For nearly a year, nursing homes and assisted living centers have been mostly closed to visitors. Now, it’s time for them to open back up and relieve residents of crushing isolation, according to a growing chorus of long-term care experts, caregivers, consumer groups and physicians. They’re calling for federal health authorities to relax visitation restrictions […]
HEALTH NOTES: Britons have an average of seven fillings
HEALTH NOTES: Britons have an average of seven fillings and DIY eye checks… on a phone app The average UK adult has had no fewer than seven fillings, according to new research. It’s more than twice the number than the average American, who has just three. According to figures collated by international dental website dentaly.org, one […]
Development of an electroceutical to drastically reduce high-risk, preterm labor
Preterm labor comprises 12.7% of all pregnancies. Although the overall rate of pregnancy is decreasing, the occurrence of premature birth due to preterm labor in South Korea has been increasing over the past 7 years. Not only is preterm birth accountable for about a half of all neonatal mortality cases, the neurological deficits in surviving […]
An expert explains viral variants, mutations and strains
What are variants? We asked Divya Shah, Epidemics Research Lead, to explain how variants happen, what they mean for treatments and vaccines—including for COVID-19—and how we can prevent them. What are mutations, variants and strains? Although the terms viral mutants, variants and strains are often used interchangeably, they generally hold different meanings. To spread, a […]
One in five Americans has an STD: CDC
According to 2018 data, one in five people in the United States probably carries a sexually transmitted infection, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says. On any given day in 2018, nearly 68 million people had a sexually transmitted disease, according to the new CDC report. There were 26 million new cases that […]
Researchers find sex is not an independent risk factor for stroke mortality
An analysis of data collected from patients treated for ischemic stroke at Geisinger shows no disparity in outcomes based solely on sex. Various studies have suggested that women are disproportionately affected by stroke and may have poorer stroke outcomes. Women have a longer life expectancy than men and, therefore, likely have an increased lifetime risk […]
The Reason It Feels So Good to Scratch an Itch
When you’ve got dry, itchy skin during the winter, nothing beats a good scratch. But what exactly is going on in your body when you scratch an itch that makes it feel so darn satisfying? First, know that winter itch is definitely a thing. As the temperature drops and you crank up the heat, exposure […]
Any mask containing metal could cause burns during an MRI, FDA warns
(HealthDay)—Patients who wear face masks with metal parts or coatings during MRIs could suffer facial burns, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned Monday. That’s because metal parts such as bendable nose clips or wires, staples on the headband, nanoparticles (ultrafine particles), or antimicrobial coating that may contain metal (such as silver or copper) can […]
Tokophobia is an extreme fear of childbirth. Here’s how to recognise and treat it
Many pregnant women worry about birth. Some, however, suffer from a much more serious condition called tokophobia: a severe and unreasoning dread of childbirth, which is sometimes accompanied by a disgust of pregnancy. At its most extreme, tokophobia can lead to: an obsessive use of contraception to prevent pregnancy termination of pregnancy not attending maternity […]
An acebuchin-oil-enriched diet helps to reduce hypertension
An acebuchin-oil-enriched diet helps to reduce arterial blood pressure, as shown by a study carried out by the Cardiovascular Physiopathology research group at the Physiology Department of the University of Seville. Furthermore, their work shows that acebuche oil has a greater impact in reducing hypertension than extra virgin olive oil. This research group from the […]