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28 Sep
Heavy Pot Users Face High Risk of Developing Heart Disease, Study Finds
Adults with cannabis use disorder have a nearly 60% higher risk of suffering a first heart attack, stroke or another major cardiovascular event.
17 Aug
Health Experts Alarmed by Borax Challenge, Latest Tik Tok Trend
Videos showing people consuming borax for its alleged health benefits are all over social media, but experts warn this white powder commonly used in laundry detergent and other cleaning products poses serious health dangers.
Health News Results - 307
'Drug Take Back Day' is Saturday: Check for Leftover Opioids in Your Home
- Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
- April 26, 2024
- Full Page
Each year, thousands of Americans head home after a surgery clutching prescription opioids to help ease post-surgical pain.
Trouble is, most won't use all those pills, and that could lead to a lot of misuse and addiction, one study found.
Few Young Adults Could Administer Naloxone to Reverse Fentanyl Overdose
- Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
- April 22, 2024
- Full Page
Even though fentanyl-linked fatal overdoses are soaring among young adults, a new survey of American college students found that just 1 in 7 knew how to administer the overdose antidote drug naloxone.
Many who took the survey "reported high willingness to intervene durin...
Most Homeless Americans Are Battling Mental Illness
- Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
- April 17, 2024
- Full Page
Two-thirds of homeless people are experiencing some form of mental health disorder, a large, new review of data on the subject.
The analysis found that men who are homeless are more likely to be battling mental illness than women, although rates were high for both gender...
Black and Native Americans Hit Hardest by 'Deaths of Despair'
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- April 10, 2024
- Full Page
More middle-aged Black and Native Americans are now falling prey to “deaths of despair” than whites, a new study finds.
These deaths -- from suicide, drug overdose and alcoholic liver disease -- initially had been more common among whites.
But a new analysis ha...
Taking 'Study Drugs' Like Adderall Could Be Gateway to More Drug Abuse
- Carole Tanzer Miller HealthDay Reporter
- March 14, 2024
- Full Page
College students who use drugs like Adderall to help them focus on their studies may be setting themselves up for trouble.
Researchers asked 700 undergraduates across the United States about drugs commonly used by students -- including ADHD medications like Adderall, can...
Use of Legal 'Delta-8-THC' Is Rising Among Teens - Is it Safe?
- Carole Tanzer Miller HealthDay Reporter
- March 12, 2024
- Full Page
They're cheap, easy to buy and now new research shows they have become the buzz of choice for American teens.
Delta-8-THC products, which include gummies and vapes, are legal in 22 states and Washington, D.C. There is no federal minimum age requirement for buying them, a...
ADHD Meds Cut Odds for Early Death, Especially by Overdose
- Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
- March 12, 2024
- Full Page
People diagnosed with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) show a marked decline in their two-year risk for death once they start taking medication, new research shows.
That w...
You Can Safely Avoid Addictive Long-Acting Opioids After Knee Replacement
- Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
- March 8, 2024
- Full Page
It's well known that long-acting opioid meds raise the odds for addiction in users -- including folks dealing with pain after an orthopedic surgery.
Now, new research suggests that patients fare just as well if doctors prescribe less risky immediate-release opioids follo...
Emergency Calls by Youth Rose After States Decriminalized 'Magic Mushroom' Drug
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- February 26, 2024
- Full Page
U.S. poison center calls related to psilocybin “magic mushrooms” among youth skyrocketed after U.S. cities and states began decriminalizing the hallucinogen, a new study shows.
Psilocybin-related calls among teens ages 13 to 19 more than tripled between 2018 and 2022...
Young Workers' Injuries Rise After Recreational Marijuana Sales Made Legal
- Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
- February 23, 2024
- Full Page
After states legalize the sale of weed for recreational use, on-the-job injuries rise among younger workers, new research shows.
U.S. Bureau of Labor statistics for 2006 through 2020 show that legal “recreational marijuana sales were associated with a 10% increase in w...
Stress Main Factor Driving Teens to Abuse Drugs, Alcohol
- Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
- February 9, 2024
- Full Page
American teenagers cite stress as the leading reason they might get drunk or high, a new report reveals.
That only underscores the need for better adolescent mental health care, according to the research team behind the study.
Better "access to treatment and suppor...
Cutting U.S. Homelessness by 25% Could Prevent 2,000 Opioid Deaths Each Year
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- February 8, 2024
- Full Page
Reducing homelessness by 25% could save nearly 2,000 lives lost each year to opioid overdoses, a new study estimates.
