Author: Lindsey Tanner
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Don’t get drunk: advice college kids may not get from docs
CHICAGO – Government researchers say “deplorably” few college students are warned by doctors about the danger from alcohol and drugs or encouraged to reduce drinking or substance use. Their survey suggests that most doctors ask college students and other young adults about alcohol or drug use at regularly scheduled visits. But doctors don’t go much…
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Study: Scant evidence that medical marijuana helps many illnesses
CHICAGO — Medical marijuana has not been proven to work for many illnesses that state laws have approved it for, according to the first comprehensive analysis of research on its potential benefits. The strongest evidence is for chronic pain and for muscle stiffness in multiple sclerosis, according to the review, which evaluated 79 studies involving…
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Autumn great time to visit park
No adjectives can do justice to Rocky Mountain National Park. The jagged peaks, rocky tundra, green valleys and roaring waterfalls render exclamation points inadequate. The beauty is almost unearthly, and autumn is one of the better times to experience it. Aspen trees turn brilliant yellow; the bugle- like mating calls of elk echo in the mountains.…
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Despite push, kids not on the move
Young teens aren’t exactly embracing the government’s “Let’s move” mantra, the latest fitness data suggest. Only one in four U.S. kids ages 12 to 15 meet the recommendations – an hour or more of moderate to vigorous activity every day. The results are based on about 800 kids who self-reported their activity levels and had…
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Many health woes in teens seeking obesity surgery
U.S. teens seeking weight-loss surgery have a startling number of health problems that used to be seen only in adults, according to a major government-funded study. Half the teens had at least four major illnesses linked with their excess weight. Three of four had cholesterol problems; almost half had high blood pressure or joint pain;…
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More babies share parents’ beds despite SIDS risks
The government’s latest infant bed-sharing numbers show a troubling trend: The percentage of U.S. babies sleeping with parents or another child more than doubled since the early 1990s, despite public health messages linking the practice with sudden infant death syndrome. Nearly 14 percent of adults, mostly mothers, surveyed in 2010 said their infants usually shared…
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Robot hot among surgeons but FDA taking fresh look
CHICAGO — The biggest thing in operating rooms these days is a million-dollar, multi-armed robot named da Vinci, used in nearly 400,000 surgeries nationwide last year — triple the number just four years earlier. But now the high-tech helper is under scrutiny over reports of problems, including several deaths that may be linked with it,…
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More gun laws = fewer deaths, 50-state study says
CHICAGO — States with the most gun control laws have the fewest gun-related deaths, according to a study that suggests sheer quantity of measures might make a difference. But the research leaves many questions unanswered and won’t settle the debate over how policymakers should respond to recent high-profile acts of gun violence. In the dozen…
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Bounce houses a party hit but kids’ injuries soar
CHICAGO — They may be a big hit at kids’ birthday parties, but inflatable bounce houses can be dangerous, with the number of injuries soaring in recent years, a nationwide study found. Kids often crowd into bounce houses, and jumping up and down can send other children flying into the air, too. The numbers suggest…
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Bounce houses a party hit but kids’ injuries soar
CHICAGO — They may be a big hit at kids’ birthday parties, but inflatable bounce houses can be dangerous, with the number of injuries soaring in recent years, a nationwide study found. Kids often crowd into bounce houses, and jumping up and down can send other children flying into the air, too. The numbers suggest…