Health Care Information and Resources

Viagra-popping seniors lead the pack for STDs

Even if you’re past your prime and have a hard time getting an erection, you might still need to worry about unprotected sex, according to U.S. doctors. In fact, they report in the Annals of Internal Medicine, the rate of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) in older men taking erectile dysfunction drugs like Viagra is twice as [...]

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When dieting, watch your vitamins

When weighing the benefits of one weight-loss plan over another, dieters may want to consider what else might be cut with the calories and carbs, suggests a new study. More than $30 billion a year is spent on weight loss products in the U.S., with one in three adults reportedly trying to trim pounds. The focus of [...]

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A pill to make you smarter? Drug grows brain cells

Researchers have found a drug that can help the brain grow new cells and said their study may lead to ways to improve experimental Alzheimer’s drugs. The researchers’ work, done on rodents, builds on findings that all mammals, including humans, make brain cells throughout their lives. Most of these die, but this drug helps more of [...]

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Outdated Meds Pose Problems If Kept or Tossed

It’s a common find in medicine cabinets and bathroom drawers: a prescription vial containing years-old medication or an over-the-counter cold remedy that’s embarrassingly past its sell-by date. But unless they’re spring-cleaning, many people don’t bother throwing away these items. And when they do, people often turn to the toilet and flush the products away. Both behaviors are [...]

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Abuse of meds sends as many to ER as illegal drugs

For the first time, abuse of painkillers and other medication is sending as many people to the emergency room as the use of illegal drugs. In 2008, ERS saw an estimated 1 million visits from people abusing prescription or over-the-counter medicines — mostly painkillers and sedatives. That was about the same number of visits from those [...]

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