It also could save 850 lives from alcohol poisoning and 540 from cocaine overdoses, researchers from the University of Georgia estimate.
This is th...
Surge in Police Seizures of 'Magic Mushrooms' Mirrors Rise in Psilocybin Use
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- February 6, 2024
- Full Page
Police seizures of “magic” mushrooms have more than tripled within the past five years, the U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse reports.
The total weight of psilocybin mushrooms seized by law enforcement increased from 498 pounds in 2017 to 1,861 pounds in 2022, ac...
CDC Warns That 'Gas Station Heroin' May Contain Synthetic Pot
- Robin Foster HealthDay Reporter
- February 2, 2024
- Full Page
It's known by the street name "gas station heroin," but a new government report finds the highly addictive supplement Neptune's Fix may also contain synthetic pot.
The product has already been linked to seizures, brain swelling and hallucinations, researchers reported Th...
What Works Best to Help Pregnant Women Ease Off Opioids?
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- January 31, 2024
- Full Page
There's one treatment for pregnant women addicted to opioids that's safer for their unborn child, a new study reports.
Buprenorphine is associated with a slightly lower risk of birth defects overall compared to methadone, according to findings published recently in the j...
FDA Issues Another Warning on Tianeptine Products, Which Can Cause Seizures and Death
- Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
- January 25, 2024
- Full Page
Reiterating a warning first issued in November, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is urging Americans to stay away from supplements containing tianeptine, known on the street as "gas station heroin."
The supplements, sold under the brand name Neptune's Fix online and...
Mom's Opioid Use in Pregnancy Raises Child's Asthma, Eczema Risk
- Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
- January 18, 2024
- Full Page
Fetal exposure to opioids may change a baby's immune system, triggering a rise in risks for eczema and asthma through early childhood, new research shows.
Children born to women who used opioids during pregnancy had much higher rates of eczema, as well as conditions such...
Marijuana Has No Role in Taking Up or Quitting Opioids: Study
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- January 16, 2024
- Full Page
There's no link at all between weed use and a person's use of illicit opioids, one way or the other, a new review concludes.
Cannabis isn't a gateway drug that can spark a person's desire to try narcotics, results show.
On the other hand, weed also isn't effective ...
Latest Data Show 22 U.S. Teens Die of Overdoses Each Week
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- January 9, 2024
- Full Page
An average of 22 U.S. teens die each week from drug overdoses, a death toll driven by the powerful synthetic opioid fentanyl, a new study reports.
Researchers also have identified 19 “hotspot” counties where fatal ODs are occurring as much as double the national aver...
Nicotine Study Shows Mind's Power When It Comes to Drugs
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- January 5, 2024
- Full Page
How much a person believes in the strength of a drug might influence how powerfully that drug influences brain activity, a new study has found.
Smokers told to expect a low, medium or high dose of nicotine from an e-cigarette showed a brain response that tracked with the...
Deaths Tied to 'Fake Xanax' Street Drug Are Soaring
- Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
- January 4, 2024
- Full Page
Three twenty-somethings in Chicago took a street drug they thought was a harmless form of Xanax.
All three were found collapsed and unresponsive eight hours later by one of their mothers, who had them rushed to the hospital.
After multiple seizures, fever and heart...
FDA Approves First Test to Spot Folks at High Risk of Opioid Use Disorder
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- December 21, 2023
- Full Page
A newly approved test can determine whether a person has a genetically driven risk of becoming addicted to opioids.
The AvertD test, the first of its kind, uses a DNA sample swabbed from a patient's cheek to determine if they have a combination of genetic variants associ...
Using CBD & Other Hemp Products? You're Not Alone, Study Finds
- Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
- December 14, 2023
- Full Page
The market for cannabidiol (CBD) and other products derived from the hemp plant is now wide open in the United States, but that could bring danger to consumers, the authors of a new report warn.
Many people may not realize it, but there's a largely legal market for produ...
Drug Abuse Is Fueling Surge in Heart Infections Among Young Americans
- Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
- December 13, 2023
- Full Page
While rates of a deadly heart infection are dropping generally across the United States, a new report finds one exception: Young adults.
In that group, rates of infective endocarditis are rising, probably fueled by a common cause, injected drug abuse.
"Substance us...
Why Teens Use Marijuana: Study Finds It's Not Just About Getting High
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- December 13, 2023
- Full Page
Teens who avidly use weed typically use it either for enjoyment or to cope, but both uses have a dark side to them, new research finds.
