Telehealth might be a more effective way of treating alcoholism than in-person therapy sessions, a new study reports. Alcoholics who receive treatment through telehealth were more likely to engage in more therapy visits and stick to anti-alcohol medication longer than those who venture out for alcohol use disorder therapy, researchers found. These results are “particularly… read on > read on >
Stem cells derived from a patient’s own fat can safely help improve sensation and movement after a spinal cord injury, a new, small study finds. Patients treated with these stem cells experienced increased sensation from pinpricks and light touches, increased muscle strength and better sphincter control, results show. “In spinal cord injury, even a mild… read on > read on >
Allergic reactions can range from mild sneezing to life-threatening episodes where the throat closes and the airways tighten. That’s why people need to prepare themselves for any potential allergies they might have, said Dr. Sanjiv Sur, director and professor of allergy medicine at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. Everyone should undergo an allergy test… read on > read on >
U.S. rates of suicide by all methods rose steadily for adolescents between 1999 and 2020, a new analysis shows. During those two decades, over 47,000 Americans between the ages 10 and 19 lost their lives to suicide, the report found, and there have been sharp increases year by year. Girls and minority adolescents have charted… read on > read on >
A genetic mutation that boosts cell function could protect people against Alzheimer’s disease, even if they carry another gene mutation known to boost dementia risk. The newly discovered mutation appears to protect people who carry the APOE4 gene, which increases risk of Alzheimer’s, researchers said. The protective mutation causes cells to produce a more powerful… read on > read on >
People taking weight-loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy need to drop them in the days or weeks prior to surgery, a new study warns. Folks on one of these drugs — known as GLP-1 receptor agonists — have a 33% higher risk of developing pneumonia by breathing in their own vomit during surgery, researchers found.… read on > read on >
There has been a troubling rise in cases of a rare bacterial illness that can cause meningitis, U.S. health officials warned Thursday. In an alert issued to doctors, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said there were 422 cases of one type of invasive meningococcal disease in 2023, the most seen since 2014.… read on > read on >
Tuberculosis cases are on the rise in the United States, with the number of reported infections in 2023 the highest seen in a decade. Forty states logged an increase in tuberculosis (TB) cases, and rates were up among all age groups, the study from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found. More than 9,600… read on > read on >
Artificial intelligence programs could be an effective way to relieve the paperwork burden that keeps doctors from seeing more patients, a new study finds. The AI program Chat GPT can write administrative medical notes up to ten times faster than doctors without compromising the quality of the reports, Swiss researchers report. Human orthopedic doctors and… read on > read on >
Children who are obese face double the odds of developing multiple sclerosis later in life, a new study warns. The overall odds for any one child to develop the neurodegenerative illness remains very low. However, the Swedish researchers believe the link could help explain rising rates of MS. “There are several studies showing that MS… read on > read on >
