Yes, you really are seeing double — more twins are being born now than ever before. There are a number of reasons why, according to a new study. Since the 1980s, twin births rose by a third worldwide — from 9 to 12 per 1,000 deliveries. About 1.6 million twins are born each year and… read on > read on >
Social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic appears to have prevented an anticipated outbreak of a rare polio-like syndrome in children, researchers report. Acute flaccid myelitis (AFM) is a spinal condition that causes weakness in the limbs, impairs motor function and can lead to lifelong disabilities. It was first reported in the United States in 2012,… read on > read on >
If you’re drinking more, sleeping less, seeing downright scary numbers on your scale and fretting about the future, you’re far from alone, a new survey reveals. “We’ve been concerned throughout this pandemic about the level of prolonged stress, exacerbated by the grief, trauma and isolation that Americans are experiencing,” said Arthur Evans Jr., chief executive… read on > read on >
Many people dread the switch to daylight saving time. When you’re losing an hour of sleep, it can be hard to actually feel like springing forward. Dr. Rachel Ziegler, a sleep medicine physician from the Mayo Clinic Health System in Fairmont, Minn., offers some tips for easing into the time change before it happens on… read on > read on >
One Ohio medical center has seen a sharp rise in heart infections and strokes related to IV drug abuse — pointing to one more consequence of the U.S. opioid epidemic, researchers say. In a preliminary study, the researchers found that between 2014 and 2018, their hospital saw a 630% increase in infectious endocarditis related to… read on > read on >
Your eyes may be a window into the health of your brain, a new study indicates. Researchers found that older adults with the eye disease retinopathy were at increased risk of having a stroke, as well as possible symptoms of dementia. And on average, they died sooner than people their age without the eye condition.… read on > read on >
If you’ve previously been infected by the new coronavirus, just one dose of the two-dose Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccines may be enough to protect you from future infection, according to a new study. “We showed that the antibody response to the first vaccine dose in people with preexisting immunity is equal to or even… read on > read on >
The trauma and loss of stroke can often leave survivors with long-term depression, and women appear to be at special risk, new research shows. “We did not expect that the cumulative risk of depression would remain so persistently elevated,” said study author Dr. Laura Stein, an assistant professor of neurology at the Icahn School of… read on > read on >
Do you struggle with chronic kidney disease? Exercise may be the best prescription for your condition, new research out of Taiwan suggests. Scientists found that highly active patients had a lower risk of kidney disease progression, heart problems and death. The study looked at more than 4,500 people with chronic kidney disease between 2004 and… read on > read on >
Exercise has long been considered a “natural antidepressant.” Now, research suggests that as lockdowns kept people from regular exercise, depression rates started to rise. The finding is based on multiple mental health surveys conducted among three successive groups of University of Pittsburgh students, totaling nearly 700 in all. Surveys were initially launched before the pandemic,… read on > read on >
