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Dr. Crandall: Calm Living, Stronger Heart
A healthy heart may be as easy as living a calm, predictable life.
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Study: Medicare Low-Income Drug Benefit Saves Lives
Low-income Medicare beneficiaries are more likely to die if they lose access to crucial medication coverage, a new study says. More than 14 million poor Medicare beneficiaries receive the Medicare Part D Low-Income Subsidy (LIS), which further reduces their drug costs,...
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Sitting Too Much Shrinks Your Brain
More than 1 in 9 Americans aged 65 and older has Alzheimer's disease. A new study reveals that increased sedentary behavior, either sitting or lying down, may increase the risk of developing this dreaded disease. Researchers from Vanderbilt University's Memory and...
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Alzheimer's Drug Safe When Administered in Clinics
The 2023 approval of the first drug shown to slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease came with no small amount of concern from skeptics. Lecanemab (Leqembi) modestly slows Alzheimer's by helping the body flush out amyloid beta proteins associated with toxic plaques in...
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Smartphone Data Predicts Broken Leg, Hip Recovery
A person's smartphone can show how well they'll recover from a broken leg or hip, a new study says. Smartphone data showing a person's mobility prior to their injury provides a clear window into their chances of quick recovery, researchers reported May 9 in the Journal of...
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Broken Heart Syndrome Deadly, Especially for Men
"Broken heart syndrome" sounds like a romantic, fairy-tale notion - the idea that suffering a devastating loss that can cause one's heart to wither. But this syndrome, formally known as Takotsubo cardiomyopathy, continues to be associated with a high rate of death and...
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You Could Live to 100 If You Can Pass This Test
A simple test can help gauge longevity. Research published in the journal Clinical Interventions in Aging found that grip strength is "an indispensable biomarker for older adults." Grip strength refers to the measure of force exerted by the hand and forearm muscles when...
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US Overdose Deaths Fell 27 Percent Last Year
There were 30,000 fewer U.S. drug overdose deaths in 2024 than the year before - the largest one-year decline ever recorded. An estimated 80,000 people died from overdoses last year, according to provisional Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data released Wednesday....
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Study: Hearing Aids Alleviate Loneliness in Seniors
Could loneliness occur for some older folks because they can't hear well enough to maintain essential social connections? Hearing aids appear to be an effective method of countering an epidemic of loneliness among U.S. seniors, a new study says. Seniors given hearing aids...
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HIV, Hepatitis Drugs May Lower Alzheimer's Risk
Drugs that battle HIV and hepatitis B might be able to help people avoid Alzheimer's disease, a new study says. Nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) are used to prevent HIV and hepatitis B from replicating and spreading inside a person's body. Now, a new...
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Diana Ross's Secrets to Staying Youthful
Singer Diana Ross wowed at the Met Gala last Monday, proving she's still supreme. The 81-year-old celebrity wore a magnificent gown with an 18-foot train embroidered with the names of her five children and eight grandchildren. But it wasn't just the "forever family gown"...
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Talk Therapy Rising, Psychiatric Med Use Declining
More talk and fewer pills are being employed to help Americans maintain their mental health, a new study says. Psychotherapy is assuming a larger role in mental health care, while medications prescribed without accompanying therapy are becoming less common, according to...
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Ovary Removal Protects At-Risk Breast Cancer Patients
Removal of the ovaries and fallopian tubes appears to dramatically reduce the risk of death among breast cancer survivors who are genetically prone to cancer, a new study says. Breast cancer survivors carrying BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene variants had a 48% overall lower risk of...
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AI Tool Uses Selfies to Predict Biological Age
Doctors often start exams with the so-called "eyeball test" - a snap judgment about whether the patient appears older or younger than their age, which can influence key medical decisions. That intuitive assessment may soon get an AI upgrade. FaceAge, a deep learning algorithm...
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Study: Shingles Vaccine Lowers Heart Disease Risk
The shingles vaccine has benefits that stretch beyond protecting older adults from the painful skin condition, a new study says. Folks who get the shingles jab have a 23% lower risk of health problems like stroke, heart failure and heart disease, researchers reported May 6...
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Men Fare Worse for 20 Top Health Problems Globally
Men are much more likely than women to die early from the world's 20 leading health problems, a new global study shows. Sickness and death were higher in men than women in 2021 for 13 of the top 20 causes of injury and illness, including COVID-19, traffic injuries, heart...
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Boost Exercise in Middle Age to Protect Brain
Want to protect your aging brain? Get off the couch and get moving, researchers urge. Boosting exercise in middle age might help people prevent Alzheimer's disease, a new study says. People who increased their physical activity to meet recommended guidelines between ages 45...
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High Blood Pressure, Diabetes More Fatal For Men
Men are more likely than women to die from high blood pressure, diabetes and HIV/AIDS, after shrugging off medical care for the conditions, a new study says. These differences crop up even though men and women are as likely to develop either high blood pressure or diabetes,...
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Higher Biological Age May Raise Dementia Risk
People whose bodies are aging faster could be more likely to develop dementia than those with normal or slower aging, a new study says. Folks with advanced biological age are about 30% more likely to develop dementia, compared to those whose bodies have aged closer to how...
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When to Seek a Second Opinion
Second opinions can save lives. In one study, Mayo Clinic researchers found that as many as 88% of patients who went to their clinic for a second opinion left with a new or refined diagnosis - changing their care plan and potentially their lives. Conversely, only 12%...
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US Maternal Death Rate Rose Slightly Last Year
More U.S. women died around the time of childbirth last year, reversing two years of decline, according to provisional data posted Wednesday. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said 688 people died last year during pregnancy or shortly after giving birth. That's...
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Smart Insoles Could Spot Injuries, Early Dementia
Imagine if your shoes could tell you when something's wrong with your health. A new "smart insole" system might make that possible, helping spot early signs of dementia, orthopedic injuries and other health problems, a recent study shows. The technology, described in the...
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Study: Autism Does Not Accelerate Brain Aging
People with autism do not appear to be at greater risk of age-related brain decline, a new study says. Older people with autistic traits have no differences when it comes to spatial working memory, which helps folks remember and use information about where things are and how...
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Study Discovers Why Our Bellies Expand With Age
Call it the middle-aged spread or a beer belly, but most of us experience increased girth around our mid-section as we age. Now science has found a reason. A newly discovered type of fat cell precursor appears around middle age, causing increased belly fat no matter how...
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Peanut Allergy Exposure Therapy Effective in Adults
Adults with peanut allergies can be safely treated using exposure therapy to increase their resistance, new clinical trial results show. More than two-thirds of participants (67%) gained the ability to tolerate at least five peanuts without an immune reaction, researchers...