Two formerly conjoined twins are recovering after undergoing a lengthy surgery that separated them. Jadon and Anias McDonald underwent a rare surgery at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City on Thursday that lasted more than 20 hours as doctors carefully separated the boys, according to the hospital’s Facebook page. Anias is still being operated […]
Category: Medical
Oregon votes on marijuana expansion
Last year, Golden Leaf Holdings, a leading cannabis company, paid $3.3 million for almost 100 acres of land in Oregon to build a marijuana growing, processing and research site. The future looked bright: Oregon voters had legalized recreational marijuana in 2014. But Measure 91 gave counties and towns the opportunity to opt out and ban […]
Sickle cell disease corrected by genetic modification?
The promise of a revolutionary gene-editing technology is beginning to be realized in experiments aimed at curing sickle cell disease. Scientists reported Wednesday that they used the CRISPR-Cas9 system to correct a tiny genetic mutation that causes the blood disease, which affects millions of people around the world. So far, the feat has been demonstrated only […]
To Fight Obesity W.H.O. Urges Tax on Sugary Drinks
The World Health Organization on Tuesday urged countries to impose a tax on sugary drinks to battle the growing obesity epidemic and presented new data on the beneficial health effects of such a tax. A tax on sugary drinks raising their price 20 percent would result in a proportionate reduction in consumption of such drinks, […]
DEA puts Kratom ban on hold
In late August, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency announced a ban on the herbal supplement kratom. Now, after much public outcry and demands made by lawmakers, the agency is reconsidering its decision. Easily purchased online and at many health food stores, the popular herb would be just as illegal as heroin or ecstasy once the […]
New Merck drug cuts lung cancer death by 40%?!
COPENHAGEN Merck & Co scored a double hit on Sunday with new clinical data showing its Keytruda immunotherapy offered big benefits in previously untreated lung cancer patients, either when given on its own or with chemotherapy. As a monotherapy, Keytruda halved the risk of disease progression and cut overall deaths by 40 percent compared to […]
EpiPen maker settles $465 million lawsuit
Sept. 21, 2016: Mylan CEO Heather Bresch holds up EpiPens while testifying on Capitol Hill in Washington, before the House Oversight Committee hearing on EpiPen price increases. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, File) Drugmaker Mylan will pay $465 million to settle allegations that it overbilled Medicaid for its life-saving EpiPen, ending one of the controversies over […]
Woman charged $39.35 by hospital to hold baby
This is a bill for a recent labor and delivery service in the United States. And it includes a $39.35 charge for holding the baby after delivery. Really. The image of the bill, now shared widely on Reddit, shows a charge for “skin to skin after c sec.” The Reddit user who posted it explained […]
Striking new study links birth control to depression
“Today in vindication,” wrote a woman on Twitter on Tuesday, summarizing the way many have received a striking new study that found those who use birth control — especially teenage girls — may be at a significantly higher risk of experiencing depression. The research, published in JAMA Psychiatry, has been heralded as groundbreaking for its depth and breadth, […]
Polio-Like Disease Is on the Rise in the U.S., Causing Paralysis in Children
A polio-like disease is on the rise across the U.S., health officials reported this week. The rare condition has been documented in 24 states, with the majority of cases (90 percent) affecting children, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which has been monitoring cases of Acute Flaccid Myelitis (AFM) since 2014. “It’s something that’s […]
The 5 Most Addictive Drugs
Ranking drugs based on how addictive they are is tough work, since we all react differently to distinct substances. Nevertheless, a group of addiction experts including specialists from the Royal College of Psychiatrists as well as chemists, forensic scientists, and pharmacologists recently took a stab. Their ranking is published in the journal The Lancet. The results might surprise […]
Medicare paid $9.3 million in benefits to illegals
(Washington Free Beacon) The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services paid $9.3 million in benefits to illegal immigrants in 2013 and 2014, according to an audit from the agency’s inspector general. “Medicare benefits are generally allowable when rendered to a beneficiary whom the Social Security Administration has determined to be a U.S. citizen or U.S. […]