Health News

Drugmakers will be required to negotiate on prices for more medications paid for by Medicare, the latest step in the Trump administration’s campaign to rein in prescription costs. Starting next year, private insurers that provide coverage to about 20 million seniors through Medicare Advantage will get new powers to bargain over drugs administered in doctor’s […]

When the Trump administration expanded short-term, limited duration health care plans from three months to less than 12 months with the option to renew twice, many saw it as a slow blood-letting of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), commonly known as Obamacare. With premiums getting steeper for people those whose care isn’t subsidized, these short-term […]

Breastfeeding mothers who drink alcohol may be more likely to have children with cognitive problems than women who abstain while nursing, an Australian study suggests. For the study, researchers examined results of reasoning tests completed by 5,107 children, as well as questionnaires completed by their mothers detailing whether they nursed babies at all and how […]

A Victorian man has been diagnosed with an uncommon fungal superbug that can cause serious infections and possibly cause death. Health authorities in Victoria said in an alert on Aug. 7 that they believe the man had likely contracted the fungus Candida auris, also known as C. auris, during admission to a hospital in the United Kingdom. […]

Amazon has been steamrolling industries since its founding in 1995, making owner Jeff Bezos the richest man in modern history. But now it’s picking on an industry of equal caliber, and one that’s not going to be as easy as books to crack—the health care industry. Amazon is partnering with Berkshire Hathaway and JP Morgan […]

Every year, Australian osteopaths provide around 3.9 million clinical consultations. Osteopathy is a manual therapy developed by US physician Andrew Still in the mid-1800s, and it’s recognised by the World Health Organisation as a traditional system of medicine. Osteopaths rely on manual contact with patients for both diagnosis and treatment and employ a wide variety […]

It has long been believed that men who cycle were at a higher risk of urinary problems and sexual dysfunction. However, a recent study published in the Journal of Urology finds men needn’t worry that cycling will hurt their health. The U.S. study, carried out by the Department of Urology, University of California–San Francisco, looked at nearly […]

A new study has found that through aggressive blood pressure interventions, the risk of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and concurrent dementia is significantly reduced. This is the first study to link these results to both MCI and dementia. The study was done with a large population and had a long-term follow-up period, making the results the strongest […]

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a rule change on Aug. 1 that would expand the scope of short-term, limited-duration health insurance plans to a year and provide another option to those seeking a truly free-market health insurance plan. These short-term plans are meant to cover people who face gaps in their […]

Antidepressant prescriptions for children have increased over the past three years in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, according to investigations by BBC’s current-affairs radio program File on 4. The figures pertain to a powerful class of antidepressants referred to as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). Numbers of prescriptions for these drugs rose from 290,393 to […]

The NSW Government issued a public warning about a brand of eyeliner on July 24 after tests showed increased levels of lead in the Hashmi branded products. Testing of the imported eyeliners Hashmi Surmi Special and Hashmi Kohl Aswad yielded 84 percent lead content, alongside other harmful metals. Arsenic, cadmium, chromium, and mercury were among those identified, […]

An American pediatricians group is calling for “urgently needed reform” to the federal food additive regulatory process in order to limit exposure—particularly for children—to chemicals that are used to process, package, and preserve everyday foods. According to a new policy statement and an accompanying technical report by the American Academy of Pediatrics, there are child health concerns related […]

  Once again, record-breaking heat is bringing broiling conditions to many spots across the United States. Since the notable 2011 heat wave—which was then the hottest in 75 years—North Americans have been suffering through increasingly warmer spring and summer weather. Experts continue to warn that these heat waves may become more regular and last longer in the […]

From July 16, Australians who do not want their medical records stored on the national electronic database, My Health Record, will have until Oct. 15 to opt-out. The online database, launched in July 2012, comprises a person’s medical records—including their medications, diagnoses and treatments, allergies, and test results—that can be accessed by them and their […]

A common drug used to treat certain heart conditions is being recalled by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration because the drug contains a chemical that poses a potential cancer threat, according to a statement released on July 13. The FDA said the recall affects several drugs products containing the active ingredient valsartan following the detection […]

LONDON—The UK’s National Health Service is the world’s largest purchaser of fax machines, with a “farcical” reliance on outdated technology, medical experts have said. The report from the Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) says that the NHS has about 9,000 fax machines that doctors use to send patient information. One hospital trust area in north […]

In a move to improve cancer care for older adults, the American Society of Clinical Oncology is recommending that all patients age 65 and older receive a geriatric assessment when considering or undergoing chemotherapy. The goal is to better identify which patients can tolerate intensive chemotherapy, and which patients may need modified treatment regimens because […]

At all levels of society, autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are exacting a heavy toll. On a purely economic level, the demand for special services and care for an escalating number of autistic children (and, increasingly, adults) is stretching families, schools and health care systems to the breaking point. In 2014, a comprehensive analysis of ASD costs published in JAMA Pediatrics placed autism’s annual financial […]

A landmark experiment in north Queensland could hold the key to combating the spread of mosquito-borne diseases including dengue and Zika. Australian scientists managed to wipe out more than 80 per cent of the Aedes aegypti (yellow fever mosquito) population near Innisfail, a sugar town in tropical far north Queensland, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research […]

Earlier this month, one of us visited a prominent U.S. medical school to give a lecture on the topic of burnout and how physicians can find more fulfillment in the medical profession. Sadly, that very day, a fourth-year medical student there took her own life. The problem was not personal failure; she had recently gotten […]