Long COVID May Be Difficult to Identify in MS
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – People with multiple sclerosis (MS) appeared to have a low risk of developing long COVID, but lingering complaints after SARS-CoV-2 infection were difficult to untangle from MS symptoms, registry analyses showed. In studies presented at the Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ACTRIMS) Forum, Robert Fox, MD, […]
Memory helps us evaluate situations on the fly, not just recall the past: Widely known as crucial for long-term memory, hippocampus also supports short-term memory
Scientists have long known the brain’s hippocampus is crucial for long-term memory. Now a new Northwestern Medicine study has found the hippocampus also plays a role in short-term memory and helps guide decision-making. The findings shed light on how the hippocampus contributes to memory and exploration, potentially leading to therapies that restore hippocampal function, which […]
Another COVID Toll: Over 134,000 Undiagnosed Cancers During Height of Pandemic
More than 134,000 cancers might have gone undiagnosed during the first 10 months of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a study of national trends in cancer incidence. Annual cancer incidence fell almost 30% short of the expected rate from March through December 2020. The difference represented potentially 134,395 undiagnosed cancers during that period. Diagnosis of […]
Do sugar-free candy and gum give you gas? Researchers think they know why
Researchers at UC Davis have identified changes in the gut microbiome that can result in an inability to digest sorbitol. Sorbitol, a sugar alcohol, is used in sugar-free gum, mints, candy and other products. It is also found naturally in apricots, apples, pears, avocadoes and other foods. At high levels, sorbitol can cause bloating, cramps […]
Opinion | ‘If We Have a Thermonuclear War, All I Need Is a Scalpel’: What We Heard This Week
“If we have a thermonuclear war, all I need is a scalpel.” — Stavropoula Tjoumakaris, MD, of Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, during an FDA advisory committee on critical medical devices during public health emergencies. “Microbes can turn sugar into alcohol in the same way that grape juice turns into wine.” — Aaron Schwartz, MD, […]
Opinion | ‘Tip of a Billion-Dollar Claims Iceberg’: What We Heard This Week
“This is just the tip of a billion-dollar claims iceberg as there are hundreds of U.S. clinics that have fraudulently billed Medicare for these birth tissue products to treat pain.” — Chris Centeno, MD, who manages a network of interventional orthopedic clinics, on birth-tissue product companies promoting their products for unapproved indications. “Doctors aren’t given […]
Read This If You Drink Ginger Ale To Soothe An Upset Stomach
Illustration: Jianan Liu/HuffPost; Photo: Getty Images Does ginger ale actually have health benefits, or is it a myth we’ve been buying into? If you had an upset stomach when you were a kid, there was one home remedy that parents, grandparents and other caregivers seemed to recommend time and time again: ginger ale. In fact, […]
How fasting may protect against inflammation
Cambridge scientists may have discovered a new way in which fasting helps reduce inflammation — a potentially damaging side-effect of the body’s immune system that underlies a number of chronic diseases. In research published in Cell Reports, the team describes how fasting raises levels of a chemical in the blood known as arachidonic acid, which […]
Midlife Cognitive Problems Tied to Sleep Disruptions Earlier in Life
People who had fragmented sleep in their 30s and 40s were more likely to have worse cognition a decade later, longitudinal data showed. Those in the highest versus the lowest tertile of the sleep fragmentation index had over twice the odds of performing poorly on three types of cognitive tests 11 years later, said Yue […]
Study Reveals The Biggest Risk Factors For Getting Early Dementia
The Good Brigade via Getty Images Researchers have identified some key risk factors for the early development of dementia. A recent study by the University of Exeter and Maastricht University published in JAMA Neurology has identified some of the factors that can lead to early cases of dementia ― some of which may surprise you. […]