California psychiatrist Dr. Carolyn Rodriguez once had a patient with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) who washed his hands so often that he had to wear gloves to cover his cracked and swollen skin. “People with intrusive thoughts of contamination can do this for hours on end with scalding hot water,” said Rodriguez, who is also associate… read on > read on >
(HealthDay News) – Heat waves that hit the triple digits, like the ones now gripping many parts of the United States this week, can create dangerous conditions for folks who are vulnerable. One vulnerable group is people with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia, who may not realize they’re developing heat illness. But caregivers can take steps… read on > read on >
Blaming your ailing knees for feeling down? Unfortunately, even after physical pain eases, healing or fixing an injured joint often does not improve mental health, research shows. A new study found that anxiety symptoms only improved when a patient had major improvements in physical function. Depression, meanwhile, did not meaningfully improve even when the improvements… read on > read on >
Americans ages 60 and up can get their vaccine for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) this fall, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Thursday. On Thursday, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the outgoing CDC director, gave her signature to a recommendation made last week by an advisory panel of outside experts for a single dose… read on > read on >
Animal research is pointing toward a new way to prevent HIV infection: a refillable implant that continuously delivers antiretroviral medications for up to 20 months at a time. Antiretrovirals are the cornerstone of PrEP, an infection prevention protocol that has been around since 2012. But the new approach — though so far only tested in… read on > read on >
For the first time, scientists have identified a genetic variant that may make some people with multiple sclerosis (MS) vulnerable to faster progression. In a study of more than 22,000 people with MS, researchers found that those who carried a particular genetic variant faced a faster decline: They needed to use a walking aid about… read on > read on >
THURSDAY, June 29, 2023 (American Heart Association News) — Marian Dancy is a mother of four and a payroll specialist with a local law enforcement agency in Columbus, Ohio. Her fourth pregnancy was the easiest, giving her a third daughter to round out her family. When the baby was about 6 months old, Dancy started… read on > read on >
President Joe Biden Has started using a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine at night in recent weeks to help ease sleep apnea, the White House announced Wednesday. As reported by the Associated Press, Biden first mentioned his history of sleep apnea in 2008, but the announcement came as indents were noted on his face… read on > read on >
Vitamin D supplements might lower the risk of heart attack and other cardiac ills for people over 60 — especially if they’re already taking heart meds, a new study suggests. “Our results suggest that further exploration of the possible benefit of vitamin D on cardiovascular events, particularly in those at higher risk of having an… read on > read on >
Leprosy is an ancient infectious disease, but it has not been banished to the past, or from the United States. That’s the key takeaway from a new report describing six cases of leprosy among California residents. All were diagnosed between 2017 and 2022, and all were U.S.-born — that is, not hailing from a country… read on > read on >
