Varicose veins and spider veins typically occur in the legs and can cause significant pain, swelling and an itchy rash, the Office on Women’s Health says. Varicose veins are often caused by weak or damaged valves in the veins. Spider veins are typically caused by the backup of blood. They can also be triggered by… read on >
If you’ve been near or touched poison ivy, you may develop an itchy, blistering rash within 12 to 72 hours. Most everyone reacts to an oil in the poison ivy plant called urushiol. The rash typically goes away on its own in a few weeks, but some people have a more serious reaction that requires… read on >
In the aftermath of Hurricane Florence, residents of the Carolinas are facing a new health threat: mold. Mold-related illnesses are a serious concern following severe flooding in North and South Carolina, say experts from the University of Connecticut School of Medicine. “Where there’s dampness and water, there’s mold,” said Paula Schenck, of the division of… read on >
By fourth grade, girls in the United States read and write better than boys, a new study reveals. Australian researchers found this gender achievement gap appears in standardized tests and worsens over time. “The common thinking is that boys and girls in grade school start with the same cognitive ability, but this research suggests otherwise,”… read on >
If a pregnant woman eats a lot of high-gluten foods, the odds that her child will have type 1 diabetes rise significantly, new research suggests. In the study, pregnant women who had the highest consumption of gluten had double the risk of having a child with type 1 diabetes compared to those who ate the… read on >
Add another benefit to eating right: A highly nutritious diet can do wonders for your ticker, a new study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association finds. People with heart failure who lacked seven or more micronutrients had about double the risk of dying or being hospitalized than those who had fewer deficiencies… read on >
Widely practiced in Asia for thousands of years, acupuncture is one of the key components of traditional Chinese medicine. Yet it’s still viewed with some skepticism in the Western world. And for the squeamish, just the idea of needles can be a turnoff. But, depending on what ails you, it might bear trying. Acupuncture uses… read on >
1 in 7 Americans has diabetes, and many don’t even know they have the blood sugar disease, a new report shows. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 14 percent of U.S adults have diabetes — 10 percent know it and more than 4 percent are undiagnosed. “Diabetes remains a chronic health… read on >
The very air you breathe may make you vulnerable to developing dementia, a new study suggests. British researchers found that people exposed to higher levels of air pollution had 40 percent higher odds of developing dementia. “We found that older patients across greater London who were living in areas with higher air pollution were more… read on >
A new approach to preventing gout attacks looks promising for people not already helped by existing treatments. Researchers are looking at an anti-inflammatory drug called canakinumab (Ilaris) to treat this painful form of arthritis. Instead of targeting excessively high uric acid levels as existing gout drugs do, the new strategy aims to reduce overall inflammation.… read on >
