Two articles—one in the Wall Street Journal, the other in the Washington Post—suggest that while the situation is easing for those whose pain is relieved by marijuana, those who require stronger, prescription painkillers are facing more obstacles to relief. The Post covers a call by two Democratic Senators for the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to [...]
Pregnant and considering whether or not to get a flu vaccine? Three new studies—as well as a growing body of research related to the effects of flu on the developing fetus—suggest that vaccination is the best option. In the studies, vaccinated women who were pregnant during flu season were much less likely to have premature [...]
Do antidepressants actually start to work immediately? Although people with depression don’t usually feel better right away, a fascinating new study suggests that these medications change the way people see the world within hours, not the two to six weeks that patients typically must wait before they sense that their mood has lifted. The research [...]
A link between exposure to traumatic stress and cancer has long been suspected—but researchers don’t yet fully understand how severe stress could produce this insidious effect or which types of cancer might be most affected. A new study of cancer risk amongst Holocaust survivors offers some clues. The research also suggests that very low calorie [...]
Should young women worry about “spiked” drinks and “date rape” drugs? A new study published in the British Journal of Criminology including surveys of both American and British coeds suggests that the real problem is what’s already in the glass, not what a surreptitious date or stranger might add to it. “The students who took [...]
During the past decade, a new class of drugs, called TNF inhibitors, has improved the lives of tens of thousands of people who suffer from painful autoimmune diseases including rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, and Crohn’s disease. But there is a catch: the same drugs that offer unmatched pain relief today might trigger a serious cancer [...]
More good news on fertility: three new studies presented at a recent meeting of fertility doctors found that frozen eggs are as good as fresh– and that babies conceived via in-vitro fertilization (IVF) appear to be smarter than those conceived the old-fashioned way. The research was presented at the latest meeting of the American Society [...]
Pregnant women with significant signs of depression may react more strongly to the seasonal flu vaccine than women with milder cases of the common mood disorder, according to a new study slated to appear in the journal Brain, Behavior, and Immunity. The study was small but carefully designed. Researchers had 22 pregnant women fill out [...]
Over the last 15 years, the vast majority of American gynecologists have switched from using the traditional “pap” smear to screen for cervical cancer to another screening method called “liquid based cytology” (women may know the test by the popular brand name, ThinPrep). But a new study of nearly 90,000 women in Holland finds that [...]
