide never to fill the prescription, and it’s estimated that between 40 and 75 percent of people discontinue therapy within one year of starting it.So what’s the problem? It’s not access, as many statins are available in generic form. Instead, the most commonly cited reason for not taking a statin is the potential side effects, specifically muscle aches or pain, stiffness, or cramps.But a new study by researchers at Oxford Public Health suggests that statins are being unfairly blamed for aches and pains that they aren’t causing. In a review of…

28Feb 2023 by Janice Holland

Will There Be a Lot of Flu Going Around During the 2022-2023 Season?

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There’s a saying among flu experts that goes, “If you’ve seen one flu season, you’ve seen one flu season,” says Pritish Tosh, MD, infectious disease specialist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. “I’ve been studying the flu for over a decade, looking at internal data, external data, public health trends, and every year I’m surprised at what influenza does,” he says.Given all these curveballs, infectious disease specialists are wary about making predictions about future flu seasons. But Dr. Tosh and others note that, if recent history is any indication, the United States can expect an increase in flu activity after two years of fewer cases.Read on to learn more about what might be coming in the months ahead and what you can do to fight the flu. Source link

28Feb 2023 by Janice Holland

Extra Inches May Be More Important Than Extra Pounds When It Comes to Heart Failure Risk

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Judging by the exploding popularity of athleisure clothes, many of us have decided to deal with the extra pandemic pounds around the midsection with the miracle of elastic. Unfortunately, those extra inches taxing your waistband may also be hurting your heart. A new study by Oxford University researchers has found that every extra inch of belly fat increases the relative risk of heart failure by 11 percent, making waist circumference a greater threat to heart health than overall weight. The research was presented at the 2022 European Society of Cardiology Congress, held August 26–29 in Barcelona, Spain.The fact that belly fat or weight around the middle was found to be associated with a greater risk of heart failure isn’t too surprising, but it's a risk factor that more people should…

28Feb 2023 by Janice Holland

If You Wrote a Letter to Your Acne, What Would You Say?

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Acne is the most common skin disorder in the United States, impacting up to 50 million people annually, according to the American Academy of Dermatology Society. Although we often think of acne as a natural (and minorly annoying) part of puberty, it can persist into your thirties, forties, and even fifties.More than just a physical condition, acne can have enormous long-term psychological effects. For a study published in July 2022 in the journal JAMA Dermatology, researchers undertook a novel approach to finding out just how persistent the emotional toll can be.About 60 participants with active acne or acne scars were asked to write a “Letter to My Disease,” personifying their condition to express their feelings about living with what many subjects called an “intruder.”The research revealed the lack of control…

28Feb 2023 by Janice Holland

New Drugs on Horizon for Opioid Overdose, Withdrawal

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Drug overdose deaths have surged to record highs in recent years, accelerated by the increasing pervasiveness of fentanyl-laced street drugs and by limited access to care during the COVID-19 pandemic.Overdose fatalities hit a grim milestone last year, surpassing 100,000 for the first time and shattering the record for annual fatalities set in 2020, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Two-thirds of the overdose deaths in 2021 involved synthetic opioids like fentanyl.“If you think about what has happened in the last two years since COVID began, it used to be that one person would die every 11 minutes of an overdose of opiates,” says Nancy Davis, cofounder and president of Cure Addiction Now (CAN), a nonprofit funding research to develop new treatments for substance use disorders. “Now…

27Feb 2023 by Janice Holland

Tomato Flu: What Is It and What Do You Need to Know?

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A new virus that’s been dubbed tomato flu, or tomato fever, is spreading in India and causing several symptoms that are similar to COVID-19, including fever, fatigue, and body aches.The virus got its name from one telltale symptom that isn’t seen with COVID — painful bright red blisters that spread all over the body and can gradually grow to the size of a tomato. While the virus is rare, at least 100 cases have been reported in India since the first case was identified in the state of Kerala on May 6, according to a report in the Lancet Respiratory Medicine on August 17.So far there have been no fatalities attributed to tomato flu, according to the Lancet report.Scientists and public health officials are still investigating the recent spate of…