Slow down and savor your ice cream sundae or smoothie — it’s the best way to prevent the dreaded head pain commonly known as “brain freeze.” “When you consume cold foods or drinks too fast, it cools down the carotid artery located just behind your jawline. Doing that chills the blood going to your brain,”… read on >
Using an artificial pancreas can help hospitalized patients with type 2 diabetes maintain good blood sugar control, a new study suggests. That’s important because when diabetes isn’t managed well, high blood sugar levels can lengthen hospital stays and increase the risk of complications and even death, the researchers said. The artificial pancreas — an automated… read on >
When kidney cancer strikes, surgical removal of the organ is often the standard course of action. But new research supports a nonsurgical approach for some patients: using a needle to “zap” kidney tumors away with either heat or cold. The procedure — known as percutaneous ablation — isn’t applicable to all kidney cancer patients. But… read on >
Early and aggressive drug treatment does not slow progression of type 2 diabetes in obese children, researchers say. The new study included 91 obese diabetes patients aged 10 to 19, who were divided into two groups. One group took a long-lasting insulin called glargine for three months, followed by nine months of the diabetes drug… read on >
For many families, summer means longer days, less routine and more time outside. That’s not all good news, one expert says, because it could jumble a family’s sleeping habits. Even without the rigorous and often hectic school-year schedule, it’s important to ensure that everyone gets enough sleep, according to Dr. Cheryl Tierney, chief of behavior… read on >
Allergy shots help ease symptoms for people who have chronic allergies. The shots contain small amounts of allergens to which the recipient reacts. After repeated exposure to the allergens, the immune system is better able to fight the things that make the person sneeze, wheeze and cough. The American Academy of Family Physicians offers this… read on >
Insomnia affects up to 15 percent of Americans, but sleeping pills aren’t the only — or the best — answer. A good sleep routine, exercise and mindfulness are all options to get the restorative sleep you need. Set up a daily sleep pattern by going to bed at the same time each night and waking… read on >
Young American children are being sickened — and even dying — after being poisoned by a drug used to fight opioid addiction, a new report contends. Investigators reported that between 2007 and 2016, more than 11,000 emergency calls were made to U.S. poison control centers after a child or teen was exposed to buprenorphine, a… read on >
When packing for your summer vacation, be sure to include the right footwear, a podiatrist advises. “The type of vacation you go on will determine the type of shoe you need,” Dr. Ronald Lepow, an assistant professor at Baylor College of Medicine’s department of orthopedic surgery, in Houston, said in a school news release. If… read on >
Police killings of unarmed black Americans harm the mental health of black adults nationwide, researchers report. “Our study demonstrates for the first time that police killings of unarmed black Americans can have corrosive effects on mental health in the black American community,” said co-lead author Dr. Atheendar Venkataramani. He’s a health economist and general internist… read on >
