Author: Lindsey Tanner
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Pregnancy-related deaths climbed in pandemic’s first year
WASHINGTON • Pregnancy-related deaths for U.S. mothers climbed higher in the pandemic’s first year, continuing a decades-long trend that disproportionately affects Black people, according to a government report released Wednesday. Overall in 2020, there were almost 24 deaths per 100,000 births, or 861 deaths total — numbers that reflect mothers dying during pregnancy, childbirth or…
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Advice shifting on aspirin use for preventing heart attacks
NEW YORK • Older adults without heart disease shouldn’t take daily low-dose aspirin to prevent a first heart attack or stroke, an influential health guidelines group said in preliminary updated advice released Tuesday. Bleeding risks for adults in their 60s and up who haven’t had a heart attack or stroke outweigh any potential benefits from…
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Recreational pot laws may boost traffic deaths, studies suggest
Laws legalizing recreational marijuana may lead to more traffic deaths, two new studies suggest, although questions remain about how they might influence driving habits. Previous research has had mixed results and the new studies, published Monday in JAMA Internal Medicine, can’t prove that the traffic death increases they found were caused by marijuana use. One…
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Study: Child abuse climbs after Friday report cards
WASHINGTON • Child abuse increases the day after school report cards are released — but only when kids get their grades on a Friday, a study in Florida suggests. The curious finding startled researchers, who had figured abuse might go up regardless of the specific day kids got their grades. But their study of reports…
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Advocates condemn psych techniques used to keep kids online
CHICAGO • Children’s advocates want the American Psychological Association to condemn the tech industry’s practice of using persuasive psychological techniques to keep kids glued to their screens. The advocates, citing research that links excessive use of social media and video games with depression and academic troubles, say it’s unethical for psychologists to be involved in…
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How best to treat opioids’ youngest sufferers? No one knows
CHICAGO — Two babies, born 15 months apart to the same young woman overcoming opioid addiction. Two very different treatments. Sarah Sherbert’s first child was whisked away to a hospital special-care nursery for two weeks of treatment for withdrawal from doctor-prescribed methadone that her mother continued to use during her pregnancy. Nurses hesitated to let…
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Marijuana’s 4/20 holiday tied to rise in fatal car crashes
CHICAGO — Marijuana users’ self-proclaimed holiday is linked with a slight increase in fatal U.S. car crashes, an analysis of 25 years of data found. The study lacks evidence on whether pot was involved in any of the April 20 crashes, but marijuana can impair driving ability. Previous studies have shown that many pot-using motorists…
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Science Says: Are poinsettias poisonous? Some holiday truths and myths
CHICAGO — Are poinsettias really poisonous? Are snowflakes really pure as the driven snow? Does feasting really put on the pounds? Sure as sugarplums, myths and misconceptions pop up every holiday season. Here’s what science says about some of them: FLOWER POWER Poinsettias, those showy holiday plants with red and green foliage, are not nearly…
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Sex cases put spotlight on sex addiction, but is it real?
Is sex addiction a true addiction, a crime, or a made-up condition used by misbehaving VIPs to deflect blame or repair tarnished images? A tide of high-profile sexual misconduct accusations against celebrities, politicians and media members has raised these questions — and sowed confusion. Sex addiction is not an officially recognized psychiatric diagnosis, though even…
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Self-harm, suicide attempts climb among US girls, study says
CHICAGO— Attempted suicides, drug overdoses, cutting and other types of self-injury have increased substantially in U.S. girls, a 15-year study of emergency room visits found. It’s unclear why, but some mental health experts think cyberbullying, substance abuse and economic stress from the recent recession might be contributing. The rising rates “should be of concern to…