Stress affects gut health and intensifies pain, which — for people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) — can make traveling to see family during the holiday season excruciating. “People living with IBS often say the holidays are especially stressful, above and beyond the typical holiday stress most people report having,” said Tiffany Taft, medical social…  read on >  read on >

A century-old diabetes drug seems to help keep high-risk COVID-19 patients from falling deathly ill, a new study reports. Metformin reduced the risk of death from COVID-19 by 44% in a group of diabetics who were taking the drug when they became infected with the coronavirus, according to the researchers. Diabetics taking metformin also were…  read on >  read on >

It’s not too late to get the latest COVID-19 booster shot. Whether it’s the bivalent vaccine from drug maker Pfizer or from Moderna, the shots offer more protection against symptomatic infection, public health officials reiterated at a White House briefing on Tuesday. However, since the vaccines debuted in September, only 13% of American adults have…  read on >  read on >

The whole family — even the youngest members — can take part in Thanksgiving’s hours of food preparation by following some safety tips. The nation’s leading pediatrics organization offers some holiday advice for families with young children. “There’s a lot of excitement and joy surrounding meal preparation at this time of year, but it also…  read on >  read on >

Over-the-counter pain relievers like aspirin, Aleve or ibuprofen don’t do a thing to slow the progression of knee arthritis, and might even make things worse, a new study suggests. Knee arthritis patients who regularly took nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) wound up with worse knee inflammation and weakened cartilage, compared to a “control” group not taking…  read on >  read on >