Sleep and Anxiety Medications in Pregnancy Appear to Pose Little Harm

• HealthDay Staff HealthDay Reporter
• April 30, 2026
• Full Page

Insomnia and anxiety are very common during pregnancy — and for some moms, sedatives are prescribed to help manage the symptoms.

Now, a large new study, published in The BMJ, offers some reassurance regarding the safety of taking sedatives while pregnant.<...

Trump's Medicaid Work Mandate Debuting in Nebraska to Much Dismay

• Phil Galewitz and KFF Health News HealthDay Reporters
• April 30, 2026
• Full Page

Schmeeka Simpson of Omaha works as a patient navigator for the American Civil Liberties Union and an administrative assistant at Nebraskans for Peace, plus picks up shifts at a Dunkin’ shop.

Still, even with three jobs, she worries about losing her health coverage ...

Prehabilitation Slashes Post-Op Complications By Half, Review Says

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• April 30, 2026
• Full Page

THURSDAY, April 30, 2026 (HealthDay News) —  Eating right and exercising prior to surgery dramatically reduces a person’s odds of complications, a new study says.

Such prehabilitation care cut patients’ post-op complications by almost half, researc...

Nasal Spray Flu Vaccines Create 'Battlefield' In Adults' Noses

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• April 30, 2026
• Full Page

Nasal spray flu vaccines appear to work differently from traditional jabs, creating a battlefield in the nose for invading viruses, a new study says.

The FluMist vaccine triggers an immune response directly in nasal tissue in adults, researchers reported April 29 in the ...

Understanding Emotions Could Be Key To Quelling Chronic Pain

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• April 30, 2026
• Full Page

People who struggle to understand their own emotions are more likely to have chronic pain disrupt their daily life, a new study says.

People with alexithymia — difficulty recognizing and expressing emotions — tend to have greater psychological distress relate...

Meth Caused 1 In 6 Heart Attacks Over A Decade, Study Finds

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• April 30, 2026
• Full Page

Methamphetamine played a role in 1 out of 6 heart attacks treated at a Northern California hospital, a new study says.

These heart attacks occurred among younger adults with relatively good heart health, highlighting the risk posed by meth, researchers said in the study ...

AI Tool May Help Identify ADHD in Kids Long Before Typical Diagnosis

• HealthDay Staff HealthDay Reporter
• April 29, 2026
• Full Page

Key Takeaways

• Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, affects millions of children, but many go years without a diagnosis, missing the chance for early support.

  Now, a new study from Duke Health, published April 27 in the journ...

FDA Moves to Real-Time Clinical Trial Patient Monitoring, Faster Drug Review

• Deanna Neff HealthDay Reporter
• April 29, 2026
• Full Page

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is moving to speed drug development and review by launching real-time clinical trials. 

The move could soon mean more options for patients who need life-saving medications.

The agency announced Tuesday that it has co...

Online Program Soothes Post-Trauma Stress In Injured Children

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• April 29, 2026
• Full Page

Car crashes, sports injuries, bad falls, severe burns and other sources of trauma can leave lasting scars in the minds of children and teens.

Nearly half of children who’ve experienced physical trauma suffer from lasting post-traumatic stress symptoms, researchers ...

Pooled Umbilical Cord Blood Boosts Stem Cell Transplant Success, Trial Finds

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• April 29, 2026
• Full Page

A new way of using umbilical cord blood — by pooling blood from multiple donors — could make it easier to receive a stem cell transplant for leukemia, a new study says.

Nearly everyone in a small group of patients who received these pooled transplants survive...

Dementia Screening Safe For Families, Trial Finds

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• April 29, 2026
• Full Page

Screening for dementia and Alzheimer’s disease can give seniors and their families advance warning to plan and prepare for oncoming decline.

But there’s also concern that a positive screening result might stress a family out, with adult children anxious over ...

Mental Defeat Can Worsen Chronic Pain, Researchers Say

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• April 29, 2026
• Full Page

U.K. resident Fiona McNiven can tell you how chronic pain can wear a person down, as she spent more than three decades battling muscle and neuropathic pain.

“It completely overtook my life,” McNiven, 61, of Leeds, said in a news release. “It was the har...

Secret to Surviving 'Perfect Mom' Posts on Social Media Revealed

• HealthDay Staff HealthDay Reporter
• April 28, 2026
• Full Page

Key Takeaways

• Scrolling through picture-perfect motherhood posts online can take a serious toll on moms’ mental health, a new study shows. 

  "It's very problematic, because social media really idealizes motherhood," said study a...

CDC Warns of Antibiotic-Resistant Salmonella in Backyard Flocks

• Deanna Neff HealthDay Reporter
• April 28, 2026
• Full Page

A surge of Salmonella infections reported in 13 states has been linked to backyard poultry. 

Federal health officials warn that some of these cases involve superbugs that are resistant to common antibiotics.

At least 34 people fell ill between late Fe...

Metabolic Syndrome Tied To Cancer Risk

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• April 28, 2026
• Full Page

People with metabolic health problems might also have an increased risk of cancer, a new study says.

People with advanced CKM (cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic) syndrome have up to a 30% increased risk of developing cancer, researchers reported April 27 in the journal

U.S. Dentists Still Overprescribing Opioids Compared To Other Nations, Puerto Rico

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• April 28, 2026
• Full Page

Folks getting a tooth pulled or a cavity drilled in the United States are still more likely to be prescribed powerful opioid painkillers, despite America’s ongoing opioid crisis, a new study says.

There was a 27% drop in dental patients filling opioid prescriptions...

Daylight Saving Time Fails to Boost Daily Steps, Study Finds

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• April 28, 2026
• Full Page

TUESDAY, April 28, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Daylight saving time is thought to promote more outdoor activity by giving people an extra hour of sunshine in the evening prior to dusk.

But a new study says that’s just not so.

There’s no appreciab...

Mail-In Colon Cancer Test Kits Offer Affordable Screening

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• April 28, 2026
• Full Page

TUESDAY, April 28, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Mail-in DNA tests for colon cancer can extend easy, affordable cancer screening to people who are struggling to get by, a new study says.

Patients at community health centers were more likely to participate in colon c...

Estrogen Patch Shortages Likely Driven By Empowered Women Seeking Relief, Expert Says

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• April 27, 2026
• Full Page

A new generation of empowered women could be driving the estrogen patch shortages now bedeviling the United States, the medical director of The Menopause Society told HealthDay TV.

“I think it's that women and clinicians and people in general are talking a...

First Gene Therapy for Genetic Hearing Loss Gains FDA Approval

• Deanna Neff HealthDay Reporter
• April 27, 2026
• Full Page

In a historic leap for medical science, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has greenlit the first-ever gene therapy to treat a rare form of inherited deafness.

The treatment — called Otarmeni — offers a permanent solution for children born with a gen...