Temporarily boosting the dose of inhaled steroids may not do much to reduce the frequency of severe asthma flare-ups in children, according to two new studies. Short-term increases in inhaled steroids might even be tied to slightly slowed growth in kids, one of the studies suggested. Asthma flare-ups in children are common and many doctors…  read on >

If watching the Winter Olympics made you want to try some new sports, go slow and ease into them, sports medicine experts caution. “The biggest issue we see are people who push too hard when trying something for the first time, and it gets out of control,” said Dr. Jayson Loeffert, a sports medicine doctor…  read on >

The brutal flu season continues to ease its grip on the United States, with the latest government data showing that doctor visits are still dropping and less severe strains of the flu are starting to account for more infections. But hospitalizations for flu are still rising, as are pediatric deaths. For the third week in…  read on >

People’s chances of living longer have been increasing dramatically for decades. But, that seems to have slowed recently, a new worldwide study has found. The sharpest decline has come in countries that already had the shortest life expectancy, according to researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore. They said the…  read on >

Could the calcium supplement you take to help your bones be harming your colon? That’s the suggestion from a new study that finds a link between the daily supplement and an increased risk for polyps in the colon. Polyps are not cancerous, but some can eventually turn into cancer if they’re not removed. Further research…  read on >

If people with sleep apnea who’ve been hospitalized for any reason don’t use their breathing treatments when they return home, they’re much more likely to end up back in the hospital. They were 3.5 times more likely to be readmitted for any reason within 30 days, a new study found. And those who didn’t comply…  read on >

For people who have both type 2 diabetes and heart failure, new research offers a mixed message on taking a daily low-dose aspirin. The study found the daily pill can reduce the risk for heart failure-related hospitalization and death in people who have both conditions. However, it also found that a daily aspirin raises their…  read on >

Optimism can benefit angina patients, according to researchers who suggest doctors can help these folks feel more hopeful. Angina is chest pain that occurs when the heart isn’t getting enough oxygen. The pain can be severe, and it’s a common reason for emergency department visits. Angina can have a major impact on quality of life,…  read on >