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Helmets Save Lives, Head-To-Head Motorcycle Study Finds

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Motorcycle helmet laws save lives and prevent many severe injuries, according to a new head-to-head study comparing two states. North Carolina mandates helmets for all motorcyclists, while South Carolina only requires riders younger than 21 to wear them, researchers said. As a result, North Carolina riders had fewer severe injuries and were less likely to require treatment in an intensive care unit after an accident, researchers reported recently in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons. “The two states’ differing laws created a natural experiment,” senior researcher Dr. Britton Christmas, medical director of trauma at Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, N.C., said in a news release. “The results are clear: helmets save lives, and universal laws ensure they’re used,” Christmas said. Only 19 states now have universal helmet laws, a sharp decline from 47 states 50 years ago, researchers said in background notes. Efforts from motorcycle groups have driven these repeals, despite trauma surgeons noting the importance of helmets, researchers said. “I’ve testified against repeals in North Carolina because the data doesn’t lie,” Christmas said. “When helmets aren’t required, fewer people wear them, and more die or face life-altering injuries.” For the study, researchers tracked all motorcycle crash patients treated at the Carolinas Medical Center between July 2012 and 2022. Charlotte is near the state line between the Carolinas, and the hospital’s trauma center…  read on >  read on >

Helmets Save Lives, Head-To-Head Motorcycle Study Finds

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Motorcycle helmet laws save lives and prevent many severe injuries, according to a new head-to-head study comparing two states. North Carolina mandates helmets for all motorcyclists, while South Carolina only requires riders younger than 21 to wear them, researchers said. As a result, North Carolina riders had fewer severe injuries and were less likely to require treatment in an intensive care unit after an accident, researchers reported recently in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons. “The two states’ differing laws created a natural experiment,” senior researcher Dr. Britton Christmas, medical director of trauma at Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, N.C., said in a news release. “The results are clear: helmets save lives, and universal laws ensure they’re used,” Christmas said. Only 19 states now have universal helmet laws, a sharp decline from 47 states 50 years ago, researchers said in background notes. Efforts from motorcycle groups have driven these repeals, despite trauma surgeons noting the importance of helmets, researchers said. “I’ve testified against repeals in North Carolina because the data doesn’t lie,” Christmas said. “When helmets aren’t required, fewer people wear them, and more die or face life-altering injuries.” For the study, researchers tracked all motorcycle crash patients treated at the Carolinas Medical Center between July 2012 and 2022. Charlotte is near the state line between the Carolinas, and the hospital’s trauma center…  read on >  read on >

Weight-Loss Drugs May Lower Risk Of Obesity-Related Cancers

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Popular GLP-1 weight loss drugs like Ozempic and Zepbound can help reduce a woman’s risk for as many as 14 cancers associated with obesity, a new study says. People taking a GLP-1 drug had a 7% lower risk of developing an obesity-related cancer and an 8% lower risk of death from any cause, compared to others taking a type of diabetes drug called DPP-4 inhibitors, researchers found. Women in particular benefit from the weight-loss drugs, researchers are scheduled to report at an upcoming meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). Women taking the drugs had an 8% lower risk of obesity-related cancer, as well as a 20% overall lower risk of death, results show. Men received no statistically significant cancer benefit from GLP-1 meds. “Although obesity is now recognized as an increasingly important cause of cancer in the United States and worldwide, no medications have been proven to lower the cancer risk associated with obesity,” said lead researcher Lucas Mavromatis, a medical student at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine in New York City. “Our study begins to fill that gap by evaluating GLP-1 receptor agonists, a relatively new but widely prescribed medication that treats diabetes, obesity, and related conditions,” Mavromatis added in a news release. Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) drugs mimic the GLP-1 hormone, which helps control insulin and blood sugar levels, decreases…  read on >  read on >

