Recent headlines (including in this publication) have raised concerns about microplastics in our bodies and the harm they may be doing. Scientists say it could be years before we have a full understanding of how these tiny plastic particles are affecting human health. But we do know they have beenContinue Reading
Q: I’ve been trying to cut back on alcohol lately, but I do drink occasionally. Are any types of alcohol less risky than others? If you’ve heard that red wine is better for you than beer or liquor, or that clear liquor like vodka or gin is less harmful thanContinue Reading
Some patients experience pain or discomfort with the insertion of an IUD for contraception. New guidelines urge doctors to offer pain treatment. mariakraynovasrb/500px Plus/Getty Images mariakraynovasrb/500px Plus/Getty Images Countless patients have suffered through in-office gynecological procedures like IUD insertions or cervical biopsies, with nothing more than ibuprofen and white knuckles.Continue Reading
Men are taller than women, by an average of about five inches. But why? It’s not a genetic inevitability — there are many species in the tree of life where females outclass males. A new study, published on Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that involvedContinue Reading
Even foods you may not guess would have food coloring added often do, like pickled banana peppers. BWFolsom/iStockphoto/Getty Images BWFolsom/iStockphoto/Getty Images The Trump administration’s Make America Healthy Again effort hopes to eliminate potentially harmful synthetic dyes from the food supply. Manufacturers use those dyes to make foods, drinks and medicinesContinue Reading
These days, more and more of us have to worry about our blood sugar. Some 38 million Americans have diabetes, and more than two times that number have pre-diabetes. Many millions more have some form of insulin resistance, which can make you tired, irritable and even dizzy. And all ofContinue Reading
Prostate cancer experts say that former President Joseph R. Biden’s diagnosis is serious. Announced on Sunday by his office, the cancer has spread to his bones. And it is Stage 4, the most deadly of stages for the illness. It cannot be cured. But the good news, prostate cancer specialistsContinue Reading
Surgeons in Southern California have performed the first human bladder transplant, introducing a new, potentially life-changing procedure for people with debilitating bladder conditions. The operation was performed earlier this month by a pair of surgeons from the University of California, Los Angeles, and the University of Southern California on aContinue Reading
The Food and Drug Administration on Friday approved the Novavax Covid-19 vaccine, but only for older adults and for others over age 12 who have at least one medical condition that puts them at high risk from Covid. Scientific advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, who typicallyContinue Reading
The expansion of Medicaid has saved more than 27,000 lives since 2010, according to the most definitive study yet on the program’s health effects. Poor adults who gained Medicaid coverage after the Affordable Care Act expanded access were 21 percent less likely to die during a given year than thoseContinue Reading
