Tobacco use down in high schoolers; Over 40% unaware they have high cholesterol; Music as a painkiller - Morning Medical Update

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Tobacco use down in high schoolers

Tobacco use has fallen in high schoolers, but risen in middle schoolers, according to a new study from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). One in 10 young people currently use tobacco products, with e-cigs and vapes being the most common source of nicotine.

Over 40% unaware they have high cholesterol

More than 40% of U.S. adults don’t realize they have high cholesterol and remain untreated, according to a recent survey. "This lack of awareness and treatment may be due to difficulties accessing primary care, low rates of screening in primary care, and lack of consensus on screening recommendations,” the authors wrote. Still, people are more aware than they were in the past. In 1999, almost half of U.S. adults were unaware of their high cholesterol.

Music as a painkiller

Listening to your favorite song could decrease pain levels, according to a study from Frontiers in Pain Research. “When people are listening to music they enjoy, by our measurements it can reduce the pain that we're feeling by 10%," Patrick Stroman, a professor of biomedical and molecular sciences at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario said in an interview. He was not involved in the study.