If you’ve been told you have the heart rhythm disorder known as atrial fibrillation (a-fib), you need to take it seriously, an expert emphasizes. “While a-fib itself isn’t life-threatening, it can lead to a blood clot forming in the heart,” said Dr. Christopher Rogers. He is a cardiac electrophysiologist with Penn State Health Medical Group–Berks… read on > read on >
As winter winds leave your skin dry, cracked and prone to cuts and bleeding, a skin expert says you should resist the urge to use antibiotic creams or ointments. While it might seem sensible to use antibiotic topicals to combat germs and prevent infection with cuts, they can irritate your skin even more and cause… read on > read on >
Sexual assault and workplace sexual harassment may increase women’s long-term risk of high blood pressure and heart disease, a new study suggests. High blood pressure is a major risk factor for heart disease, which is the leading killer of U.S. women, accounting for one in three deaths. Sexual violence or harassment aren’t recognized as risk… read on > read on >
Remember when everyone was downing zinc supplements at the beginning of the pandemic, in hopes of guarding against a severe case of COVID-19? New research suggests that folks may have wasted their time and effort: Taking zinc, vitamin C or vitamin D supplements doesn’t lower one’s risk of dying from COVID-19. “A lot of people… read on > read on >
Construction workers may bring home more than the bacon — they may also be exposing their families to toxic metals, a new study reveals. Toxic contaminants unintentionally brought from the workplace into the home are a public health hazard, but the majority of research to date has focused on problems related to lead. Much less… read on > read on >
An experimental drug may help build bone mass in some adults with a rare brittle-bone disease, a small preliminary study suggests. The disease is called osteogenesis imperfecta. It’s caused by defects in certain genes involved in making collagen — a key protein in the body’s connective tissue. Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) is present at birth, and… read on > read on >
Want to preserve all those precious memories, including your first kiss and how you felt the first time you got behind the wheel of a car? If you do, start moving: New research shows that when sedentary older adults started to exercise, they showed improvements in episodic memory, or the ability to vividly recall meaningful… read on > read on >
If you’re wondering whether your child may have asthma, there are some tell-tale signs to look for, an expert says. Asthma is the most common chronic respiratory disease in children and affects more than 6 million U.S. children. Despite being common, diagnosing asthma in children can be difficult because “there is no one-size-fits-all set of… read on > read on >
Screen your young child early and often for developmental delays. That’s the message behind updated checklists from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). The checklists, revised for the first time since their release in 2004, outline developmental milestones for infants and young children, to help identify… read on > read on >
Cannabidiol (CBD) products are wildly popular among older adults for treating chronic pain and anxiety, and a new poll suggests that nearly three-quarters of U.S. parents think CBD might also be a good option for their kids when other meds don’t work. On the other hand, more than that — 83% — think CBD products… read on > read on >
