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Are Your Hands Just Dry, Or Is It Eczema?

Sometimes that irritated skin on your hands is more than simple dryness.

Hand eczema could be the culprit, with painful dry and itchy skin on all or part of the hand and fingers.

"If your hands are extremely dry and painful, and using moisturizer throughout the day is not helping to relieve them, you may have hand eczema," said Dr. ...

Get Ready for Those Fall Allergies

Allergy sufferers know that symptoms don’t just appear in spring or summer. Fall, too, can bring about sneezing and trouble breathing, as can volatile weather patterns.

“People frequently experience allergy symptoms in the fall even if they are mainly allergic to pollens in the spring and summer,” said Dr. David Corry. He is a profes...

U.S. Will Spend $266 Million to Bolster Public Health Programs

The U.S. government will invest $266 million to shore up the community and public health workforce using American Rescue Plan funding.

About $225.5 million will go to 83 recipients to support training and apprenticeship for 13,000 new community health workers, CNN reported before Friday's announcement. These workers specialize in...

FDA Approves New ALS Drug Despite Uncertain Data

FRIDAY, Sept. 30, 2022 (HealthDay News) – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday gave its approval to a new drug for ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease.

But approval of the drug, called Relyvrio, is bound to stir new questions, with some doubting the strength of data supporting its effectiv...

AHA News: After a Jump in Maternal Mortality for Hispanic Women, a Search for Answers

The COVID-19 pandemic produced no shortage of somber statistics. But for people who care about women's health, one number about Hispanic women stood out.

Their maternal mortality rate jumped sharply in 2020 – up 44% from the year before, according to the latest available data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. For every...

U.S. Suicide Rates Rose in 2021, Reversing 2 Years of Decline

The suicide rate in the United States increased in 2021, following two years of decline, according to preliminary data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The number of suicides increased to 47,646 in 2021, up from 45,979 in 2020, according to researchers at the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics.

...

After Ian's Destruction: How to Safely Enter, Clean Flood-Damaged Homes

The devastation left by one of the strongest hurricanes to hit Florida in years is immense. But residents flooded out of their homes by Hurricane Ian must be cautious when they return, federal experts warn.

First off, always assume there's potential risk from electricity or gas leaks, say experts at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control an...

Could a Folic Acid Prescription Help Prevent Suicide?

FRIDAY, Sept. 30, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- More than 1 million Americans attempted suicide in 2020, and a new study is hinting at a potential way to reduce that risk: prescription folic acid.

The study, of more than 800,000 Americans in a health care database, found that when people were on prescription folic acid, their...

More Americans With Heart Disease Are Also Becoming 'Food Insecure'

Many Americans with heart disease also have limited access to food, and this dangerous combination is growing rapidly, a new study finds.

"Food insecurity is a common problem among people with cardiovascular disease, and we are seeing that issue become even more prevalent in recent years," said lead author Dr. Eric Brandt. He's a cardiolog...

Fitness Trackers Could Get You Stepping More -- Even If You Don't Look at Them

Wearing a fitness tracker may help you get more steps in -- even if you never give it a glance.

A new study found that folks who wore a pedometer averaged 318 more steps a day than those who didn't, even without specific fitness goals or incentives and even if they couldn't see the step count.

"Humans are hardwired to respond to what...

Attending Church Might Lengthen Black Men's Lives

Places of worship may provide respite for Black men that not only enhances their lives, but may extend them, new research suggests.

"Black men have been oppressed, commodified, surveilled and criminalized like no other group in U.S. history and they often experience disproportionately high levels of social and psychological stress from str...

Money, Good Info Can't Undo Resistance to COVID Vaccine: Study

Public health officials tried everything to convince Americans to get vaccinated against COVID, including giving away cash, but that wasn't enough to change hesitant minds, a new study shows.

Researchers were surprised by the findings.

"There is literature and evidence from other vaccination campaigns like the flu, and even some chil...

Healthy Living Boosts Life Span, Even for Former Smokers

THURSDAY, Sept. 29, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Eating well and exercising can make for a longer life, and that holds true for former smokers, too, a new study shows.

Researchers found that of nearly 160,000 former smokers, those who exercised, ate healthfully and limited their drinking were less likely to die over the next...

AHA News: For This Race Car Driver, Curing a Racing Heart Was Key to Crossing the Finish Line

Bryce Cornet is no stranger to a racing heart. His heart beats faster each time he puts on his helmet, slides into the cockpit of his race car, snaps on the buckles of his harness and puts the pedal to the floor to careen around a twisting, turning racetrack.

"I always wanted to be a race car driver," Bryce said. "Once my parents saw my in...

1 in 5 Young Women Has No Plans to Get a Mammogram

THURSDAY, Sept. 29, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Terlisa Sheppard knows the value of tracking changes in her body.

The Orlando Health patient was eight and a half months pregnant and just 31 years old when she felt a lump under her arm. She left work to get it checked out and "didn’t return back to work because that is th...

Hurricanes Threaten Many U.S. Coastal Hospitals With Serious Flooding

As Hurricane Ian slams Florida, a new study finds that many hospitals positioned near the Gulf and East Coasts are vulnerable to severe flooding from such storms.

Ian struck the West Coast of Florida Wednesday and careened toward the East Coast. It's then expected to veer north.

Researchers found that even relatively weak hurricanes ...

Perceptive Pooches Can Smell Your Stress

THURSDAY, Sept. 29, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Everyone knows dogs have a keen sense of smell, but now researchers have discovered they can even smell stress in the breath and sweat of humans.

"Dogs possess an incredible sense of smell. Previous research has demonstrated their ability to detect changes within the human bod...

Jynneos Vaccine Protects Against Monkeypox in Early U.S. Data

WEDNESDAY, Sept. 29, 2022 (HealthDay News) – The Jynneos vaccine, originally designed to guard against smallpox infection, also seems to protect against monkeypox, new U.S. government data shows.

The potency of the vaccine in a real-world setting was impressive: While two doses of the vaccine offered more protection against monkeypox, ev...

'Bionic Pancreas' Could Make Life Easier for People With Type 1 Diabetes

THURSDAY, Sept. 29, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- A new technology dubbed the "bionic pancreas" may beat standard treatment in helping people with type 1 diabetes control their blood sugar levels, a clinical trial has found.

Among adults and children with type 1 diabetes, those who used the bionic pancreas for three months sa...

Weight-Loss Surgery Linked to New-Onset Epilepsy

THURSDAY, Sept. 29, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Weight-loss surgery can change a person's life and health, but new research warns it might also come with a slight risk of developing epilepsy.

People who had the surgery had a 45% relative increased risk of developing epilepsy, compared with people who did not have the surger...