Teenagers who use marijuana for enjoyment or to forget their problems have more demand for it, meaning that they are willing to both co...
Any Kind of Drug Abuse Treatment Can Help Gay Men Kick Meth Habit
- Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
- December 5, 2023
- Full Page
Methamphetamine abuse has long plagued the gay community, but a new study finds that any form of substance abuse treatment can help users quit.
In a news release, University of California, Los Angeles researchers explained that men who have sex with men are "a population...
Drug-Linked Disciplinary Actions by Schools Spiked After Oregon Legalized Marijuana
- Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
- October 23, 2023
- Full Page
New research suggests a link between middle school students being disciplined for marijuana use and legalization of recreational weed, particularly when schools are close to dispensaries that sell the drug.
Researchers studied this in Oregon, where recreational marijuana...
Fatal ODs Are Hitting Less-Educated Americans the Hardest
- Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
- October 6, 2023
- Full Page
Americans who haven't been to college appear to be a risk group for drug overdose deaths.
Deaths due to overdose increased among less-educated Americans, with the rate nearly doubling in a three-year period for those without a high school diploma, according to a new stud...
Big Rise Seen in Gun Deaths, Overdoses Among U.S. Kids
- Amy Norton HealthDay Reporter
- October 5, 2023
- Full Page
America's kids are safer now than a decade ago when it comes to many types of injury, with two glaring exceptions: drugs and guns.
That's the crux of a new study that looked at injury trends among U.S. children and teenagers between 2011 and 2021.
It found that non...
Heavy Marijuana Use May Harm the Heart
- Steven Reinberg HealthDay Reporter
- September 28, 2023
- Full Page
People who abuse marijuana may be setting themselves up for heart problems down the road, Canadian researchers report.
The new study found that people with so-called cannabis use disorder may have a 60% higher risk for a heart attack, stroke or other major heart-related ...
Climate Change's Hotter Days Could Bring More Alcohol, Drug Crises
- Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
- September 26, 2023
- Full Page
Sweltering temperatures appear to fuel drug-related hospital visits, a problem that could be worsening with climate change, a new study suggests.
“We saw that during periods of higher temperatures, there was a corresponding increase in hospital visits related to alcoho...
Talking to a Loved One Battling Substance Abuse: Staying Positive Is Key
- Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
- September 23, 2023
- Full Page
A conversation with a family member or loved one struggling with addiction can be the catalyst for getting help.
But it's important to choose your words carefully when discussing possible addiction to controlled substances with your loved one, said
MDMA/Ecstasy Shows Even More Promise in Easing PTSD
- Amy Norton HealthDay Reporter
- September 14, 2023
- Full Page
A new study is adding to evidence that the party drug "ecstasy" can boost the benefits of talk therapy for people suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
In a clinical trial, researchers found that three months of talk therapy, assisted by carefully monitor...
Marijuana Edibles Are Sending Kids to the ER: Here's Tips to Keep Them Safe
- Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
- September 4, 2023
- Full Page
Drugs and children don't mix, so it's important to keep little ones safe by storing any marijuana edibles out of reach from small hands.
The New Jersey Poison Control Center is offering warnings that can apply anywhere, after aiding in the medical treatment of 30 childre...
Counterfeit Pills Fuel Rising Number of Fatal Drug Overdoses
- Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
- September 1, 2023
- Full Page
A growing number of overdose deaths in the United States involve counterfeit pills, health officials reported Thursday.
Overdose deaths involving counterfeit pills were twice as common in the latter half of 2021 as they were in the last six months of 2019, accounting for...
Do Most Americans Know How to Help Loved Ones Battling Addictions? New Poll Says Yes
- Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
- August 31, 2023
- Full Page
If a loved one were living with addiction, a majority of Americans say they would know how to get help.
About 71% of 2,200 respondents to an American Psychiatric Association poll said they would know how to assist a friend or family members.
Most, about 73%, would...
Los estadounidenses de mediana edad usan marihuana y se dan atracones de bebida a niveles récord
- Hola Doctor and Cara Murez HealthDay Reporters
- August 21, 2023
- Full Page
Los atracones de bebida y el consumo de marihuana han alcanzado niveles históricamente altos entre los adultos de EE. UU. de 35 a 50 años, anunciaron el jueves los Institutos Nacionales de la Salud (NIH) de EE. UU.
Entre estos adultos de mediana edad, las drogas favori...
