Abstinence News and Research

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Abstinence is a voluntary restraint from indulging a desire or appetite for certain bodily activities that are widely experienced as giving pleasure. Most frequently, the term refers to abstention from sexual intercourse, alcohol or food. The practice can arise from religious prohibitions or practical considerations.

HHS removed images of condoms from HIV/AIDS awareness fliers

The Department of Health and Human Services stripped from a government website HIV/AIDS educational material that featured condoms, calling the images "unapproved," according to official correspondence obtained by Kaiser Health News.

2 Mar 2020

They fell in love helping drug users. But fear kept him from helping himself.

She was in medical school. He was just out of prison.

27 Feb 2020

Study finds inadequate testing for Tennessee infants exposed to hepatitis C

Most Tennessee infants exposed to hepatitis C at birth are not later tested to see if they acquired the virus, according to a study by researchers at Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt and the Vanderbilt Center for Child Health Policy.

14 Feb 2020

Telemedicine can help pregnant women struggling with opioids

Sarah, a military veteran living on the coast of South Carolina, knew she had a problem. The opioids prescribed for her pain were becoming a headache of their own.

11 Feb 2020

Smoking cessation goody bag helps people quit smoking

While sitting in the dentist's office, Hollings Cancer Center researcher Matthew Carpenter, Ph.D., of the Medical University of South Carolina, had a bright idea.

9 Feb 2020

Discrepancy found between empirical evidence and cannabis users' beliefs about medical marijuana

Researchers quizzed cannabis enthusiasts at a marijuana advocacy event about their beliefs on whether the drug is effective in treating certain medical conditions.

31 Jan 2020

Alcohol dependence results in remodeling of functional architecture in rodent’s brain

Employing advanced technologies that allow whole brain imaging at single-cell resolution, researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine report that in an alcohol-dependent mouse model, the rodent brain's functional architecture is substantially remodeled.

14 Jan 2020

Health benefits of a 'Dry January'

A new year often means a list of resolutions for change, such as abstaining from drinking alcohol, stopping smoking, or living a healthier lifestyle. For one, “Dry January” has become immensely popular because it motivates people to abstain from drinking alcohol for 30 days, at least.

13 Jan 2020

Lack of self-examination is the major obstacle to early skin cancer detection in rural Western U.S.

Residents of rural, sparsely-populated "frontier counties" in the Western U.S. face higher incidents of skin cancer and related mortality rates.

9 Jan 2020

Promising greater safety, a tiny widget creates chaos for tube feeders

Rachel Glenn loves to puree food and put it in her 4-year-old's feeding tube. The Arkansas mom said her thick concoctions of fruit, vegetables, meat and grains provide the concentrated nutrition he needs.

16 Dec 2019

Detection of mouth, throat cancer through saliva testing could become reality

Cancer of the throat and mouth (oropharyngeal cancers, OPC) are common, and are increasing in incidence especially among younger people. However, these are difficult to diagnose as they are not seen either by the patient or during routine medical examinations.

15 Dec 2019

In the fight for money for the opioid crisis, will the youngest victims be left out?

Babies born to mothers who used opioids during pregnancy represent one of the most distressing legacies of an opioid epidemic that has claimed almost 400,000 lives and ravaged communities.

13 Dec 2019

Help for teenagers who want to quit smoking

A new study published in the journal JAMA Pediatricsreports on the use of varenicline, a drug that helps smokers quit. The study is unique in that it targeted teenagers who wanted to quit. While confirming the low overall efficacy of the drug, it shows that it may perhaps help teenage smokers to quit faster and to stay smoke-free longer.

11 Dec 2019

Study focuses on smoking cessation treatment for adolescents

Preventable deaths are those that can be stymied by public health intervention, and deaths related to tobacco use are at the top of that list in the United States as well as globally.

10 Dec 2019

A patient's tolerance for risky decisions can predict chances of opioid relapse

People in treatment for opioid addiction are more likely to relapse when they become more tolerant of risks, according to a study by Rutgers and other institutions. The findings can help clinicians better predict which patients are most vulnerable.

8 Dec 2019

Findings could lead to new approach to treating alcohol use disorder

A single infusion of ketamine, combined with outpatient behavioral therapy, helped alcohol-dependent individuals abstain from drinking for a few weeks after the treatment, researchers at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons and New York State Psychiatric Institute have found.

4 Dec 2019

Communication key in preventing AIDS, say health organizations

Repeating the message of so many years, World AIDS Day has come and gone. This year, the focus was on improving communication between the “victims” and the healthcare providers so that the former can get the care they need without having to come to terms with their lifestyle choices.

2 Dec 2019