Feeding kids peanuts early in childhood can drastically reduce their risk of developing a peanut allergy, a new clinical trial reports. Children regularly fed peanut products from infancy to age 5 had a 71% lower rate of peanut allergies by the time they reached their teen years, researchers reported May 28 in the journal NEJM… read on > read on >
Near-infrared light pulsing into a person’s skull appears to boost healing in patients with a severe concussion, a new study finds. Patients who wore a helmet emitting near-infrared light displayed a greater change in connectivity between seven different pairs of brain regions, researchers report. “The skull is quite transparent to near-infrared light,” explained co-lead researcher… read on > read on >
Children exposed to traffic and other noise in their neighborhoods may be at higher risk for anxiety, researchers conclude, while air pollution could raise risks for other mental health woes. “Childhood and adolescent noise pollution exposure could increase anxiety by increasing stress and disrupting sleep,” wrote a team led by Joanne Newbury, of Bristol Medical… read on > read on >
Allowing pharmacists to treat minor illnesses could potentially expand health care access to more people and save millions of dollars, a new study suggests. Care for a range of minor health issues — urinary tract infections, shingles, animal bites and headaches — would cost an average of about $278 less when treated in pharmacies rather… read on > read on >
Humanity’s best protection against bird flu will be the development of effective vaccines, a new study says. The H5N1 avian flu has been raging through cattle and poultry in the United States, increasing fears that the virus will make the leap into humans and potentially cause another pandemic. Only two people to date are known… read on > read on >
A 4,000-year-old skull provides evidence that ancient Egyptians might have tried to treat cancer, a new study claims. Microscopic observation of the skull revealed 30 or so lesions scattered across its surface that are consistent with cancer, researchers report. They were stunned to also find cut marks around these lesions, probably made with a sharp… read on > read on >
Prior studies have suggested that binge eating disorder may not last long, but a more rigorous look at the illness finds that just isn’t so. “The big takeaway is that binge-eating disorder does improve with time, but for many people it lasts years,” said study first author Kristin Javaras, assistant psychologist in the Division of… read on > read on >
TUESDAY, May 28 — Bird flu virus has been detected in beef tissue from a sick dairy cow, but U.S. health officials stressed the country’s meat supply remains safe. In an update issued Friday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) said the cow had been culled because it was sick and the meat did not… read on > read on >
An experimental mRNA vaccine against the H5N1 avian flu is highly effective in preventing severe illness and death in lab animals, researchers report. The vaccine could help fight the H5N1 bird flu outbreaks now spreading in wild birds, poultry and cows in the United States, researchers said. Stopping those outbreaks is key to preventing the… read on > read on >
A small urban garden can contribute to your health, especially if the garden contains rich soil, a new study shows. A one-month indoor gardening period increased the bacterial diversity of participants’ skin and appeared to improve their response to inflammation, researchers found. Growing, harvesting and consuming food produced in an urban garden every day could… read on > read on >
