Hoarseness tends to happen when there is a problem with the vocal cords, the American Academy of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery says. Common reasons for hoarseness include laryngitis, non-cancerous vocal cord lesions, pre-cancerous or cancerous lesions, neurological issues, smoking or reflux. The academy offers these vocal wellness tips: Refrain from speaking while there’s loud… read on >
THURSDAY, Dec. 20, 2018A quarter of the world’s people over the age of 25 will experience a debilitating stroke during their lifetime, a new study estimates. Rates vary country to country, but in the United States 23 percent to 29 percent of people can expect a stroke sometime in their lives, concluded a team led… read on >
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram — the list of popular social media outlets is long and always expanding. But could staying connected through them lead to depression? That’s the question posed by researchers from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Nearly 1,800 Americans, aged 19 to 32, answered questionnaires about their activity on 11 popular social… read on >
A pulled hamstring is a common injury for athletes who play sports such as track, soccer and basketball. Symptoms of the injury include swelling, bruising or discoloration and weakness in the hamstring. Most hamstring injuries will heal with rest and won’t require surgery, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons says. The academy suggests: RICE, which… read on >
Growing pains occur as kids exercise more and their muscles try to keep up. Ironically, these pains aren’t directly caused by the process of growing, the American Academy of Pediatrics says. Generally, parents shouldn’t be too concerned, the academy advises. These muscle aches tend to occur at night as kids are sleeping or are trying… read on >
Jen Godfrey couldn’t shake the “deep cloud” that lingered even after she found an antidepressant she could tolerate. Then a string of stressors hit — five years of fertility treatment and an 80-pound weight gain during pregnancy that left her with persistent pain; a close relative’s suicide; another who went missing; and her own divorce.… read on >
Researchers say they’ve identified a potential link between food allergies and flare-ups of multiple sclerosis. “Our findings suggest that MS patients with allergies have more active disease than those without, and that this effect is driven by food allergies,” said study author Dr. Tanuja Chitnis, an MS specialist, and colleagues. Multiple sclerosis is a disease… read on >
A sizable study still can’t explain why black Americans are much more likely than whites to suffer sudden cardiac death. “At the end of the day, we just don’t have a full understanding of why patients who are black are more likely to succumb to [sudden cardiac death] — a clear problem and knowledge gap… read on >
If you have high blood pressure, hitting the gym may be as helpful as taking drugs to lower your numbers, researchers say. There’s “compelling evidence that combining endurance and dynamic resistance training was effective in reducing [blood pressure],” according to the authors of a new report. The British researchers stressed that it’s still too early… read on >
Major heart surgery does not cause significant memory decline in older patients, a new study finds. Researchers found no greater risk for loss of brain function among patients who had heart surgery compared to those who had a much less invasive procedure called cardiac catheterization. “We expected to find a bigger difference in the surgery… read on >
