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...

Cold Plunge or Hot Bath? What's Best for Ailing Muscles?

It’s common to find a pitcher soaking their elbow in an ice bucket following a baseball game, in an effort to save their arm for tomorrow’s innings.

But athletes about to hit the turf would be better off soaking their aching muscles and joints in a hot tub rather than an ice bath, researchers report in a new small-scale study.<...

Study Finds GLP-1 Meds Can Also Help the Kidneys

The potential health benefits of GLP-1 diabetes and weight loss meds keep piling up: New research shows they may also shield your kidneys from harm.

In the largest study to date on the effects of the drugs on the kidneys, researchers found GLP-1s help the protect the organs in people with or without diabetes. 

GLP-1s include blo...

Concussions Slow Brain Activity in High School Football Players

TUESDAY, Nov. 26, 2024 (HeathDay News) -- A potentially important form of brain signaling appears to be affected whenever concussion strikes, according to new research involving high school football players.

“This study is important because it provides insight into both the mechanisms and the clinical implications of concussion in th...

Long COVID Brain Fog: Could the Lungs Hold Clues?

The “brain fog” of long COVID might be due to impaired lung function following a person’s infection, a new small-scale study says.

Reduced gas exchange in the lungs – oxygen coming in, carbon dioxide going out -- appears to be associated with brain fog in long COVID, researchers will report in Chicago at next week&r...

Scientists Spot Gene That Could Help Cause Miscarriages

A gene that causes accelerated reproductive aging is directly tied to the risk of miscarriage in younger women, a new study says.

A mutation of the gene KIF18A speeds up the aging process of eggs in younger women, diminishing their fertility, researchers report.

“Knowledge of the precise genetic landscape that causes egg abnorm...

Supreme Court Won't Hear Big Tobacco's Challenge to Cigarette Warning Labels

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear a major tobacco company's challenge to a federal law that would mandate graphic images on cigarette packs. 

Some of the proposed images include a woman with a large lump on her neck alongside the message "WARNING: Smoking causes head and neck cancer;" lungs blackened by smoking; and fe...

Wildfire Smoke Exposure Linked to Dementia Risk

People in Southern California with relatively high exposures to wildfire smoke over a decade also had significantly higher risks for dementia, a new study warns.

In fact, the fine-particle pollution created by these fires seems more closely tied to brain trouble than similar pollutants from factories and car exhaust, the researchers noted....

T-Day Dinner, Post-Election: Experts Offer Tips to Keep Things Calm

Politics, especially the 2024 elections, can quickly turn the family Thanksgiving table into a battleground.

Steering clear of hot-button topics will not only help a big meal go down easier, it has health benefits as well.

Keeping the peace prevents a surge of fight-or-flight hormones that can disrupt sleep and cause headaches, infl...

Stroke Guidelines Updated, With Focus on Women and GLP-1s

Women, especially those who had high blood pressure during pregnancy or entered menopause before age 45, are among those with a greater risk for stroke.

They and other high-risk groups are the focus of new stroke prevention guidelines from the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association. 

The guidelines also sugge...

Vaping Immediately Changes Your Blood Flow

Even when e-cigarettes are nicotine-free, they have an immediate effect on blood vessels, a new imaging study shows.

"E-cigarettes have long been marketed as a safer alternative to regular tobacco smoking," said Dr. Marianne Nabbout, a resident at University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences who led new study to identify the effects of vap...

Yoga Helps Women Deal With the Mental Stress of Cancer

A cancer diagnosis can bring overwhelming stress and depression to women, but new research suggests yoga can help ease that emotional toll.

“A wellness intervention that integrates yoga and psychological tools may strengthen the connections among the mind, body and spirit, leading to a better and more meaningful quality of life,&rdq...

Illinois Study Finds Steep Rise in Serious Complications of Pregnancy

MONDAY, Nov. 25, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Chronic health problems like high blood pressure, gestational diabetes and obesity have fueled a troubling rise in maternal health issues and birth complications in Illinois, a new study finds. 

"These birth outcomes are worsening for all ages, reflecting the worsening pre-pregnancy healt...

Reaching Age at Which a Parent Died by Suicide Raises Risk in Adult Child

When people whose parents died by suicide reach that same age, their own risk often spikes, Danish researchers warn.

Reporting in the journal Suicide and Life-Threatening Behaviors, the researchers looked at data on more than 470,000 Danes whose parents died between 1980 and 2016. Of those, 17,806 individuals had parents...

Could a Common Thyroid Medicine Weaken Bones?

New research suggests that a thyroid medication often prescribed to older Americans may be linked to a common problem in old age -- bone loss.

Levothyroxine is a synthetic hormone often prescribed to treat hypothyroidism. People with the condition don't make enough thyroxine on their own, which can cause weight gain, fatigue, hair loss an...

Long COVID Hits the Young Harder Than the Old, Study Finds

It might sound counterintuitive, but new research shows that when Long COVID strikes, younger patients appear more prone to severe symptoms than older folks.

That's tough on society as a whole, the study's lead author said.

“The impact of Long COVID is causing disproportionate morbidity [illness] and disability in younger adul...

For Some, 'Tis the Season for Loneliness. Experts Offer Tips to Stay Connected

For many, the holidays are a time when you connect with others and share time with loved ones. But for some, the holidays are a painful exercise in loneliness.

While a Northwestern Medicine study published last spring found loneliness is more prevalent in both younger and older adults, those feelings intensify around the holidays, sai...

Taking a GLP-1 Medication? Here's Tips to Holiday Eating

So, you have managed to shed 30 pounds with the help of one of the new blockbuster GLP-1 drugs, but as the holidays near you worry about how to handle gatherings where decadent food will be served in abundance.

Luckily, one expert from Baylor College of Medicine has tips on how to enjoy holiday fare while on these medications, without over...

Bird Flu Virus in Canadian Teen Shows Mutations That Could Help It Spread Among Humans

In a development that health experts have warned might come, Canadian officials report that the bird flu virus isolated from a sick teen in Vancouver shows mutations that could help it spread more easily among humans.

At this point, there is no evidence that this particular mutated H5N1 virus has traveled beyond the one Canadian patient: A...

'10 Americas:' Health Disparities Mean Life Expectancy Varies Across U.S.

How long Americans can expect to live varies dramatically -- and the gap continues to widen.

A new report says health inequalities have, in essence, created 10 Americas.

These mutually exclusive populations are divided along familiar fault lines, including race, ethnicity, income and address. 

While life expectancy rose in...