News by Subject Medicine & Health

As many as 7% of moms-to-be use marijuana while pregnant, and that number is rising fast as more use it to quell morning sickness. But new research suggests such use could have a lasting impact on the fetal brain, influencing children's sleep for as much as a decade.

A small pilot study provides an early glimpse of how some veterans struggling with PTSD may benefit from one simple, inexpensive treatment involving nitrous oxide, commonly known as laughing gas.

A new study of wildlife consumption in northern Laos by San Diego Zoo Global researchers found widespread use of products made from sun bears, Asiatic bears and serows--goat-like mammals found throughout Asia--among other vulnerable species. The findings indicate that efforts are needed to reduce the unsustainable harvest of bears and serows, in particular, 'before this demand becomes a significant conservation challenge,' the authors wrote.

Women are significantly more likely to receive prescriptions of opioid analgesics.

A team of researchers led by San Diego Zoo Global made an unexpected discovery: the use of bear bile and body parts in traditional remedies consumed by new and pregnant mothers. The use of traditional medicines derived from bear bile and gallbladders by young and expecting mothers for ailments related to pregnancy had not been previously documented. With populations of wildlife -- including bears -- in decline across Southeast Asia, understanding this large consumer base could inform conservation efforts in the region.

A new survey of more than 1,000 people with multiple sclerosis finds that an overwhelming majority use complementary and alternative medicine, with many using cannabis. In a sign of broader societal acceptance of treatments beyond conventional medications, the survey found that patients are nine times more likely to talk with their neurologist about the use of alternative therapies than patients in a similar survey conducted in 2001.

Parasitic worms could offer a new treatment hope for patients suffering from the autoimmune disease multiple sclerosis, according to experts from the University of Nottingham.

After a detailed review of available literature, the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) has released new clinical guidelines finding that for most digestive conditions there is not enough evidence to support the use of probiotics. This is the first clinical guideline to focus on probiotics across multiple GI diseases while also considering the effect of each single-strain or multi-strain formulation of probiotics independently instead of grouping them all under the single umbrella of 'probiotics.' These guidelines are published in Gastroenterology, AGA's official journal.

A minimally invasive procedure that destroys cancer cells by freezing them is as effective as surgery for treating early-stage kidney cancer, offering similar 10-year survival rates with a lower rate of complications, according to a new study.