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Mexican-Americans at Higher Risk for Liver Cancer

MONDAY, Sept. 25, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Mexican-Americans have more risk factors for liver cancer than residents of Mexico do, a new study finds.

Researchers compared data on almost 9,500 Mexicans living in Mexico; just over 2,300 U.S.-born Mexican-Americans living in the United States; and close to 2,000 Mexican-Americans who were...

Blacks, Elderly Missing From U.S. Cancer Clinical Trials

MONDAY, Sept. 25, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Four out of five participants in cancer clinical trials are white, a discrepancy that calls into question whether other races and ethnicities are receiving good cancer treatment, researchers say.

Women and the elderly also are underrepresented in clinical trials, according to the new findings....

Nerve Stimulation Pulls Patient From 15-Year Vegetative State

MONDAY, Sept. 25, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- By stimulating a nerve that stretches from the abdomen to the brain, French researchers have restored a significant measure of consciousness to a brain-damaged 35-year-old car accident victim who had spent 15 years in a vegetative state.

This case may change conventional thinking about vegetat...

Stopping Aspirin Tied to Quick Rise in Heart Attack, Stroke Risk

MONDAY, Sept. 25, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- People who stop following their doctor's advice to take a daily aspirin may see their risk of heart attack and stroke quickly rise, a new study suggests.

Low-dose aspirin is a standard therapy for people at increased risk of a heart attack or stroke. But many eventually stop taking it, or at l...

Cancer Distress May Lead to Missed Appointments

MONDAY, Sept. 25, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Seriously distressed cancer patients appear to miss more appointments and have more hospital admissions during treatment, a new study finds.

The U.S. National Comprehensive Cancer Network describes severe distress as "a mix of anxiety and depressive symptoms." About one-third of cancer patient...

Gun Violence in Movies a Trigger for Teens?

MONDAY, Sept. 25, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Kids who see gun violence in movies are more likely to play with and fire a gun if they have access to one, a new study finds.

"We know from past research that kids who see movie characters smoke cigarettes are more likely to smoke them themselves, and kids who see movie characters drink alco...

Breast Cancer Radiation 'Less Scary' Than Thought

MONDAY, Sept. 25, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Radiation therapy for breast cancer is actually "less scary" than anticipated, nine out of 10 patients say after treatment.

A survey of 300-plus breast cancer patients also found that more than 80 percent said the side effects of radiation were better than expected.

"The word radiat...

Another GOP Senator Says No to Latest Obamacare Repeal Effort

MONDAY, Sept. 25, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Republican Sen. Susan Collins said Monday that she opposes the latest incarnation of her party's effort to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, dealing what appeared to be a fatal blow to the proposed legislation.

Collins, who's from Maine, announced her decision shortly after the nonpa...

Food Stamp Benefits May Lower Health Care Costs

MONDAY, Sept. 25, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Health care costs could drop for poor Americans who participate in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), new research suggests.

SNAP was formerly known as the Food Stamp Program.

A study led by researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital found SNAP participants spen...

Cancer Patients May Have Undiagnosed Depression

MONDAY, Sept. 25, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Depression is common, though often overlooked, in people with cancer, a new study suggests.

Researchers assessed depression in 400 patients treated for cancer between 2013 and 2016 at University Hospital Cancer Center, in Newark, N.J. They were between 20 and 86 years old, with an average age ...

Where It's Legal, One-Quarter of Cancer Patients Use Medical Pot

MONDAY, Sept. 25, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- If you legalize medical marijuana, a sizable number of cancer patients will sign up, a new Washington state survey suggests.

One-quarter of cancer patients in Washington use marijuana, researchers found. But the study also revealed it can be a challenge to get information about the drug from h...

Putting Wine on a Diet

MONDAY, Sept. 25, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Do you enjoy a glass of wine with dinner or when unwinding at the end of a long day, but wonder how its calories are affecting your diet?

As with everything you eat and drink, it comes down to portion size.

The key is limiting yourself to one 5-ounce serving a day if you're a woman, ...

Mastectomy Study Confirms 'Jolie Effect'

MONDAY, Sept. 25, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Actress Angelina Jolie's decision to undergo breast removal to reduce her risk of breast cancer has led other women to do so, a new study shows.

The findings show that celebrities can influence the health care decisions of the general public, said study author Art Sedrakyan, a professor at Wei...

McCain Says No to Latest Effort to Replace Obamacare

FRIDAY, Sept. 22, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Sen. John McCain dealt a body blow to the latest effort to replace Obamacare on Friday by announcing that he can't vote for the Graham-Cassidy health care bill as it stands.

"I believe we could do better working together, Republicans and Democrats, and have not yet really tried," McCain (R-Ari...

'Off-Roading' Threat May Lurk in the Air

FRIDAY, Sept. 22, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Falls aren't the only danger for kids who ride an off-road vehicle. In many parts of the United States, riders may also inhale hazardous mineral fibers and toxic dust, researchers warn.

Four-wheel-drive and all-terrain vehicles "have been designed to operate in rugged, unpaved terrain, and the...

IUD Won't Interfere With Breast-Feeding

FRIDAY, Sept. 22, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Women who have a hormonal intrauterine device (IUD) implanted immediately after childbirth can still breast-feed, according to a new study.

There's no reason for women to delay using this type of birth control after having a baby, researchers advised.

"Bottom line: Early placement o...

More Teen Dads?

FRIDAY, Sept. 22, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- The number of teen mothers in the United States remained stable over two generations, but the number of teen fathers increased, new research shows.

For the study, researchers analyzed data from two groups of about 10,000 people -- those born in 1962-1964 and those born in 1980-1982.

...

Workers Without Paid Sick Leave Suffer Ill Effects

FRIDAY, Sept. 22, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Lack of paid sick leave can cause mental distress for workers when they're ill because they're afraid of losing wages or their jobs, a new study says.

In the United States, only seven states have mandatory paid sick leave laws, said researchers from Florida Atlantic University and Cleveland St...

Lady Gaga's Fibromyalgia Puts Illness in the Spotlight

THURSDAY, Sept. 21, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Earlier this month, superstar Lady Gaga took to social media to announce that she has long struggled with fibromyalgia.

The news has put the painful and poorly understood illness center stage.

Just this week, the singer announced on Twitter that she's postponing the European leg o...

Coming Soon: Glaucoma Self-Care, From Home?

FRIDAY, Sept. 22, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- For many glaucoma patients, repeat trips to a doctor's office to check on their eyes can be a real pain.

But new research supports the usefulness of a device that allows glaucoma patients to measure their own eye pressure -- in the comfort of their own home.

Researchers found that am...