Category: Health

May 3, 2024 – There are plenty of reasons to exercise, but some are more motivating than others.  Perhaps the sexiest motivator – and the one people tend to go with, especially with warm weather around the corner – is to build the “beach body.”  The problem: Setting big expectations for weight loss can position you for disaster. More research is showing that exercise alone has a relatively small impact on weight loss, and if you don’t see the results you wanted, your motivation wanes.  For many – maybe you – “exercise is only associated with trying to lose weight,” ... Read more

May 3, 2024 — Americans are dying of heart failure today at a higher rate than they did in 1999, reversing years of progress in reducing the death rate.  That is the stark message of a new JAMA Cardiology study, which finds that the current mortality rate from heart failure is 3% higher than it was 25 years ago. Based on data from death certificates, the study says, the mortality rate fell significantly from 1999 to 2009, then plateaued for a few years before sharply increasing from 2012 to 2019. During the pandemic years of 2020 and 2021, the latest year ... Read more

May 2, 2024 – When does old age begin? Evidently, it depends on who you ask. And when you were born. For millions of people born between 1952 and 1974, the line in the sand between middle and old age is a moving target, according to German researcher Markus Wettstein, PhD.  “Every 4 or 5 years, our perceived onset of old age has shifted one year or higher,” said Wettstein, who, along with a team of researchers from the Humboldt University of Berlin, examined data collected from over 14,000 German adults born during the 20th century, starting in 1911.          Their ... Read more

May 2, 2024 – More than 1 million Americans live with Crohn’s, a chronic and sometimes crippling inflammatory bowel disease that affects the intestines and leads to digestive issues. While some people may have mild symptoms or even be symptom-free at times, others get severe belly pain, diarrhea, fatigue, weight loss, anemia, and other life-threatening complications. So far, the condition doesn’t have a cure, and treatments are often limited. Typical drugs to treat it, such as steroids and immunosuppressants, can provide relief and slow the disease’s progress, but many patients say the drugs don’t work as well over time or ... Read more

May 1, 2024 – You shouldn’t draw major conclusions about the safety of marijuana amid the recent announcement that federal regulators may reclassify the drug, experts are cautioning But the move is expected to make it easier for scientists to study questions about safety and how well marijuana’s works as a medical treatment. One legal expert said it could change how the federal government views using medical marijuana by prescription in a state where medical usage is legal under state law. Right now, that is still considered illegal under federal law.   “If you’re a patient in a state with a ... Read more

Grey’s Anatomy neurosurgeons perform a “groundbreaking procedure” to cure Parkinson’s. It’s not unusual for TV to fast-track medical innovation. Take the current season of Grey’s Anatomy, which featured a major storyline about a “cure” for Parkinson’s disease. The drama series followed a team of researchers and doctors as they used a groundbreaking surgical procedure using skin-derived stem cells. In real life, despite decades of research and huge gains in technical knowledge around stem cell therapies for Parkinson’s disease, those treatments remain out of reach for most people with the disease. Parkinson’s is a brain disorder that worsens over time and ... Read more

May 1, 2024 – Makenna was eager to get an appointment with a gynecologist after moving to a new city and getting what she thought might have been a yeast infection. Makenna, who asked to only be identified by her first name, settled on a male doctor who took her insurance, despite already feeling uncomfortable – as many women often are – with seeing a male gynecologist.  What happened next left her bewildered and traumatized. Makenna, 28, said that during the exam, the doctor put on a pair of gloves, inserted his fingers into her, and then smelled them. After doing this, ... Read more

People who start to lose their hearing know it can have a big impact on life, but they may be surprised by the way it can affect their emotions. They might feel helpless or depressed, and get angry or frustrated. All are normal reactions. But you can face those feelings and get through this tricky transition. “Hearing loss is a loss like any other in our lives,” says Angela Nelson, AuD, a hearing doctor in Burbank, CA. “It’s a death of part of an individual, [and you have] to move through the grief process.” To do that, reach out to ... Read more

Not long after Debbie McClure was diagnosed with Sjogren’s syndrome, an immune system disorder that causes dry mouth, she sat down to a roast beef dinner. She was still adjusting to her condition. So she didn’t fully realize how not having enough saliva, which helps move food from the mouth and down the throat, would make it hard to swallow, especially with dry foods — like her overcooked roast beef. “I attempted to swallow a bite, but it lodged in my throat,” says McClure, a writer based in Ontario, Canada. She grabbed a glass of water and, sip by sip, ... Read more

April 30, 2024 – In recent weeks, COVID-19 forecasters have reported on a new set of variants picked up in wastewater surveillance. Nicknamed FLiRT, they’re threatening to cause a new wave of COVID infections, which recently bottomed out after spiking in December.  Models released last week from Jay Weiland, a data scientist who has accurately predicted COVID waves since the beginning of the pandemic, warns that a surge is on the horizon. “He’s someone who many experts like myself follow because he’s been pretty accurate so far,” said Megan L. Ranney, MD, dean of the Yale School of Public Health. ... Read more