Weight-Loss Drugs May Lower Risk Of Obesity-Related Cancers

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Popular GLP-1 weight loss drugs like Ozempic and Zepbound can help reduce a woman’s risk for as many as 14 cancers associated with obesity, a new study says. People taking a GLP-1 drug had a 7% lower risk of developing an obesity-related cancer and an 8% lower risk of death from any cause, compared to others taking a type of diabetes drug called DPP-4 inhibitors, researchers found. Women in particular benefit from the weight-loss drugs, researchers are scheduled to report at an upcoming meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). Women taking the drugs had an 8% lower risk of obesity-related cancer, as well as a 20% overall lower risk of death, results show. Men received no statistically significant cancer benefit from GLP-1 meds. “Although obesity is now recognized as an increasingly important cause of cancer in the United States and worldwide, no medications have been proven to lower the cancer risk associated with obesity,” said lead researcher Lucas Mavromatis, a medical student at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine in New York City. “Our study begins to fill that gap by evaluating GLP-1 receptor agonists, a relatively new but widely prescribed medication that treats diabetes, obesity, and related conditions,” Mavromatis added in a news release. Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) drugs mimic the GLP-1 hormone, which helps control insulin and blood sugar levels, decreases…  read on >  read on >

U.S. Moms Facing Mental, Physical Health Struggles

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U.S. mothers are struggling with both their mental and physical health, a new study says. The percentage of mothers who report excellent mental health dropped 12 points between 2016 and 2023, from 38% to 26%, researchers reported today in JAMA Internal Medicine. Mothers reporting excellent physical health dropped by four points, from 28% to 24%, researchers found. At the same time, there was a three-point increase in the percentage of mothers who rate their mental health as fair or poor, going from 5.5% in 2016 to 8.5% in 2023. “Our results highlight the rising tide of worsening mental health among parenting women as a key target for efforts to improve maternal and child health in the U.S.,” lead researcher Jamie Daw, an assistant professor of health policy and management at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, said in a news release. For the study, researchers reviewed results from an annual survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau assessing the health and well-being of American parents and kids. Responses from more than 198,000 mothers showed that mental health declines have occurred broadly among most groups in the U.S., researchers said. However, physical and mental health was significantly lower among single mothers, those with less education and those whose children are uninsured or covered by public insurance programs like Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) or…  read on >  read on >

Former Surgeon General Warns Social Media Is Harming Children’s Health

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Former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy is urging lawmakers to take stronger steps to protect children from the potential dangers of social media. In a recent interview on NBC News’ “Meet the Press,” Murthy said Congress has failed to act on what he described as a growing crisis. “Congress has not stepped up to its responsibility to protect our kids,” he said. “They need to act now.” Murthy served under both the Obama and Biden administrations. He’s asking Congress to pass laws that would require warning labels on social media apps about their impact on kids. He also said he wants more transparency from tech companies so researchers can better study how the internet affects children. He compared the situation to the early days of driving before cars had safety features. “Those have reduced the number of deaths,” Murthy told “Meet the Press” moderator Kristen Welker. “We’ve got to do the same for social media, because what we’re doing now, Kristen, is we’re basically — it’s the equivalent of putting our kids in cars with no seat belts, with no airbags, and having them drive on roads with no speed limits and no traffic lights. And that is just morally unacceptable.” Two bills aimed at regulating social media use by kids have been introduced in Congress: the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) and the…  read on >  read on >

Billy Joel Cancels Tour After Brain Condition Diagnosis

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Music legend Billy Joel has canceled tour dates through July 2026 after being diagnosed with a brain condition called normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH). The 76-year-old singer announced Friday that his condition had worsened with recent performances, affecting his hearing, vision and balance, CBS News reported. “I’m sincerely sorry to disappoint our audience, and thank you for understanding,” Joel said in a statement. Doctors have advised him to stop performing for now and begin physical therapy. Joel said he’s hopeful he’ll return to the stage when he feels better. Fans who bought tickets for any upcoming performances will receive automatic refunds.  Joel was originally scheduled to begin a new round of shows in July in Pittsburgh, with other stops across the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. He was set to perform with stars like Stevie Nicks, Rod Stewart and Sting, CBS News said. NPH is a rare condition in which extra fluid builds up in or around the brain, putting pressure on brain tissue. This can lead to “trouble thinking, trouble walking and trouble with urinary incontinence,” CBS News medical correspondent Dr. Jon LaPook said. “Usually, it just comes out of the blue. We really don’t know why,” LaPook said. The condition mostly affects older adults. The Cleveland Clinic says it affects about 0.2% of people in their 70s, and nearly 6% of those over 80.…  read on >  read on >

