FRIDAY, March 26, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Using cellphones to track patients’ painkiller use, a new study found more than 60% of opioid painkillers prescribed to surgical patients after their procedures went unused. That has implications for the ongoing epidemic of opioid misuse in the United States, where unused medicationsContinue Reading

THURSDAY, March 25, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Makers of inhalers that contain the nasal decongestant propylhexedrine should make design changes to prevent misuse, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration says. Propylhexedrine is a nasal decongestant in over-the-counter inhalers, and right now is “only marketed under the brand name Benzedrex,” theContinue Reading

WEDNESDAY, March 24, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Fewer children end up in ERs for asthma attacks if nearby coal-fired power plants are shut down, a new study finds. “When these power plants close, we see a reduction of somewhere between 12% and 18% in emergency department visits for asthma,” saidContinue Reading

WEDNESDAY, March 24, 2021 (HealthDay News) — COVID-19 transmission is rare in schools that follow precautions such as mandatory masks, social distancing and frequent hand-washing, a new study finds. And that’s true even among close school contacts of people who test positive for the new coronavirus, according to researchers atContinue Reading

TUESDAY, March 23, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Health care workers were just as uneasy as everyone else when COVID-19 vaccines were about to be approved in the United States, with large numbers hesitant to take the shot in early December, a new study reveals. But that hesitancy dwindled over theContinue Reading

TUESDAY, March 23, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Among older Americans, deaths from falls are up sharply, dovetailing with a surge in use of medications that increase the risk of falling, researchers say. Two decades ago, about 57% of U.S. seniors took medications that increased their risk of falls. By 2017,Continue Reading