Health and Wellness « Weekly Sauce

Sweet! Synthetic sugars could be key to sussing out what type of snake venom is threatening a person’s life, researchers say. Specifically, researchers have developed a way to use these sugars to detect the venom of the Western Diamondback Rattlesnake, according to a paper published recently in ACS Biomacromolecules. “Snake venoms are complex and detecting… read on > read on >

Having a family dog might decrease a baby’s risk of developing eczema later in childhood, a new evidence review says. Specifically, exposure to canines appears to influence a child’s genetic risk of eczema, by blunting skin inflammation, researchers reported June 4 in the journal Allergy. “We know that genetic make-up affects a child’s risk of… read on > read on >

Policy change could have significant implications for health care providers and patients read on >

A federal judge has ruled that transgender inmates in U.S. prisons must continue getting medical care, including hormone therapy and gender-affirming accommodations. The decision blocks parts of an executive order signed by President Donald Trump, which had restricted care for people with gender dysphoria, the distress felt when a person’s gender identity doesn’t match their… read on > read on >

Pepto Bismol is a go-to stomach remedy, but a new study suggests it might not help prevent diarrhea during international travel. The study, led by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), found that people who took bismuth subsalicylate — the active ingredient in Pepto Bismol — did not have fewer episodes of… read on > read on >

Elevated insulin levels could be causing irregular menstrual bleeding in women, a new study says. Women with excess levels of insulin are three times more likely to suffer from abnormal uterine bleeding, researchers reported today in the journal Menopause. That means they are more apt to bleed between periods, experienced prolonged bleeding or have extremely… read on > read on >

Counting calories isn’t simply a bummer, it might actually increase your risk of depression, a new study says. People on low-calorie diets scored higher for symptoms of depression, compared with those not dieting, researchers reported June 3 in BMJ Nutrition Prevention & Health. Overweight people and men were particularly vulnerable to the mood changes that… read on > read on >

Troubled children and teenagers are languishing hours in chaotic hospital emergency rooms, waiting for a psychiatric bed to open, a new study says. About 1 in 3 kids who go to an emergency room (ER) amid a mental health crisis wait at least 12 hours to be transferred to psychiatric care, researchers report in the… read on > read on >

Being your own boss might seem potentially stressful, but self-employed women appear to have better heart health than those toiling for a company, a new study says. Women working for themselves had lower rates of obesity, physical inactivity, poor diet and sleeplessness, researchers reported recently in the journal BMC Public Health. These results indicate that… read on > read on >