A boy who wondered if snakes flick their tongues to smell prompted a surprising new discovery about how human senses work. Turns out your tongue helps you smell, according to researchers at the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia — a team that included the curious 12-year-old’s dad. Taste and smell had been thought to… read on >
Having sex after a heart attack is a concern not only for men, but for many women, too. Because of fear and a lack of information, many may think it’s no longer possible to enjoy a sex life. Fortunately, that’s rarely the case. However, while many women do resume their sex lives within months after… read on >
Most people have popping and cracking of their joints, especially as they age. Though the reasons behind these sounds are unclear, doctors think they may be caused by ligaments stretching and releasing, or the compression of nitrogen bubbles. Usually, the phenomenon doesn’t need treatment. However, if these sounds are accompanied by swelling and pain, seeing… read on >
Injuries, heart attacks, lung infections, strokes and other medical emergencies caused about half of the world’s 28 million deaths in 2015, a new study reports. Such deaths are on the rise, and rates are much higher in poor countries than wealthy ones, the researchers said. “We believe our study is among the first to identify… read on >
Typically, doctors treat appendicitis with removal of the organ, medically called an appendectomy, says the U.S. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Laparoscopic surgery uses several small incisions, usually leading to few complications and a short recovery time. A laparotomy uses a single incision in your lower right abdomen. Post-surgery, doctors recommend… read on >
Think breakfast isn’t the most important meal of the day? Think again, say researchers behind a new study that found the risk of heart-related death rises dramatically for folks who skip the morning repast. Compared to people who always ate breakfast, those who say they never did had a 87% higher odds of dying from… read on >
For elderly heart attack survivors, how well they perform on a simple mobility test could help predict whether they will be back in the hospital within a month, researchers say. Nearly one in five of these heart patients are readmitted with complications such as heart failure, bleeding or irregular heart beat within 30 days after… read on >
The body’s immune system is designed to fight off threats, like infection-causing germs, through a process called inflammation. But a steady state of inflammation can lead to everything from diabetes to autoimmune diseases to heart disease to cancer. Many of these health threats don’t come from foreign invaders like scary bacteria, but from some everyday… read on >
Despair runs rampant through Generation X as these Americans struggle through middle age, a new study reports. So-called indicators of despair — depression, suicide, drug and alcohol abuse — are rising among those in their late 30s and early 40s, and it’s occurring across-the-board, researchers say. “These are getting worse as people age through their… read on >
One in ten people will have a kidney stone at some point in their lives, says the National Kidney Foundation. Kidney stones are hard objects that are produced from chemicals in urine. Symptoms can range from lower back pain, bloody urine, vomiting or fever and chills. Possible causes of kidney stones are drinking too little… read on >
