Even as more felony charges may follow in drug epidemic, sleep med warning suggests pill popping stays too popular Five top executives at a major drug maker have been convicted of criminal racketeering for their aggressive and deceptive marketing of a fentanyl spray in a case that prosecutors long have said may warn corporate leaders….
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Catching up on your sleep this weekend? It doesn’t work, researchers find
Americans may put off to the weekend catching up on sports scores, store sales, the latest news and more. But there’s a health essential that new research suggests cannot be put off for the weekend: a good night’s sleep. The study, conducted at the University of Colorado and published in the science journal “Current Biology,” focused….
Continue ReadingSavvy Rx from a resident: Docs, know why and what you’re ordering, please
Well, just because. That isn’t a great answer for cranky toddlers with too many questions. It’s also an unacceptable but real reason why too many hospitalized patients get woken up in the middle of the night and subjected 24/7 to expensive, invasive, and often unnecessary tests and procedures. Abraar Karan (right), an internal medicine resident….
Continue ReadingWith these holiday gifts, health-conscious may need to add dose of skepticism
Holiday gift-giving can be expensive, so the health-conscious may wish to exercise skepticism about some potential purchases with dubious or unexpected consequence. If you’re considering forking over more than a few dollars, think twice about: So-called “tall” or “standing” desks. They were supposed to be a response to growing research about workers’ heightened health risks….
Continue ReadingHospitals give patients and taxpayers too many causes for high anxiety
Hospitals may be providing us all with too many causes for high anxiety, with reports on increasing findings of “nightmare” bacteria stalking more health care facilities than had been known, more disclosures about how taxpayers may foot an even bigger bill to deal with a beleaguered public hospital in Washington, D.C., and a respected reform….
Continue ReadingAre smart phones & e-devices putting teen-aged girls in harm’s way?
Teen-aged girls are turning up in increased numbers for emergency treatment at hospitals because they have cut, burned, poisoned, or otherwise tried to harm themselves. This disturbing trend may be linked to the obsession by the young, especially girls ages 10 to 14, with smart phones and their aggressive online, but weak real world, social….
Continue ReadingSound sleep for young could be an economic boon and helpful with ADHD
Although grown-ups may struggle with health woes caused by a lack of a good night’s sleep, a long and sound slumber, without early rising, may be even more crucial for middle- and high-schoolers. Their restful sleep may have economic benefits for us all, as well as surprising effects on attention disorders, which are one of….
Continue ReadingTeens need more help with school schedules, the law, pregnancy prevention
There may be more science and policy impact than many parents, teachers, and coaches realize when they joke that teen-agers can be so slow to mature now they’re almost like aliens. Young people, in fact, may need distinctive school schedules, courts, and reproductive awareness programs—all based on building research about adolescent brain and body development…..
Continue ReadingIf patient safety matters, why are residents returning to long, sleepless shifts?
Must doctors be absolutely impervious to common sense improvements in the way they train their own? Their bullheadedness has reemerged with the revisited decision by a major academic credentialing group to allow medical residents yet again to work 24-hour shifts. The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education clearly was on the defensive when it issued….
Continue ReadingMerry, merry, and happy, happy? Some ideas to keep the holidays safe, healthy
Because the holidays should be filled with abundant joy, here are a few ways to safeguard the health and well-being of you and yours in the days ahead: Don’t ignore deadly fire dangers The tragic Oakland, Calif., warehouse-concert hall blaze that claimed at least 36 lives has provided a timely reminder: Fires remain a huge concern,….
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