An imbalance in the gut “microbiome” of people with lupus may be driving the chronic autoimmune disease as well as its flare-ups, new research suggests. The microbiome is the trillions of helpful bacteria that coexist in the human digestive tract and elsewhere in the body. Comparing gut bacteria from lupus patients with bacteria from their… read on >
There are plenty of ways to encourage kids to eat more fruits and vegetables, the U.S. Department of Agriculture says. Here are the agency’s suggestions: Create smoothies with fat-free or low-fat yogurt with fruit pieces and crushed ice. Use fresh, frozen, canned or even overripe fruit, such as bananas, berries, peaches or pineapple. Let your… read on >
Everyone needs some salt to help maintain the body’s balance of fluids. But too much salt may cause you to retain fluids and raise your blood pressure, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warns. About 75 percent of the salt you consume is from processed foods, the FDA says. The agency offers these tips to… read on >
Upper body strength is important at every age, but you don’t need to be a bodybuilder to benefit from working your pectoral, or chest, muscles. For a study sponsored by the American Council on Exercise, scientists from the University of Wisconsin La Crosse evaluated nine popular pec exercises to determine which ones best engaged these… read on >
Codeine is one of the drugs at the center of the opioid epidemic affecting adults and teens across the United States. There are also concerns about its effects on very young children — not addiction, but life-threatening events and deaths due to codeine’s side effects. Codeine has often been prescribed to kids to ease pain… read on >
More primary care doctors mean longer life for patients, but a shortage of these physicians is looming, a new study finds. Why? Fewer medical students are choosing primary care as a career, mostly because of money, the researchers noted. However, every 10 additional primary care doctors per 100,000 Americans was associated with a nearly 52-day… read on >
While the vast majority of American parents support legal medical marijuana, they want pot dispensaries banned near schools or day care centers, according to a new national survey. The C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital poll was conducted by the University of Michigan. Not only did three-quarters of parents support legalizing marijuana for medicinal use, a third… read on >
The number of people living with Parkinson’s disease worldwide could double in the next two decades, experts project. In a report warning of a possible Parkinson’s “pandemic,” researchers say the stage is set for cases to surge to 12 million or more by 2040. What’s to blame? In large part, trends that are generally positive:… read on >
Infertility affects about 1 in 10 couples that are trying to have a baby, the U.S. National Institutes of Health says. Advancing age is a prime cause of infertility, but there are other factors that are more under a person’s control, the agency says, including: Alcohol consumption. Smoking. Environmental toxins, including pesticides and lead. Certain… read on >
Electrolytes are minerals in the body that have an electric charge. They are in your blood, urine, tissues and body fluids. Sodium, calcium, potassium, chlorine, phosphate and magnesium are types of electrolytes that are absorbed from foods you eat and fluids you drink. The U.S. Library of Medicine mentions these roles of electrolytes: Balance the… read on >
