It’s often said salt water is good for cuts. Or that sunscreen isn’t needed on cloudy days. But both are incorrect, says Isabel Valdez, a physician assistant and instructor of family medicine at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. When you head outdoors this summer, you should be aware of some common health myths, she… read on >
If you could protect yourself from cancer, you’d do it, right? Yet most Americans still aren’t taking the easiest step to prevent the most commonly diagnosed type — skin cancer, which will affect one in five people at some point in their lives. Only 14 percent of American men and 30 percent of women regularly… read on >
If your eye hurts, you feel like there’s something stuck in your eye or you have tearing or redness, you may have scratched your eye. If you think that’s the case, the American Academy of Ophthalmology suggests: See an eye doctor without delay. Rinse your eye with saline solution or clean water using an eyecup… read on >
Good sleep is hard to come by for the 25 percent of Americans who experience a period of severe insomnia each year, new research suggests. There was some good news, though: Most who suffer a bout of “acute,”‘ new-onset insomnia will recover and go on to gain restful slumber, the study found. Tracking more than… read on >
Doctors can’t yet predict if someone exposed to the flu will become sick. But such predictions may be getting closer to reality, new research hints. Researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine say they’ve identified a “biomarker” that indicates a person’s susceptibility to flu viruses. “We’ve been after this for about four years,” said study… read on >
Having a baby is a unique joy, yet it can also bring profound sadness to some women. In fact, about 13 percent of new mothers will experience a major depressive episode during their baby’s first year. Postpartum depression, or PPD, affects baby as well as mom because it can keep you from taking care of… read on >
Healthy skin habits can make you look younger and reduce your risk of skin cancer. While ointments, creams and eye serums can mask the effects of aging, nothing beats a good skin-care routine, the American Academy of Dermatology says. The academy suggests: Protect your skin from the sun by seeking shade, wearing a hat and… read on >
Every year, 1.7 million people in the United States are diagnosed with diabetes, the U.S. National Institutes of Health says. Left untreated, diabetes can lead to heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, blindness and other health problems, the agency says. The NIH suggests: Take time to learn all you can about diabetes. With the help of… read on >
For years, doctors thought that giving IV fluids too quickly could trigger brain swelling in children experiencing a serious diabetes complication called ketoacidosis. But new research now suggests the treatment is safe. In four different scenarios, the rate of fluid replacement, as well as the concentration of saline (salt) in that fluid, didn’t raise the… read on >
Elevated blood pressure in your 50s might raise your risk of developing dementia later in life, a new European study has found. People with a systolic blood pressure of 130 or more at age 50 were 45 percent more likely to be struck by dementia than people with lower blood pressure at the same age,… read on >
