Health and Wellness « Weekly Sauce

Sonu Band uses sound waves to offer a personalized solution for treating nasal congestion and allergies read on >

Emergency surgeries are gnawing away at U.S. health care spending, with racial disparities fueling the bill, a new study says. Emergency surgeries cost about 33% more than planned procedures, averaging $13,645 more per patient, researchers write. And costs for these emergency procedures are even higher among Americans of color, results show. Emergency surgeries are needed… read on > read on >

Out of concern, many parents might be spoiling their child’s best chance to avoid developing a food allergy, a new study says. Allergy experts recommend children at risk of food allergies start being introduced to small amounts of highly allergenic foods starting at 4 to 6 months of age. But some parents are waiting a… read on > read on >

The TikTok video shows a teenage girl in braces applying a series of 14 beauty products to her face, an arsenal that costs nearly $350 all told. It’s one of many such videos where girls share their beauty regimens — but then something goes wrong. “This is what my skin looks like. It is very… read on > read on >

A Texas woman has died after using tap water in a sinus rinse, leading to a rare but often fatal brain infection, health officials report. The 71-year-old woman died from a condition called primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM), which is caused by a microscopic organism called Naegleria fowleri. This brain-eating amoeba can live in warm freshwater… read on > read on >

Prompt treatment with a drug combo can effectively manage chronic kidney disease in people with type 2 diabetes, a new clinical trial shows. Patients prescribed the combination of finerenone and empagliflozin experienced a 52% decrease in their urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio, researchers report in the New England Journal of Medicine. An elevated ratio is a sign… read on > read on >

Artificial intelligence (AI) can boost radiologists’ ability to quickly and accurately assess people’s X-rays, a new study says. Some radiologists became 40% more efficient at reviewing images with the help of a custom-built AI program, researchers reported June 5 in JAMA Network Open. “This is, to my knowledge, the first use of AI that demonstrably… read on > read on >

Attorneys general from four states are asking the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to lift restrictions on mifepristone, a pill used in medication abortions. The request came Thursday from top officials in California, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York. They said in a petition that the current rules make it too hard for doctors… read on > read on >

Immunotherapy combined with chemo can give people a fighting chance against stomach and esophageal cancers, a new clinical trial says. People treated with durvalumab and chemotherapy were much more likely to go into remission, according to clinical trial results published June 1 in The New England Journal of Medicine. “This is a major step forward… read on > read on >

A repurposed diabetes drug can be an effective tool against fatty liver disease, a new clinical trial has found. Dapagliflozin helped people reduce fat levels in their liver and avoid liver scarring that comes with the condition, which doctors call metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis, or MASH, researchers reported June 4 in The BMJ. In fact, about… read on > read on >