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Health Highlights: Nov. 14, 2016

Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by the editors of HealthDay: 2016 Likely to be Hottest Year on Record This year is poised to be the hottest on record, the U.N. weather agency says. Preliminary data through October reveals worldwide average temperatures in 2016 are 1.2 degrees Celsius (2.2 degrees Fahrenheit)...

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Health Tip: Encourage Kids to Choose Good Friends

-- Good friends are hard to find, and keeping them may be even more difficult. Here's advice for parents to pass to their children, courtesy of the American Academy of Pediatrics: Point out that friends should be respectful, helpful and follow the rules. Be a good friend yourself, so your child can model that behavior. Discuss qualities that make...

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Fewer American Parents Are Spanking Their Kids

Spanking and hitting children to discipline them has been on the decline among U.S. parents -- rich and poor alike -- since 1988, a new study finds. According to the researchers, the number of mothers with an average income level who considered physical discipline acceptable decreased from 46 percent to 21 percent over two decades. At the same time,...

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Weight-Loss Surgery Tied to Lower Heart Risks

Weight-loss surgery may significantly reduce obese people's risk of heart failure, a new study indicates. Researchers compared more than 25,800 obese people who had weight-loss (bariatric) surgery with more than 13,700 obese people who tried to lose weight through a program of major lifestyle changes. Both groups had no history of heart failure. Four...

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Depression on the Rise Among U.S. Teens, Especially Girls

Depression is on the rise among American teens and young adults, with adolescent girls showing the greatest vulnerability, a new national survey reveals. Back in 2005, the risk of major depressive disorder for teenage boys was pegged at 4.5 percent, and 13 percent for teenage girls. By 2014, however, boys' risk of depression rose to 6 percent, but...

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Health Tip: Be Healthier for the Holidays

-- The holiday season is filled with food, but many holiday favorites aren't exactly healthy. The United States Department of Agriculture suggests: Make your holiday recipes healthier. When baking, opt for unsweetened applesauce or bananas instead of butter. Include all food groups in your holiday meals, using the healthiest ingredients. Opt for...

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Meat-Heavy Diets May Raise Older Women's Heart Risks

Women over 50 who follow a high-protein diet could have a higher risk for heart failure, especially if most of their protein comes from meat, researchers report. The study couldn't prove cause-and-effect. However, postmenopausal women with the most protein in their diet had a 60 percent increased risk of heart failure, compared with women who ate little...

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Tracking Blood Sugar in Pregnancy Might Lower Heart Defect Risk for Baby

Increases in a woman's blood sugar levels during early pregnancy may affect her baby's risk of congenital heart defects, a new study suggests. Researchers led by Dr. Emmi Helle of Stanford University in California measured blood sugar levels of more than 19,000 pregnant women during their first trimester. For every 10 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL)...

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Celebrex May Not Pose Bigger Heart Risk Than Similar Drugs: Study

Some people taking the pain reliever Celebrex may not have a greater risk for heart problems than those taking other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), a new study says. Celebrex (celecoxib) is a COX-2 inhibitor. That's the same class of drugs as Vioxx and Bextra, which were pulled from the market in 2004 and 2005, respectively, because...

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Some Elderly With Alzheimer's Brain Plaques Stay Sharp

In a discovery that challenges conventional thinking, researchers report that several people over the age of 90 had excellent memory even though their brains showed signs that they had Alzheimer's disease. The meaning of the findings isn't entirely clear. The elderly people, whose brains were studied after their deaths, may have been in the early stages...

Recently added consumer and prescribing information: Vemlidy, Zinplava, Yosprala, Troxyca ER, Adlyxin, Xiidra, Epclusa, Byvalson, Zinbryta, Probuphine

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REMS@FDA: An Upgraded Patient Safety Program

REMS Overview Fact: Prescription drugs are complicated, and they are getting more complicated every day. Issues with complex drugs and side effects is not just a concern for the healthcare provider, it directly impacts the patient and caregiver, too. We’ve all heard the long list of adverse effects and warnings that unfold during a primetime […]

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Drugs.com the First Major Consumer Health Publisher to Implement Full HTTPS Encryption

Drugs.com is pleased to announce the introduction of full HTTPS encryption for all web site visitors. With this significant and important change, nearly 70 million monthly visitors will have access to critical health and medicine information in a safe, secure and private environment. Why HTTPS Encryption? Almost everything you do on the Internet leaves a digital […]

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Off-Label or Off-Limits? Should You Use A Drug For An Unapproved Use?

Off-Label Drug Use: What Is It? You may be surprised to learn that you have probably been prescribed a medication “off-label” at one point or another by your doctor. Maybe you’ve heard of “off-label” drug use in the news, but what does this really mean? “Off-label” use of a drug refers to prescribing a medication […]