Author: Jane Farrell

Avocados and Heart Health

Eating two or more servings of avocado weekly was associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, and substituting avocado for certain fat-containing foods like butter, cheese or processed meats was associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease events, according to new research published  in March 2022 in the Journal of the American Heart… Continue reading Avocados and Heart Health

How to Treat Dry, Cracked Heels

Warmer weather is coming, and that often means open-heeled shoes that require smart care to keep your heelslooking good. Unfortunately, it’s easy for feet to become dry and cracked. But it’s not something you have to live with. Dermatologists from the American Academy of Dermatology say (www.aad.org) say there are steps you can take now… Continue reading How to Treat Dry, Cracked Heels

How Pharmacists Can Help You

How often has this happened to you: You pick up a prescription at the pharmacy and later realize you have questions about something in the directions or warnings. Or you buy an over-the-counter (OTC) drug but aren’t sure about the correct dosage after reading the label. That’s where pharmacists come in. Whether at your local… Continue reading How Pharmacists Can Help You

Vaping Alters Mouth Microbes

The use of electronic cigarettes—also called vaping—has been on the rise. In 2019, almost 5% of adults in the U.S reported using e-cigarettes, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Overall, e-cigarettes are thought to produce fewer toxic compounds than conventional cigarettes, but they can still contain many harmful substances, including nicotine and heavy… Continue reading Vaping Alters Mouth Microbes

The Breast-Cancer Factor in Heart Disease

Routine mammograms may provide key insights for cardiovascular disease, according to new research: Detection of breast arterial calcifications on breast mammograms was associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular disease in postmenopausal women, according to the research, published in March 2022 in Circulation: Cardiovascular Imaging, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Heart Association. This finding… Continue reading The Breast-Cancer Factor in Heart Disease

The Problem with “Springing Forward”

According to the American Heart Association (AHA), scientific research supports the view that losing an hour of much needed sleep may not be the only thing to dread about “springing forward” when clocks move up for daylight saving time later this month. The time change may also negatively impact your heart and brain health. The… Continue reading The Problem with “Springing Forward”

Drug Allergies: What You Need to Know

Medications are one of our most powerful weapons against germs and diseases. But sometimes when people take medications, they can have an allergic reaction. That’s when a drug causes the body’s immune system to overreact. They may not be able to use the drug again without risking more serious consequences. Any drug can cause an… Continue reading Drug Allergies: What You Need to Know

Hypertension and Dental Health

Some oral bacteria were associated with the development of hypertension, also known as high blood pressure, in postmenopausal women, according to new research. The study was published in March 2022 in the Journal of the American Heart Association, an open access, peer-reviewed journal of the American Heart Association. High blood pressure is typically defined by… Continue reading Hypertension and Dental Health

Sexual Violence and Hypertension

Compared with women who had never experienced any type of trauma, women who had experienced sexual assault at any point in their lifetime were more likely to develop high blood pressure, as were women who had experienced workplace sexual harassment. Women who had experienced both sexual assault and harassment had the highest risk of developing… Continue reading Sexual Violence and Hypertension

Consumer Fraud Scams Are on The Rise

Newly released Federal Trade Commission (FTC) data shows that consumers reported losing more than $5.8 billion to fraud in 2021, an increase of more than 70 percent over the previous year. According to a news release from the FTC, the agency received fraud reports from more than 2.8 million consumers last year (2021), with the… Continue reading Consumer Fraud Scams Are on The Rise

Advances in Breast Cancer Research

Breast cancer is the second most common cancer among American women. Breast cancer death rates have been falling over the past 30 years. But nearly 13% of women are still diagnosed in their lifetime. Men can get breast cancer too, although it’s rare. Researchers are studying the risk factors for different types of breast cancer.… Continue reading Advances in Breast Cancer Research

Some Seniors Skip Health Care Because of Cost

Many patients and caregivers think it’s hard to get information on health-care costs from their doctor, although cost is an important element in health-care decisions, according to new research. The nonprofit organization FAIR Health, which aims to bring greater transparency to health care costs, conducted two separate surveys: one with older adults aged 65 and… Continue reading Some Seniors Skip Health Care Because of Cost

Understanding Rosacea

Rosacea is a common, chronic disorder of the facial skin that’s often characterized by flare-ups and remissions. Although the potentially serious disorder affects an estimated 16 million Americans, experts say many don’t know it. Here, from the National Rosacea Society (NRS), is what you need to know about the condition: Rosacea typically begins at any… Continue reading Understanding Rosacea

Help for Kids with Peanut Allergies

A clinical trial has found that giving peanut oral immunotherapy to highly peanut-allergic children ages 1 to 3 years safely desensitized most of them to peanuts and induced remission of peanut allergy in one-fifth. The immunotherapy consisted of a daily oral dose of peanut flour for 2.5 years. Remission was defined as being able to… Continue reading Help for Kids with Peanut Allergies

The Foods That Could Help Parkinson’s Patients

A new study shows that people with Parkinson’s disease who eat a diet that includes three or more servings per week of foods high in flavonoids, like tea, apples, berries and red wine, may have a lower chance of dying during the study period than people who do not eat as many flavonoids. The research… Continue reading The Foods That Could Help Parkinson’s Patients

Drug-Overdose Suicides Increasing Among Older People

A new study of intentional drug overdose deaths, or suicides by an overdose of a medication or drug, found an overall decline in recent years in the United States, but an increase in young people aged 15-24, older people aged 75-84, and non-Hispanic Black women, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The study… Continue reading Drug-Overdose Suicides Increasing Among Older People