Help! My Kid Started Preschool And Now They’re Always Sick
It’s all too common: A toddler starts attending day care or preschool and suddenly it seems like they always have a runny nose, a cough or worse. Experts estimate that children contract six to eight upper respiratory infections on average each year. As a parent, you may feel helpless in what seems like an endless […]
Decoy particles trick coronavirus as it evolves: Emerging therapeutics could overcome drug-resistant variants
They might look like cells and act like cells. But a new potential COVID-19 treatment is actually a cleverly disguised trickster, which attracts viruses and binds them, rendering them inactive. As the ever-evolving SARS-CoV-2 virus begins to evade once promising treatments, such as monoclonal antibody therapies, researchers have become more interested in these “decoy” nanoparticles. […]
Should We Use PSA to Find Active Surveillance Candidates?
As a patient on active surveillance (AS) since 2010, I always considered AS a solution for men like me with very low-risk prostate cancer. Is it time to rethink that? E. David Crawford, MD, a urologist and a long-time prostate cancer researcher, surprised me when he explained that in his view, prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing […]
‘Flash droughts’ coming on faster, global study shows
Just like flash floods, flash droughts come on fast — drying out soil in a matter of days to weeks. These events can wipe out crops and cause huge economic losses. And according to scientists, the speed at which they dry out the landscape has increased. Researchers at The University of Texas at Austin, The […]
Meet the Primary Care Doc Who Wants the World to Go Back to Normal
Like many doctors, Washington, D.C.-based internist Lucy McBride, MD, found herself fielding question after question from worried patients when the COVID-19 pandemic struck in March 2020. She decided that the best way to reach everyone would be to send out mass email blasts to all her patients, addressing the most commonly voiced concerns. Two years […]
Opinion | ‘Like Someone Suddenly Blew a Dog Whistle in My Ear’: What We Heard This Week
“It was like someone suddenly blew a dog whistle in my ear.” — Gregory Poland, MD, of the Mayo Clinic’s Vaccine Research Group, describing how he developed tinnitus while driving back from the hospital after receiving his second COVID-19 vaccine. “We need to think more like a business.” — Ezekiel Emanuel, MD, PhD, of the […]
What Are the Signs of Asperger’s in Adults?
Signs of Asperger’s in adults Asperger’s, like autism, was mostly noticeable in interactions with other people. A person who has been diagnosed with Asperger’s or mild autism is usually not unhappy when alone. Mild autism doesn’t mean someone can’t keep a job, care for themselves, or start a family if they choose to do so […]
Do pets have a positive effect on your brain health? Study shows long-term pet ownership linked to slower decline in cognition over time
Owning a pet, like a dog or cat, especially for five years or longer, may be linked to slower cognitive decline in older adults, according to a preliminary study released today, February 23, 2022 “Prior studies have suggested that the human-animal bond may have health benefits like decreasing blood pressure and stress,” said study author […]
Children eat what they like, but food intake driven more by what they dislike
It is often said that “children eat what they like,” but the results of a new study by Penn State nutritionists and sensory scientists suggests that when it comes to meals, it is more accurate and more relevant to say, “children do not eat what they dislike.” There is an important difference, according to lead […]
Can wearable technology predict the negative consequences of drinking?
“How much have you had to drink?” might seem like a simple question, but it is not always easy to answer. Although there are general guidelines about responsible alcohol consumption, a person’s level of intoxication depends not only on the number of drinks they consume but also on the alcohol content of those drinks and […]