Doctors sometimes turn to antidepressants as a means of easing older people’s physical pain, but a new expert review finds there’s little evidence to support the practice. Antidepressants may even come with hazards for seniors who don’t need them, said researchers from the University of Sydney in Australia. “Harms of antidepressant use in older people… read on > read on >
An arthritis sufferer’s joints start to get ornery when the weather turns colder, getting stiff and achy as the mercury drops. Cold weather doesn’t cause arthritis, but it can make it worse, experts say. “Our joints operate best in temperate weather,” said Dr. Mariko Ishimori, interim director at the Cedars-Sinai Division of Rheumatology in Los… read on > read on >
Would-be dads don’t have to worry that taking the epilepsy drug valproate will result in children with birth defects, a new review concludes. Valproate, an anti-seizure drug, is known to cause birth defects and developmental disorders when taken by pregnant women. But the drug does not appear to have the same impact on the fetus… read on > read on >
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The Hunan Seafood Wholesale wet market in Wuhan, China, has long been considered the most likely source of the coronavirus that caused the COVID-19 pandemic. That theory is now supported by a new study analyzing more than 800 samples collected in and around the market in January 2020 as the pandemic began. Those samples show… read on > read on >
Breastfeeding through the first year of infants’ lives can lower their risk of asthma by colonizing their bodies with a healthy mix of microbes, a new study finds. Results show that breastfeeding beyond three months supported the gradual maturation of a baby’s gut microbiome, researchers reported Sept. 19 in the journal Cell. On the other… read on > read on >
It’s called the MIND diet and its primary aim is to help guard against thinking and memory declines as you age. But does it work? Yes, claims new research that found following the MIND diet for 10 years produced a small but significant decrease in the risk of developing thinking, memory and concentration problems. “With… read on > read on >
Americans have the worst health care among the world’s wealthy nations, a new report says. People in the United States die the earliest and live the sickest lives out of 10 developed countries, even though the United States spends the most on health care, according to the annual report by health care think-tank The Commonwealth… read on > read on >
Climate change and worsening diets are sending global rates of stroke and stroke deaths skyward, a new study warns. Almost 12 million people worldwide had a stroke in 2021, up 70% since 1990, according to a team led by Valery Feigin, of the Auckland University of Technology in New Zealand. It’s now the third leading… read on > read on >
One of the most common diabetes drugs, metformin, might deliver an added bonus: Lowering users’ odds for Long COVID. Long COVID can present with symptoms including chronic fatigue, brain fog and chest pain and it may last weeks or months after an initial COVID infection. It’s thought that millions of Americans suffer with the illness. As… read on > read on >
Exercise, whether moderate- or high-intensity, can help ease Parkinson’s symptoms, including fatigue, new research shows. As study lead author Dr. Philip Millar explained, Parkinson’s patients are too often overwhelmed by shame or depression, so they stop going to the gym or exercising. That’s too bad, Millar said, because “if you stop physical activity, your body… read on > read on >
