Tiny Traces of Lithium May Help Protect the Brain From Alzheimer’s

Tiny amounts of lithium — a natural metal — may help protect the brain from Alzheimer’s and signs of aging, new research shows.

Scientists at Harvard Medical School and Rush University found that when mice were fed a low-lithium diet, their brains developed more inflammation and signs of aging accelerated.

The findi...

CDC Warns Travelers After 8,000+ Chikungunya Cases Reported in China

Health officials in China are reporting more than 8,000 cases of chikungunya, a virus spread by mosquitoes that can cause fever and painful joints.

The outbreak is centered in Foshan, a city in the southeastern province of Guangdong with nearly 10 million people. Hong Kong, Macao and Hunan province — more than 400 miles north —...

New Weight Loss Pill From Eli Lilly Shows Promise in Early Study

A new weight loss pill made by Eli Lilly helped people lose a significant amount of weight in a recent study.

Taken at the highest dose, orforglipron helped patients lose an average 27.3 pounds, or 12.4% of their body weight, over 72 weeks.

Eli Lilly says it plans to apply for U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval by the e...

Staying Active Might Slow Parkinson's Progression

Staying active might slow the brain changes associated with Parkinson’s disease, a new study says.

Parkinson’s patients who kept active by walking, doing household chores and participating in recreational activities experienced slower brain changes in areas tied to memory, mood and attention, researchers reported Aug. 6 in the ...

Verbal Abuse As Damaging As Physical Abuse To Children's Mental Health

“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.”

This old saying is just plain wrong, a new study argues.

Verbal abuse inflicted in childhood can harm a person’s future mental health as much as physical abuse, researchers reported Aug. 5 in the journal BMJ Open.

Verbal abuse incre...

AI Chatbots Easily Misled By Fake Medical Info

Ever heard of Casper-Lew Syndrome or Helkand Disease? How about black blood cells or renal stormblood rebound echo?

If not, no worries. These are all fake health conditions or made-up medical terms.

But artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots treated them as fact, and even crafted detailed descriptions for them out of thin air, a new s...

Could CAR-T Therapy Be a Cure for Lupus? Early Trials Show Promise

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a complex autoimmune disease with a spectrum of very different manifestations and variable severity.

This makes the condition difficult to diagnose and treat, with a goal of putting the disease into remission more so than curing it.

The most common symptoms of lupus are joint pains and swelling...

1 in 10 Americans Has Used GLP-1 Drugs For Weight Loss, Survey Says

More than 1 in 10 Americans have used a GLP-1 drug for weight loss, a new survey by the RAND research group reveals.

About 12% say they’ve tried GLP-1 drugs, like Ozempic, Wegovy or Zepbound, with rates of use highest among people ages 50 to 64, survey results show.

“Of all demographic groups, women between the ages of 50...

Most Kids In Fatal Car Wrecks Aren't Safely Restrained

Most children involved in fatal car crashes are not safely and properly restrained, needlessly placing them in harm’s way, a new study says.

About 7 of 10 kids younger than 13 weren’t safely strapped in when a fatal auto accident took place, researchers reported in the journal Traffic Injury Prevention.

“We...

California Wildfires May Have Caused Hundreds More Deaths

Wildfires that tore through Los Angeles early this year may have caused hundreds more deaths than official reports show, new research suggests.

While the fires were said to have taken 31 lives, a study published Wednesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association estimates that about 440 more deaths may be linked to the d...

RFK Jr. Cancels $500M in mRNA Vaccine Research Projects

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has canceled nearly $500 million in grants and contracts meant to support mRNA vaccine development, the agency announced Tuesday.

The funding had been awarded to 22 research projects managed by the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARD...

FDA Warns About Safety Issues With Boston Scientific Heart Devices

U.S. health officials are warning patients and physicians about safety issues associated with two Boston Scientific heart implants, which have been linked to injuries and deaths.

On Wednesday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued two alerts about these devices: One is a defibrillator system used to shock the heart back into r...

Sending Unsolicited Stool Test Kits The Best Way To Boost Colon Cancer Screening, Study Argues

Automatically mailing a stool test kit to people’s homes might be the best way to boost colon cancer screening among younger adults, a new study says.

More 45- to 49-year-olds went ahead with cancer screening when they received an unsolicited stool test kit in the mail, rather than having to actively opt into screening or choose a te...

Standing Up More Frequently Might Protect Seniors' Heart Health

There’s a simple way older women can protect their heart health, a new study argues.

Just stand up.

Women who started standing up from a seated position more often during their day experienced notable improvement in blood pressure after three months, researchers reported recently in the journal Circulation.

Takin...

Longer, Quicker Walks Protect Heart Health

Adding distance to your daily walk and picking up your pace can help reduce risk of heart problems associated with high blood pressure, a new study says.

Compared to a minimum step count of 2,300 steps, every 1,000 additional steps are associated with a 17% lower risk of heart attack, heart failure and stroke, researchers reported Aug. 6 i...

Tamiflu Safe For Children, Study Concludes

Researchers have debunked long-standing concerns that Tamiflu can cause neurological and psychiatric problems when given to influenza-stricken children.

For decades, doctors have debated whether the antiviral drug oseltamivir (Tamiflu) increases kids’ risk of seizures, mental problems and hallucinations.

But Tamiflu actually cu...

Chaotic Homes Can Lead To Mental, Physical Health Problems Among Kids

Children raised in unstable, unpredictable environments are more likely to exhibit mental and physical health problems as teenagers and young adults, a new study says.

Kids are more likely to develop behavior problems and mental health conditions after living in a chaotic household, researchers reported recently in the journal Child De...