Do drugs that calm stomachs damage kidneys?
The answer’s unclear about the harm of proton pump inhibitors. BY SYDNEY LUPKIN AND PAULINE BARTOLONE KAISER HEALTH NEWS/TNS Sherry Herman was watching TV when the ad popped up on the screen. Lawyers were seeking clients for a class-action lawsuit, suggesting a link between certain heartburn pills and chronic kidney disease — including the beige […]
Pediatricians pushing fruit, not juice
BY KAREN KAPLAN LOS ANGELES TIMES/TNS The American Academy of Pediatrics has some new advice about juice: Kids should resist the urge to drink it. If you’re craving something fruity and refreshing, try eating a piece of fruit instead. If you’re thirsty, you can wash it down with some water. Sure, juice has some things […]
Celebs open up about mental health struggles
Holdsclaw says she’s encouraged that others are sharing their stories BY ALISON BOWEN CHICAGO TRIBUNE/TNS CHICAGO — Many find it difficult to speak out about mental illness. Some worry what others will think of them. Some are concerned it will negatively affect their career. Some fear the information would be a burden on family and […]
Study: Follow-up phone call could save a life
BY KATHERINE BURGESS KANSAS CITY STAR/TNS Hospital emergency departments shouldn’t merely give psychiatric referrals after discharging patients who have attempted suicide, a new study found. Instead, follow-up phone calls after the patient is discharged could reduce the risk of future suicide attempts. In the study, which included nearly 1,400 patients across the United States, future […]
Exploring role of food, obesity in early onset of puberty
BY DANIEL NEMAN ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE Let’s talk seriously about periods. Doctors and scientists have noticed an alarming trend. Some girls in elementary school are experiencing their first period — menarche — as early as fourth grade. That’s 9 or 10 years old. This shift is noticeable across the board. In the […]
Nurse licensing laws block treatment for opioid addiction
Twenty-eight states prohibit nurse practitioners from prescribing buprenorphine unless they are working in collaboration with a doctor who also has a federal license to prescribe it. BY CHRISTINE VESTAL STATELINE.ORG/TNS WASHINGTON – Confronting an opioid overdose epidemic that is killing at least 90 people every day, two federal agencies in March gave more than 700 […]
Heart disease associated with NSAIDs
MAYO CLINIC NEWS NETWORK/TNS Research has shown that taking NSAIDs can raise the risk of heart disease, particularly heart attacks and strokes. To keep your risk low, if you use NSAIDs, take the lowest dose possible for the shortest amount of time necessary to relieve your symptoms. NSAIDs are drugs commonly used to treat pain […]
Chocolate milk, saltier food heading back to schools
Donald Trump administration changing standards set by Obama on low-fat foods and lower sodium levels BY LINDSDAY WISE TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE WASHINGTON – Chocolate milk is coming back on the school lunch menu. So are white bread and saltier food. Several paragraphs tucked into a massive 1,665-page government spending bill released Monday would relax Obama-era […]
How much vitamin D do you need?
MAYO CLINIC NEWS NETWORK TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE Understanding how much vitamin D you need can be confusing because there are different recommendations about how much vitamin D adults should get. Using the recommendations that fall on the low end, many adults don’t get the amount of vitamin D they should. Because few foods contain vitamin […]
Tips to ease the pain of childhood immunizations
MAYO CLINIC NEWS NETWORK TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE “Immunizations” is a word most parents or children don’t want to hear. Yet, immunizations play an important role in keeping many spreadable, harmful diseases away from children and infants. “In the U.S., vaccine-preventable diseases, such as measles, mumps and whooping cough, can happen and will happen,” says Dr. […]