Price Woodward was the picture of health at age 52. He lived an active lifestyle and ran marathons. He was definitely not the type of person you’d expect to have a stroke. But one night, his wife, Tammy, heard a strange noise coming from the other side of the bed. She turned on the light…  read on >

Social stigma may play a large role in the depression, anxiety and other mental health woes experienced by many people with autism, a small new study indicates. British researchers found that 72 percent of the psychological distress reported in 111 adults with autism was linked to social stigma, including discrimination and rejection. Many people with…  read on >

If your child has a learning disability, your pediatrician may be able to help you and the school system better understand the child’s special needs, the American Academy of Pediatrics says. The pediatrician can assist the school system in figuring out which, if any, special education services the child may be eligible for. Also, the…  read on >

Surgeons have long turned to a minimally invasive means of hysterectomy when treating early stage cervical cancer. However, two new studies could change all that. Both found the approach was linked to a higher rate of cancer recurrence, plus worse long-term survival, compared to more “open” surgeries. “Minimally invasive surgery was adopted as an alternative…  read on >

For weeks, Donna Greene got the brush-off when she asked the pharmacist about getting her second dose of Shingrix, the sought-after but scarce new shingles vaccine. Check back next week. Check in two weeks. We just don’t know, she was told at last. Finally, in mid-October, Greene got lucky. “My husband’s friend … said he…  read on >

Diabetes is a formidable foe that can tax the bodies and the spirits of people diagnosed with the blood sugar disease. But a plant-based diet may help boost the physical and the mental health of unhappy people with type 2 diabetes, a new evidence review reports. Diabetics who switched to a plant-based diet tended to…  read on >

Swimmer extraordinaire Michael Phelps has won 28 Olympic medals — 23 of them gold. Yet, despite all those medals and the accolades that came with them, Phelps has struggled with depression and anxiety. In 2014, it got so bad that he locked himself in his bedroom and stayed there for days. “During those days, I…  read on >

Despite evidence to the contrary, four in 10 Americans believe alternative therapies can cure cancer, a new survey finds. Research shows that cancer death rates are much higher among patients who use only alternative therapies than among those who receive standard cancer treatments, according to the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). The group’s second…  read on >

Giving trace amounts of wheat to children with wheat allergy shows promise in treating the allergy, according to new research. The researchers started with 46 wheat-allergic children, average age about 9 years, and gave them trace amounts of wheat. The researchers gradually increased the amount, to desensitize the children to wheat. This process is called…  read on >