Drinking Lots of Water Really Is Good for You, Study Finds

The collected evidence is in, and drinking about eight cups of water per day is, in fact, good for you.

So says a University of California San Francisco team who crunched the data from 18 randomized controlled trials.

“For such a ubiquitous and simple intervention, the evidence hasn’t been clear and the benefits were not ...

Most Americans Don't Know Alcohol's Links to Cancer

FRIDAY, Nov. 29, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Less than half of Americans realize that they're increasing their risk of cancer with every beer, cocktail or shot of whiskey.

Despite public health warnings about the links between drinking and cancer risk, this widespread lack of awareness is the key takeaway from a new nationwide survey.

Kids From Poorer Homes May Have Worse Outcomes If MS Strikes

A child from a poorer neighborhood is more prone to severe illness once they develop multiple sclerosis (MS) compared to children growing up in more affluent areas, new research shows.

The study of 138 MS patients who'd been diagnosed before the age of 18 revealed that kids from less advantaged neighborhoods showed larger volumes of inflam...

Twice-Yearly Injection 96% Effective in Preventing HIV Infection

People whose partners have HIV must remember to take antiretroviral pills every single day or risk infection themselves.

But researchers have come up with a way to avoid that daily hassle – an injectable drug that patients would only have to receive twice a year.

What’s more, the new drug works even better than the curren...

Some HRT Pills May Pose Special Risk for Blood Clots

Certain hormone replacement therapy pills appear to increase the risk of heart disease and serious blood clots in women going through menopause, a new study says.

Estrogen/progestin pills increased women’s risk of heart disease by 21% and risk of life-threatening blood clots by 61%, researchers found.

Similarly, the synthetic h...

Your Old Pacemaker Could Be Recycled to Save a Life

Don't let your surgeon toss your old heart pacemaker out with the trash. 

Used pacemakers can be refurbished, researchers report, providing the potential for more people overseas to get the lifesaving devices.

"Unlike in the United States, pacemaker therapy is often not available or affordable for people in low- and middle-incom...

Scientists Develop Whole New Form of Effective Asthma Treatment

Geoffrey Pointing says its hard to describe the distress of an asthma or COPD flare-up.

“Honestly, when you're having a flare up, it's very difficult to tell anybody how you feel - you can hardly breathe,” Pointing, 77, of Banbury, England, said in a news release. 

But an existing injectable drug might make these att...

U.S. Abortion Numbers Dipped Slightly in 2022

The rate and number of abortions among U.S. women took a slight dip in 2022 compared to 2021, according to the latest data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

In late June of 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade decision that since 1973 had legalized abortion nationwide. Many...

Ultraprocessed Foods Might Help Trigger Psoriasis

Ultraprocessed foods have been linked to a myriad of health issues, and a new study suggests that the autoimmune skin disease psoriasis might be added to that list.

"Results of this study showed an association between high ultraprocessed food intake and active psoriasis status," concluded a team led by Dr. Emilie Sbidian, a dermatologist a...

Trump Picks Vaccine Mandate Critic Dr. Jay Bhattacharya to Head National Institutes of Health

President-elect Donald Trump has tapped Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, a Stanford health economist and critic of pandemic lockdowns and vaccine mandates, to lead the nation's largest medical research agency, the National Institutes of Health.

In a statement late Tuesday, Trump said Bhattacharya will work under Robert F. Kennedy Jr., potential head ...

Irregular Sleep Might Raise Odds for Heart Attack, Stroke

Folks with irregular sleep patterns might have an increased risk of a heart attack or stroke, a new study says.

People who doze off and wake up at extremely varied times day by day have a 26% increased risk of a potentially fatal heart-related health emergency, results show.

This elevated risk occurred whether or not these folks got ...

Scientists Find Way to Deliver Medicines Across Brain's Protective Barrier

The blood-brain barrier is a natural membrane that protects your brain from toxins and germs.

Unfortunately, this barrier also hampers the delivery of important medicines and therapies into the brain.

But researchers now think they’ve figured out a way to get drugs past the blood-brain barrier.

A Mount Sinai research team...

Soccer 'Headers' Could Pose Danger to Brains

Bouncing a soccer ball off the head during play could be doing real damage to the brain, a new study suggests.

MRI brain scans of male and female soccer athletes suggests that lots of "heading" could damage areas of the brain already known to be linked to debilitating concussion-linked conditions, such as chronic traumatic encephalopathy (...

Zepbound Slashes Diabetes Risk in Obese Users

The cutting-edge weight-loss drug Zepbound can protect obese people from developing type 2 diabetes, a new clinical trial has found.

Zepbound reduced the risk of diabetes in obese prediabetic patients by more than 90% during a three-year period compared to placebo, trial results show.

“These results show that type 2 diabetes ma...

Heart Trouble Harms Men's Brains Far Sooner Than Women's

Men with heart risk factors tend to lose their brain health more quickly than women with similar heart risks, a new study finds.

These men face brain decline as early as their mid-50s, while women are most susceptible from their mid-60s onward, researchers report in the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery and Psychiatry.

“These r...

Diabetes Drug Metformin Might Help Fight Lung Cancer

Already the go-to drug of choice for millions with type 2 diabetes, metformin might also fight lung cancer if those patients have it as well, new research shows.

Metformin appears to help boost the benefits of immunotherapy drugs used to fight lung tumors, according to a team led by Dr. Sai Yendamuri. He directs thoracic surgery at Roswell...

Nerve Stimulation Device Might Ease Long COVID Symptoms

A painless nerve-zapping device called Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) has long been used to ease arthritis, back pain and other ailments.

Now, researchers say TENS might also work to ease the fatigue and pain that can come with long COVID.

“This wearable TENS system offered immediate, on-demand relief from p...

Holiday Travel With a Loved One With Dementia: An Expert Offers Tips

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 27, 2024 -- Thanksgiving travel is a must for millions of Americans, but those plans will be complicated for some because they’re traveling with a loved one who has Alzheimer’s disease or dementia.

“A family trip to visit a loved one, friend, or favorite destination can be a great way to spend Thanksgiving...

People With HIV Can Now Receive Livers, Kidneys From HIV-Positive Donors

People with HIV can now receive a potentially life-saving kidney or liver from a donor who is also infected with the virus, according to new rules announced Tuesday by the Biden administration.

According to an announcement from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the decision was based on solid evidence that these types of t...

Biden Will Move to Have Medicare, Medicaid Cover GLP-1 Weight-Loss Meds

The outgoing Biden administration will propose that pricey GLP-1 obesity medications such as semaglutide (Wegovy), and tirzepatide (Zepbound) be covered by Medicare and Medicaid.

However, the move would have to be approved by the new Trump administration. 

Right now, a law passed by Congress two decades ago prevents the Medicare...