Latest News On Chronic Disease Care

Latest California Healthline Stories

Drug Test Spurs Frank Talk Between Hypertension Patients And Doctors

Roughly half of patients don’t take their high blood pressure medicine as they should, even though heart disease is the leading cause of death in America. Now, a drug test can flag whether a patient is taking the prescribed medication and is meant to spark a more truthful conversation between patient and doctor.

Medical Marijuana’s ‘Catch-22’: Federal Limits On Research Hinder Patients’ Relief

Suffering Americans seek medical marijuana as an alternative to opioids and other powerful pharmaceuticals. Though legal in 29 states, some doctors say the lack of strong data makes it hard to recommend. One researcher at the University of California-San Diego plans to use federally grown and controlled marijuana to study the effect of cannabidiol, a compound found in pot, on the neuropathic pain of HIV patients.

‘Scary’ Lung Disease Now Afflicts More Women Than Men In U.S.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), linked to long-term smoking, has traditionally been considered a men’s disease. But data show it is now more prevalent among women — in large part because they embraced smoking much later than men did.

Scrutinizing Medicare Coverage For Physical, Occupational And Speech Therapy

Treatment has been terminated for some seniors because therapists told them they weren’t making enough progress or that they had reached their annual limit. We examine the treatment benefits and the barriers under Medicare’s coverage rules for therapy.