Taking a new approach toward tuberculosis therapy, a UCLA-led research team has devised a potential drug regimen that could cut the treatment time by up to 75 percent, while simultaneously reducing the risk that patients could develop drug-resistant TB. To identify the regimen, the researchers launched a systematic search for an optimal drug treatment using… Continue reading A Faster TB Treatment?
Author: Jane Farrell
Are You Forgetting Something Essential for Retirement?
Most people have some kind of lifestyle vision for retirement. Unfortunately, without proper planning their dreams won’t always become a reality as they enter the encore time of their lives, says Michael Bivona, a certified public accountant who retired almost 20 years ago. “I had a simple plan: When I stopped working I planned on… Continue reading Are You Forgetting Something Essential for Retirement?
A Routine Oral-Cancer Exam Could Save Your Life
Each year, over 49,000 cases of oral cancer are detected in the U.S.; even more alarming is that one person dies from the disease every hour. But the high death rate associated with oral cancer isn’t because it’s hard to find or diagnose – it’s just usually detected late. “Many people don’t realize that an… Continue reading A Routine Oral-Cancer Exam Could Save Your Life
The First Pair of “Smart” Glasses
The days of wearing bifocals or constantly switching to reading glasses might soon come to an end. A team led by University of Utah electrical and computer engineering professor Carlos Mastrangelo and doctoral student Nazmul Hasan has created “smart glasses” with liquid-based lenses that can automatically adjust the focus on what a person is seeing,… Continue reading The First Pair of “Smart” Glasses
Keeping Kids Safe in Cribs
As any parent whose baby has spent some time in the hospital knows, all cribs are not created equal. In most cases, hospital cribs (also called pediatric medical cribs) differ significantly from what’s in your child’s bedroom at home. “Each type of crib is specially designed for safe use in the environment in which it… Continue reading Keeping Kids Safe in Cribs
When Food is Medicine
HIV-positive people who received healthy food were more likely to adhere to their medication regimens, and they, as well as people with type 2 diabetes, were less depressed and less likely to make trade-offs between food and healthcare, according to a new study. The study was done jointly by researchers from University of California San… Continue reading When Food is Medicine
An Action Plan for Getting and Staying Healthy
We’re always promising ourselves that we’ll change to better health habits. Do you want to actually do it? “It’s the ultimate personal challenge,” says Leigh Stringer, author of The Healthy Workplace. “It takes guts and determination to make and keep those life-changing commitments in our lives, but it can be done.” Here’s how: Get Serious.… Continue reading An Action Plan for Getting and Staying Healthy
Making Men Better at Romance for Valentine’s Day – and Every Day
The romance doesn’t drain out of a relationship overnight. It’s a slow trickle over time. “Counselors will tell you that the leaks in a marriage or love relationship are a hazard of daily life,” says Drexel Gilbert, author of 30 Days to Better Love: A Guide for Men (www.drexelgilbert.com). “Careers, children, bills and a variety… Continue reading Making Men Better at Romance for Valentine’s Day – and Every Day
Are Neti Pots Safe?
Neti pots may seem like a simple way to deal with clogged sinuses, but there are some things you need to know before you use them. Here, experts from the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) share advice: Little teapots with long spouts have become a fixture in many homes to flush out clogged nasal… Continue reading Are Neti Pots Safe?
Ultraviolet Light Helps Battle Superbugs
Ultraviolet light could help in keeping drug-resistant bacteria from lingering in patients’ rooms and causing new infections, researchers say The new tool is known as UVC. Some hospitals have already begun using UVC machines in addition to standard chemical disinfection to kill potentially dangerous bacteria such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), but research on their… Continue reading Ultraviolet Light Helps Battle Superbugs
A Biomarker for Heart-Failure Patients
Differences in the hearts of patients with advanced heart failure may indicate which patients would benefit most from cardiac recovery therapies. The finding, by experts at the University of Utah, was published in the journal Circulation. “Based on everything a doctor would traditionally measure, these patients look equally sick,” says co-senior author and cardiologist Stavros… Continue reading A Biomarker for Heart-Failure Patients
The Whole-Grain Guide
Adding whole grains to your diet doesn’t have to mean giving up taste or variety. The experts at ChooseMyPlate, a division of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, share some smart ways to start eating the best grains for you: AT MEALS To eat more whole grains, substitute a whole-grain product for a refined product –… Continue reading The Whole-Grain Guide
The High Cost of “Surprise” Medical Bills
The average anesthesiologist, emergency physician, pathologist and radiologist charge more than four times what Medicare pays for similar services, often leaving privately insured consumers stuck with bills that are much higher than they anticipated, new research suggests. The problem is that most patients do not actually choose these doctors with the highest markups, allowing them… Continue reading The High Cost of “Surprise” Medical Bills
Fitness Trackers and Weight Gain
Although millions of us love our fitness trackers, the popular devices may not help as much with weight loss as we think. An article on the Mayo Clinic News Network cites research saying that one in five Americans wears a tracker, but most aren’t seeing the hoped-for results. “Having an activity tracker doesn’t necessarily translate… Continue reading Fitness Trackers and Weight Gain
Obesity and Lack of Vitamin E
People with metabolic syndrome need significantly more vitamin E than those who don’t have the condition, researchers have found. Such a lack could be a serious public health concern, in light of the millions of people who have this condition that’s often related to obesity. A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition… Continue reading Obesity and Lack of Vitamin E
Exercise and Breast-Cancer Drugs
Breast-cancer patients who are taking hormone-therapy drugs known as aromatase inhibitors (AIs) can improve their health outcome through a combination of resistance and aerobic exercise, according to a researcher from Syracuse University. Gwendolyn Thomas, assistant professor of exercise science , is the co-author of a groundbreaking article in the Obesity Journal (The Obesity Society, 2017)… Continue reading Exercise and Breast-Cancer Drugs
4 Myths about Adult Braces
Country music fans noticed something different about Faith Hill’s smile a few years back when she showed up for the Country Music awards. The popular singer wore braces, adding her name to the growing number of adults who decided to straighten their teeth through the traditional “mouth hardware” usually associated with children and teenagers. There… Continue reading 4 Myths about Adult Braces
Antidepressant Use and Fracture Risk
Antidepressant use nearly doubles the risk of hip fracture among community-dwelling persons with Alzheimer’s disease, according to a new study from the University of Eastern Finland. The increased risk was highest at the beginning of antidepressant use and remained elevated even four years later. The findings were published in the International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry.… Continue reading Antidepressant Use and Fracture Risk