Risk-Based Breast Cancer Screening Outperforms Annual Mammograms, Clinical Trial Finds

TUESDAY, Dec. 16, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Tailoring breast cancer screening to a woman’s individual cancer risk might work better than annual mammograms, a new study says.

Women had breast cancers caught at an earlier, more treatable stage when assigned to risk-based screening, compared to those who got annual mammograms regard...

Dad, Grandpa Might Be Taking A Dangerous Risk While Stoned, Survey Finds

TUESDAY, Dec. 16, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Efforts to stop weed-impaired driving are ignoring the traffic risk posed by a stoned dad or grandpa, a new study says.

About 1 out of 5 (20%) people 50 and older who use weed reported they’d driven while high at least once during the past year, researchers report in the January 2026 is...

Smartwatch System Helps Defuse Children's Temper Tantrums, Experts Say

TUESDAY, Dec. 16, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Parents can better defuse their kids’ temper tantrums with the help of AI-powered smartwatch monitoring, a new study says.

Smartwatch alerts of an impending tantrum helped parents swoop in within seconds, cutting by more than half the duration of outbursts by young children, researchers...

Large Review Finds Limited Proof Behind Many Medical Cannabis Uses

MONDAY, Dec. 15, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Medical marijuana is often seen as a safer, natural way to ease pain, anxiety or sleep issues. But a large new review suggests that for many of these uses, the science simply isn’t there.

It adds that a significant share of folks, roughly 30%, using cannabis for medical reasons may actua...

COVID Vaccines Cut ER Visits for Children, CDC Reports

MONDAY, Dec. 15, 2025 (HealthDay News) — COVID-19 vaccines given to children last fall helped keep many out of emergency rooms (ER) and urgent care, new data shows.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that COVID vaccines reduced the risk of ER visits by 76% in kids under age 4 and by 56% in kids ages 5 ...

FDA Approves Two New Antibiotics to Treat Drug-Resistant Gonorrhea

MONDAY, Dec. 15, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Doctors now have new tools to fight gonorrhea, a common sexually transmitted infection that has grown harder to treat over time.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved two new antibiotics: Zoliflodacin and gepotidacin.

This is the first new major treatment for gonorrhea...

FDA Weighs Strongest Black Box Warning for COVID Vaccines

MONDAY, Dec. 15, 2025 (HealthDay News) — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is considering adding the strongest safety warning available to COVID-19 vaccines.

The move has alarmed many outside health experts, who say there is no scientific basis for the warning.

People familiar with the plan told CNN the FDA i...

Too Much Drinking Contributes To Cancer Risk, Study Says

MONDAY, Dec. 15, 2025 (HealthDay News) — A new evidence review offers some sobering info for folks preparing to raise more than a couple celebratory glasses during Christmas or New Year’s.

Alcohol significantly increases a person’s risk of developing a wide range of cancers, and that risk rises further as more is imbibed,...

Home-Delivered Food Boxes Improve Diabetes Control, Experts Say

MONDAY, Dec. 15, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Folks with diabetes might fare better if health care professionals pick out and deliver their groceries, a new study says.

Folks with diabetes who received home deliveries of diabetes-appropriate grocery boxes for three months had better blood sugar control by the end of the experiment, resear...

Doing Nothing Appears Best Approach To Common Heart Defect Among Preemies

MONDAY, Dec. 15, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Doing nothing at all to manage a common fetal heart defect might improve the survival odds of babies born prematurely, compared to treatment with drugs, a new clinical trial suggests.

A “wait and see” approach to patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) doubled a preemie’s chances of s...

Some Can Slowly Taper Off Antidepressants Without Risk Of Relapse, Review Concludes

MONDAY, Dec. 15, 2025 (HealthDay News) — It’s safe to slowly taper some people off antidepressants after their depression fades, rather than continuing the drugs indefinitely, a new evidence review says.

People who slowly tapered off antidepressants while receiving psychological counseling had a similar risk of relapse to those...

Mothers' Milk Might Be Key To Avoiding Childhood Food Allergies

MONDAY, Dec. 15, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Farm kids tend to have far fewer allergies than urban children, and a new study offers one possible explanation: The milk provided by breastfeeding moms.

Children who grow up in farming communities have immune systems that mature faster, with higher levels of protective antibodies during their...

Most Receive Shock Therapy Without Psychological Counseling, Survey Says

MONDAY, Dec. 15, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Most people receiving shock therapy for mental health problems aren’t receiving any sort of psychological counseling before having their brains zapped, a new study says. 

Only a third of patients said they’d been asked about recent stressful events or childhood traumas like ab...

How to Head Off Tendon Trouble

SUNDAY, Dec. 14, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Injure a tendon and you might not notice right away, but beware: These injuries often fail to heal properly, putting everyday activities at risk. 

"No matter how strong your muscle is, you’re not going to be able to have the functionality and the stability you need if a tendon is im...

Ignore the Influencers: Simple Showers Are Still Best

SATURDAY, Dec. 13, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Listen to the influencers, skin-care specialists say, and your daily shower could do more harm than good.

"Your skin is a barrier," said Dr. Nicole Negbenebor, a dermatologic surgeon at University of Iowa Health Care, told The Associated Press. "So you want to treat it right, and th...

New Sunscreen Ingredient Could Soon Be Allowed in the U.S.

FRIDAY, Dec. 12, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Americans may soon have access to a new sunscreen ingredient already used around the world.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced Dec. 11 that it is reviewing a proposal to allow bemotrizinol in sunscreens sold in the United States. 

The ingredient is already approve...