Billy Joel Cancels Tour After Brain Condition Diagnosis

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Music legend Billy Joel has canceled tour dates through July 2026 after being diagnosed with a brain condition called normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH). The 76-year-old singer announced Friday that his condition had worsened with recent performances, affecting his hearing, vision and balance, CBS News reported. “I’m sincerely sorry to disappoint our audience, and thank you for understanding,” Joel said in a statement. Doctors have advised him to stop performing for now and begin physical therapy. Joel said he’s hopeful he’ll return to the stage when he feels better. Fans who bought tickets for any upcoming performances will receive automatic refunds.  Joel was originally scheduled to begin a new round of shows in July in Pittsburgh, with other stops across the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. He was set to perform with stars like Stevie Nicks, Rod Stewart and Sting, CBS News said. NPH is a rare condition in which extra fluid builds up in or around the brain, putting pressure on brain tissue. This can lead to “trouble thinking, trouble walking and trouble with urinary incontinence,” CBS News medical correspondent Dr. Jon LaPook said. “Usually, it just comes out of the blue. We really don’t know why,” LaPook said. The condition mostly affects older adults. The Cleveland Clinic says it affects about 0.2% of people in their 70s, and nearly 6% of those over 80.…  read on >  read on >

Knee Pain Relief Through The Ear? New Study Says It’s Possible

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“It’s easier to put your elbow in your ear” is a time-tested way to describe the impossibility of any given task. But the route to easing knee pain might indeed wend through the ear, a new study says. Stimulating the vagus nerve through the ear improved knee pain for some patients, according to early trial results published recently in the journal Osteoarthritis and Cartilage Open. The vagus nerve plays an important role in the parasympathetic nervous system, which controls the body’s ability to rest and digest, researchers said. It is countered by the sympathetic nervous system, which manages the “fight-or-flight” response. “The current evidence suggests that individuals with osteoarthritis knee pain have an imbalance of sympathetic versus parasympathetic activity in the body, which can cause pain,” said lead researcher Kosaku Aoyagi, an assistant professor of physical therapy and movement sciences at the University of Texas at El Paso. “By stimulating the vagus nerve, we hypothesized that our treatment may rectify this imbalance,” Aoyagi said in a news release. For the small-scale trial, researchers recruited 30 patients with knee pain and treated them with a transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (tVNS) device for an hour. The device rests on the ear and sends electrical pulses to the branch of the vagus nerve that runs through the ear. It’s already approved by the U.S. Food and Drug…  read on >  read on >

Knee Pain Relief Through The Ear? New Study Says It’s Possible

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“It’s easier to put your elbow in your ear” is a time-tested way to describe the impossibility of any given task. But the route to easing knee pain might indeed wend through the ear, a new study says. Stimulating the vagus nerve through the ear improved knee pain for some patients, according to early trial results published recently in the journal Osteoarthritis and Cartilage Open. The vagus nerve plays an important role in the parasympathetic nervous system, which controls the body’s ability to rest and digest, researchers said. It is countered by the sympathetic nervous system, which manages the “fight-or-flight” response. “The current evidence suggests that individuals with osteoarthritis knee pain have an imbalance of sympathetic versus parasympathetic activity in the body, which can cause pain,” said lead researcher Kosaku Aoyagi, an assistant professor of physical therapy and movement sciences at the University of Texas at El Paso. “By stimulating the vagus nerve, we hypothesized that our treatment may rectify this imbalance,” Aoyagi said in a news release. For the small-scale trial, researchers recruited 30 patients with knee pain and treated them with a transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (tVNS) device for an hour. The device rests on the ear and sends electrical pulses to the branch of the vagus nerve that runs through the ear. It’s already approved by the U.S. Food and Drug…  read on >  read on >