Middle-Aged Americans Are Using Marijuana, Binge-Drinking at Record Levels
- Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
- August 18, 2023
- Full Page
Binge-drinking and marijuana use have reached historically high levels among U.S. adults aged 35 to 50, the U.S. National Institutes of Health announced Thursday.
For these middle-aged adults, the drugs of choice are marijuana, hallucinogens and alcohol, with nearly...
Two-Thirds of Americans Say Their Lives Have Been Affected by Addiction: Poll
- Steven Reinberg HealthDay Reporter
- August 15, 2023
- Full Page
Millions of Americans are addicted to drugs or alcohol, and millions more struggle with an addicted family member or friend, a new poll finds.
Two-thirds of those surveyed said either they or a family member have been addicted to alcohol or drugs, been homeless because ...
Nurses, Other Health Care Workers at High Risk of Drug Overdose
- Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
- August 8, 2023
- Full Page
As the United States wrestles with soaring drug overdose deaths, new research finds that nurses, social and behavioral health care workers and health care support workers are at particularly high risk.
Compared with employed adults who are not health care workers, ...
Just 1 in 5 Americans Struggling With Opioid Misuse Gets Meds That Can Help
- Denise Mann HealthDay Reporter
- August 7, 2023
- Full Page
The U.S. opioid abuse epidemic wages on, and overdose deaths continue to rise, yet just 1 in 5 people receives potentially lifesaving medication such as methadone, buprenorphine or naltrexone to treat their addiction, a new study finds.
“These medications are effective...
Taking Kratom Claimed Her Son's Life. Now She and Others Are Warning of the Dangers
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- August 3, 2023
- Full Page
J.D. Butler was planning a future with his girlfriend at his favorite New York City restaurant when that future came to a sudden, crushing halt.
“They were planning on when she was moving in and arranging floor plans on the table, with where the furniture was going to ...
$11 Million Awarded to Family of Woman Who Died After Taking Kratom
- Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
- August 1, 2023
- Full Page
The family of a mother of four who collapsed and died while cooking breakfast has been awarded $11 million in a wrongful death lawsuit.
The cause of death for Krystal Talavera, 39, involved the opioid-like herb known as kratom.
The lawsuit had alleged that the her...
Strong Marijuana Habit Could Raise Odds for Complications During Surgery
- Steven Reinberg HealthDay Reporter
- July 11, 2023
- Full Page
Using marijuana regularly might increase the risk for complications during and after surgery, and doctors should address this when planning operations, a new study suggests.
People with a cannabis use disorder are 20% more likely to have serious complications, such as s...
Taking ADHD Meds Won't Raise a Kid's Odds for Drug Abuse Later: Study
- Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
- July 6, 2023
- Full Page
Stimulant medications like Ritalin are commonly prescribed to help treat the symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, but there have been concerns the drugs may lay the groundwork for later substance abuse.
New research may now set those worries at ease.
Soaring Misuse of Horse Tranquilizer Xylazine Is Worsening Opioid Crisis
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- June 30, 2023
- Full Page
Drug overdose deaths involving a powerful horse tranquilizer called xylazine have skyrocketed in the United States, rising 35-fold in just a handful of years, federal health researchers say.
The number of xylazine-involved OD deaths nationwide rose from just 102 in 2018 ...
Drug Overdoses Are Killing Men at Much Higher Rates Than Women
- Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
- June 15, 2023
- Full Page
American men die of drug overdoses at a higher rate than women, but new research shows that difference can't be completely explained by factors like misuse or greater use.
A study led by scientists from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City and the...
Lesbians, Gays Suffer More Mental Health Issues, Drug Use Problems: Survey
- Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
- June 14, 2023
- Full Page
Lesbians, gays and bisexuals are experiencing more mental health and substance use issues than their heterosexual peers, researchers say.
Teens Rarely Get Anti-Addiction Meds When Treated for Opioid Misuse
- Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
- June 13, 2023
- Full Page
The medication buprenorphine normalizes brain function in people addicted to opioids, but teens rarely receive it at U.S. treatment centers, a new study finds.
Only one in four adolescent residential treatment centers in the United States uses the medication to treat opi...
Young Adults' Use of Hallucinogens Like Mushrooms, PCP Doubled in a Few Years: Study
- Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
- June 9, 2023
- Full Page
Young American adults have doubled their use of non-LSD hallucinogens in just a few years, a new report warns.
Researchers found that between 2018 and 2021, U.S. adults aged 19 to 30 increased their use of mescaline, peyote, psilocybin ("magic mushrooms") and PCP, thoug...