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Major Drug Companies Agree to Price Negotiations With U.S. Government

TUESDAY, Oct. 3, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Pharmaceutical companies that make the 10 prescription drugs chosen to be the first for price negotiations for Medicare patients have agreed to talks with the government.

The Biden administration announced Tuesday that the drugmakers, including Merck, Bristol Myers Squibb and John...

Tea Drinkers May Gain Better Blood Sugar Control

TUESDAY, Oct. 3, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Drinking dark tea daily may help balance blood sugar levels and stave off type 2 diabetes, the form of the disease most closely tied to obesity.

This is the main message from a new study that looked at tea-drinking habits and diabetes risk among people in China.

Fol...

AI Gets High Marks From Doctors in Answering Medical Questions

TUESDAY, Oct. 3, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- The ChatGPT artificial intelligence (AI) program could grow into a source of accurate and comprehensive medical information, but it’s not quite ready for prime time yet, a new study reports.

ChatGPT’s responses to more than 280 medical questions across diverse specialties aver...

Spending on Kids' Mental Health Keeps Rising

TUESDAY, Oct. 3, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- In yet another reminder of the psychic toll the pandemic has taken on young people, new research shows spending on mental health services for U.S. children and adolescents has risen sharply since 2020.

It climbed 26% for youths aged 19 and younger between March 2020 and August 202...

Seniors, Here Are the Meds That Can Harm Your Driving Skills

TUESDAY, Oct. 3, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Some common medications -- including antidepressants, sleep aids and painkillers -- may dull the driving skills of seniors, a new study finds.

Many different medication classes have been linked to the risk of driving impairment, as anyone who has ever read the label warning "do no...

Loneliness Could Raise Risk for Parkinson's, Study Finds

TUESDAY, Oct. 3, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Loneliness can leave many feeling desolate, but new research now suggests it may also leave people vulnerable to Parkinson's disease.

Among more than 490,000 people listed in the UK Biobank who were followed for up to 15 years, loneliness appeared to increase the chances of a Park...

Over 75,000 Kaiser Permanente Union Workers Could Strike on Wednesday

TUESDAY, Oct. 3, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Health care workers who serve millions of Americans could strike Wednesday if Kaiser Permanente and union workers don’t reach an agreement.

More than 75,000 members of the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions are poised to strike, CNBC reported. The union, whose contra...

Following One Death, FDA Warns Hospitals About Giving Probiotics to Preemies

TUESDAY, Oct. 3, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Federal regulators are cautioning doctors not to give probiotics to preterm infants.

An infant given probiotics at an undisclosed hospital has died, U.S. Food and Drug Administration officials said in a recent warning letter.

Preterm infants given probiotics are at ...

Surgeons Seeing More 'Mutilating' Hand Injuries With New Utility Terrain Vehicles

A popular type of off-road vehicle known as a “side-by-side” has been linked to high rates of severe hand injuries, according to a new study.

Side-by-sides are utility terrain vehicles (UTVs) designed to carry more than one passenger and heavy loads. All-terrain vehicles (ATVs) are usually made for one driver going off-road.

"Our...

PFAS Chemicals Tied to Later Puberty in Girls

TUESDAY, Oct. 3, 2023 (HealthDay News) – Exposure to ubiquitous chemicals known as PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, may delay puberty in girls, new research indicates.

The study is the first to consider the role hormones play in the delay, according to researchers from the University of Cincinnati.

Women Give High Marks to Breast Reconstruction Using Patient's Own Tissue

TUESDAY, Oct. 3, 2023 (HealthDay News) – Women who have breast reconstruction using their own tissue instead of implants ma be more satisfied with the results, new research shows.

"The findings were unexpected, since autologous breast reconstruction is a more complex procedure, with a higher rate of severe complications...

Despite New Long-Term Options, People Still Prefer Daily PrEP Pill to Prevent HIV

TUESDAY, Oct. 3, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- New ways to deliver drugs that prevent infection with HIV are out there, but many people still prefer the standard daily PrEP pill, a new study shows.

“The oral pill is very efficacious when people take it every day, and it really has the potential to curb HIV transmission in t...

Even Short Bursts of Daily Activity Lengthen Life

MONDAY, Oct. 2, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Good news for couch potatoes — bursts of activity as short as one to three minutes in duration can prompt a steep decrease in the risk of heart attack, stroke and early death, a new study reports.

Researchers tracked the activity of more than 25,000 people in the United Kingdom, ...

CDC Will Recommend an Antibiotic After Sex to Help Prevent Sexually Transmitted Infections

MONDAY, Oct. 2, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is poised to recommend use of a powerful antibiotic to prevent sexually transmitted infections.

On Monday, the CDC issued draft recommendations, recommending doctors consider prescribing doxycycline to help prevent the spread of d...

Arthritic Hands: What Works (and Doesn't) to Ease the Pain?

MONDAY, Oct. 2, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Millions of people who live with the pain and stiffness of arthritis in their hands get steroid or hyaluronic acid injections directly into their finger joints in the hopes of feeling better.

Now, a new review shows that even though these injections are widely recommended in treatm...

Breastfeeding in Infancy Tied to Healthier Weight Later for Kids

MONDAY, Oct. 2, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- What a baby eats, or how the baby eats, may have an impact on future weight and health, research has shown.

A new study backs that up. It found that 9-year-olds who had been breast-fed for six months or more had a lower percentage of body fat than their peers who were never breast-...

Nobel Prize for Medicine Awarded to COVID Vaccine Pioneers

MONDAY, Oct. 2, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- This year’s Nobel Prize for physiology or medicine has been awarded to two scientists who laid the groundwork years ago for the mRNA research that made COVID-19 vaccines possible.

Dr. Katalin Karikó, the 13^th woman to ever receive the honor, and Dr. Drew Weissman, be...

Beating 'Middle-Age Spread':  Carbs You Should and Shouldn't Eat

MONDAY, Oct. 2, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- A diet rich in whole grains, fruits and non-starchy vegetables is the best recipe for middle-aged folks trying to keep their weight under control, new research finds.

Low in added sugar, yet rich in vitamins and minerals, such foods are considered “high-quality” carbs, investig...

Germs Love Two Skin 'Hot Spots' on Your Body

Grandma knew it all along: Certain places on the body are "hot spots" for unhealthy microbes.

That notion — which the authors of a new study dubbed “the grandma hypothesis,” after grandma’s admonitions to clean behind the ears — was tested by students in a genomics course at George Washington (GW) University in Washington, D.C.

Third of Medicaid Patients With Opioid Use Disorder Don't Get Treatment

MONDAY, Oct. 2, 2023 (HealthDay News) – Medications that cut cravings have been shown to help with opioid use disorder, yet nearly a third of Medicaid recipients dealing with opioid addiction aren’t getting them, a new report shows.

There were significant disparities in who gets these medications by age, race and stat...