Crash Course Might Speed Brain Stimulation Treatment For Depression, Study Suggests

FRIDAY, Feb. 27, 2026 (HealthDay News) — A brain stimulation therapy for depression can show results in as little as a workweek, a new study says.

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) typically requires daily clinic visits over six to eight weeks, a rather rigorous schedule for people grappling with depression.

But patients ...

Wildfire Smoke Linked To Increase In Violent Assaults

FRIDAY, Feb. 27, 2026 (HealthDay News) — It’s a fact that people become “crazy from the heat,” but a new study suggests that “crazy from the smoke” might also be a phenomenon.

Skies choked with smoke from wildfires are linked to an increase in violent assaults, a new study has found.

Assaults incre...

Why Turning 19 Spikes Medicaid Loss for Millions

FRIDAY, Feb. 27, 2026 (HealthDay News) — For most teens, turning 19 is a milestone of early adulthood. But for those relying on Medicaid, it often triggers a birthday cliff where health insurance simply vanishes.

A new study from the University of Chicago highlights a systemic issue: The moment a person is no longer classified as a c...

Blood Test Can Predict Short-Term Survival Among Seniors

FRIDAY, Feb. 27, 2026 (HealthDay News) — An experimental blood test can predict whether seniors have long to live, a new study says.

The genetics-based blood test predicted two-year survival with accuracy as high as 86% among hundreds of seniors, researchers reported Feb. 24 in the journal Aging Cell.

The test is based...

More Parents Are Refusing A Life-Saving Shot For Their Newborns, Study Finds

FRIDAY, Feb. 27, 2026 (HealthDay News) — A growing number of parents are refusing an injection that protects newborns against life-threatening brain bleeds, a new study says.

Babies who don’t get a vitamin K injection at birth are 81 times more likely to suffer dangerous bleeding that often leads to brain damage, according to f...

How the Brain Learns to Have Seizures During Sleep

FRIDAY, Feb. 27, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Sleep is usually considered the body’s ultimate recovery tool, a time when the brain clears out toxins and files away the day's lessons. 

But a new study from the Mayo Clinic suggests that for people with epilepsy, the brain may be too good at its job — mistakenly lea...

Democrat-Led States Sue Trump Administration Over Cuts to Childhood Vaccine Schedule

THURSDAY, Feb. 26, 2026 (HealthDay News) — A group of 15 states is suing the Trump administration over recent changes to federal vaccine guidelines for kids.

The lawsuit, announced this week, aims to reverse a decision made in January that reduced the number of diseases kids are routinely vaccinated against from 17 to 11. 

CDC Vaccine Advisory Panel To Revisit COVID Shot Safety Next Month

THURSDAY, Feb. 26, 2026 (HealthDay News) — COVID vaccines are back under review and the move is raising concern among some health experts.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices is slated to discuss COVID vaccine injuries at a March meeting and may vote on future vacci...

Frozen Blueberry Recall Issued Across Four States for Listeria

THURSDAY, Feb. 26, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Close to 56,000 pounds of frozen blueberries have been recalled after testing raised concerns about possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The recall involves blueberries made by Oregon Potato Company, which also oper...

Could Drone-Delivered Defibrillators Save Lives?

THURSDAY, Feb. 26, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Can a high-tech drone be the difference between life and death if you go into cardiac arrest?

That’s the question a groundbreaking clinical trial in a corner of North Carolina and Virginia is setting out to answer.

"By integrating drone technology into emergency care, we’re...

Inflammation Linked To Brain Damage, Memory Problems Among Football Players

THURSDAY, Feb. 26, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Inflammation caused by repetitive head impacts might help explain why some former football players develop brain problems later in life, a new study says.

Higher levels of inflammation are associated with damage in the brain’s white matter, according to a study of former college and pr...

Disasters Can Affect Mental Health A Decade Later, Review Finds

THURSDAY, Feb. 26, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Disasters and violent events echo in the minds of people for years afterward, contributing to mental illness that can surface as much as a decade later, a new evidence review has found.

More than 1 in 5 survivors (22%) will develop a mental health problem after living through their ordeal, r...

AI Chatbots Can Contribute To Worsening Mental Illness, Study Finds

THURSDAY, Feb. 26, 2026 (HealthDay News) – AI chatbots used for cheap therapy are liable to make mental illnesses worse, a new study warns.

People with diagnosed mental conditions wound up with worse delusions, increased mania, suicidal thoughts and aggravated eating disorders after relying on an AI chatbot for help, researchers foun...

Early Birds, Active Folks Less Likely To Develop ALS

THURSDAY, Feb. 26, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Early birds and active folks are less likely to develop the degenerative brain disease called amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a new study says.

People who are early birds had a 20% lower risk of ALS — also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease — compared to night owls, accordi...

Study Highlights Unique Parenting Struggles of Younger Patients With Heart Disease

THURSDAY, Feb. 26, 2026 (HealthDay News) — As heart disease increasingly strikes 30-, 40- and 50-somethings, a new challenge has emerged that traditional medicine often overlooks: How to heal a heart while raising a family.

A study published today in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology reveals that younger heart patients face...

Newborns Exposed to More ‘Forever Chemicals’ Than Once Thought

THURSDAY, Feb. 26, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Babies are entering the world with a significantly higher chemical burden than scientists suspected.

Using advanced data science and chemical detection, researchers have discovered that newborns are exposed to a much broader array of "forever chemicals" before birth than earlier testing meth...

Nicole ‘Snooki’ Polizzi Shares Cervical Cancer Diagnosis, Urges Women To Get Pap Tests

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 25, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Reality TV star Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi said an early pap smear may have saved her life.

In a video shared on TikTok, the 38-year-old said she was diagnosed with stage one cervical cancer after doctors found adenocarcinoma during a routine pap test.

"Obviously not the news that I was ...

Novo Nordisk Cuts Prices of Ozempic and Wegovy Starting January 2027

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 25, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Some of the most popular diabetes and weight-loss drugs in the U.S. will soon cost a lot less.

Novo Nordisk announced Tuesday that it will cut U.S. list prices of Ozempic and Wegovy by up to 50% starting next year.

The lower prices will take effect Jan. 1, 2027, the same time that red...

Lindsey Vonn Says Olympic Crash Nearly Cost Her a Leg

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 25, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Olympic ski star Lindsey Vonn says a serious crash at the Milan Cortina Olympics nearly cost her a left leg.

In an Instagram post shared Monday, the 41-year-old skier revealed that her injuries were far worse than first reported after she crashed during the women’s downhill event on F...

Nearly 6 In 10 Women Expected To Develop Heart Disease

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 25, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Nearly 6 out of 10 U.S. women will have some type of heart disease during the next 25 years, a trend driven by rising rates of high blood pressure, a new American Heart Association report says.

Almost 60% of women could have high blood pressure by 2050, up from about 50% in 2020, according ...