FRIDAY, July 1, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Hinting at a future alternative to opioid painkillers, scientists have developed a tiny implant designed to ease post-surgery pain and then dissolve once the job is done.So far, the research has been limited to lab animals, and it will be several years before the technology could be ready for human testing.But the hope is to eventually have an alternative to managing postoperative pain that relies on engineering, rather than drugs, said researcher John Rogers, a professor at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago.The implant is made of soft, water-soluble materials that form a cuff that can wrap around a peripheral nerve -- the kind that send pain signals from the body to the spine and brain. The device delivers targeted...

FRIDAY, July 1, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- The natural gas being piped into your home contains a wide array of toxic chemicals, including nearly two dozen so harmful they're classified as hazardous air pollutants, a new study says.Natural gas samples taken from 69 Boston-area cooking stoves were found to contain at least 21 different hazardous air pollutants, including benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene and hexane, according to findings recently published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology."One of the reasons we have natural gas in so many homes is because we've been told that it's clean," said co-author Dr. Curtis Nordgaard, an environmental health scientist with the PSE Healthy Energy research institute in Oakland, Calif. "This shows that while it may be cleaner than...

FRIDAY, July 1, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Fallout is mounting for the food delivery service Daily Harvest, which has voluntarily recalled a frozen food product suspected of sickening hundreds of customers in at least 26 states.The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is investigating. And an Oklahoma woman has sued the company, blaming one of its products for an array of serious health problems, including gastrointestinal illness and liver and gallbladder dysfunction, according to the Los Angeles Times.The company said it had received nearly 500 reports of people getting sick after eating Daily Harvest French Lentil + Leek Crumbles. Daily Harvest initiated a voluntary recall of the product on June 23.The FDA said consumers, retailers and others should not eat, sell or serve the product.So...

FRIDAY, July 1, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- New York City's Mayor Eric Adams announced Thursday that the city has launched the first-of-their-kind mobile COVID-19 testing units that will also dispense the antiviral drug Paxlovid to those who test positive for the virus.The "Test-to-Treat" program is part of federal and city efforts to catch and treat infections early and be ready for new waves of the pandemic. Health officials also want to expand access to Paxlovid, especially for people who don't have a regular doctor or insurance, the New York Times reported."New York City may have been at the epicenter of the pandemic at the start, but now we are leading the way in prevention and mitigation," Adams said in his announcement. "By getting lifesaving medications into the hands of New...