TUESDAY, June 28, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Toking up increases your risk of landing in the hospital, a new study reports.Recreational marijuana use was associated with 22% greater odds of needing to visit an emergency room or be hospitalized, Canadian researchers found.The study showed physical injuries, lung ailments and gastrointestinal problems were the top three reasons why pot users had to go to the hospital.Pot is "a product that is now decriminalized and is being used with increasing frequency, and at least some portion of the population thinks it's benign, doesn't cause problems, can be used safely," said lead researcher Dr. Nicholas Vozoris, an assistant professor of respirology at the University of Toronto."We're showing that it is associated with a significant risk of an...

TUESDAY, June 28, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Women of color may face delays in getting a biopsy after a screening mammogram suggests they might have breast cancer, a large, new study finds.Researchers found that compared with white women, Asian, Black and Hispanic women were all more likely to wait over a month for a breast biopsy following an abnormal screening mammogram.Black women were at particular risk, with a higher likelihood of waiting three months or more.The concern, experts said, is that the lags could mean delays in treatment if the abnormality turns out to be cancer -- or, if it's not cancer, months of needless anxiety.What's unclear is exactly why women of color have more biopsy delays, said lead researcher Dr. Marissa Lawson, acting instructor of radiology at the...

TUESDAY, June 28, 2022 (American Heart Association News) -- As she finished mowing the lawn of her home in Girard, Ohio, Amy Kren had a somewhat familiar feeling.The shortness of breath and tightness in her chest seemed like another asthma attack. She went into the garage and put a hand on a lawn chair to steady herself and placed her other hand on her chest, trying to catch her breath. The symptoms didn't subside so she went into the house and took a couple puffs of her inhaler, hoping the medicine would help.Her husband, Brian, suggested calling 911. She refused, insisting the symptoms would pass.They didn't. Worse, she started to feel like a blood pressure cuff was squeezing her left arm. Now Amy was ready to call 911.The paramedics did an electrocardiogram and gave her...

TUESDAY, June 28, 2022 (American Heart Association News) -- Your favorite summertime playlist probably has more songs about surfing than about potential health risks. But with much of the nation having already sweated out a historic heat wave in June, health experts would like to add a note of caution to the mix.Hot weather is like a stress test for your heart, said Dr. Lance Becker, chair of emergency medicine at Northwell Health, a health care provider in New York. And some people respond poorly to such stress. "They could have a heart attack. Their congestive heart failure symptoms could get much worse. Or they could have an arrhythmia," the medical term for an irregular heartbeat.The risk to your heart and brain can be serious.A 2020 report by the Centers for Disease Control and...