Older Adults Turning to Pot for Common Health Problems

Marijuana is fast becoming a favorite medication among older Americans, a new study finds.

Cannabis is being used to ease problems such as pain, sleep disturbances and psychiatric conditions like anxiety and depression, researchers say.

Among more than 550 patients surveyed, 15% had used cannabis within the past three y...

Pandemic Fears Tied to Surge in Gun Sales in California

Citing fears over violence and chaos, more than 100,000 Californians have bought guns in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, a new study estimates.

Researchers said the findings add to evidence that the U.S. pandemic has sparked firearm "panic-buying." Early on, federal figures showed a spike in background checks, while some online fire...

Is There a Better Therapy for Hospitalized Anorexia Patients?

It may seem counterintuitive, but when someone with the eating disorder anorexia nervosa is hospitalized, treatment often begins by cutting calories. Now, new research suggests that those eating restrictions can be safely relaxed in the hospital.

Starting with a lower-calorie diet has long been thought to prevent big shifts in fluid a...

Pandemic Putting Americans Under Great Mental Strain: Poll

COVID-19, health care, the economy, systemic racism and the presidential election are a threat to the nation's mental health, according to an American Psychological Association (APA) poll.

Seventy-eight percent of adults polled said the pandemic is causing major stress and 60% called the array of issues facing the country overwhel...

What Will Convince Americans to Get a COVID-19 Vaccine?

Promoting any emerging COVID-19 vaccine to a skeptical public could be tough.

But a new survey finds vaccine uptake might rise if the shot is promoted by medical experts, not politicians, and if it's been proven safe and effective through a rigorous approval process.

A vaccine shown to be highly effective in clinical trials w...

Most U.S. Women Under 50 Use Contraception: Report

Most American women between 15 and 49 years of age use birth control, according to a new U.S. government report.

Between 2017 and 2019, 65% of those women used some form of contraception, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"This report provides this unique snapshot of all women of reprodu...