CT scans expose patients to radiation even as they help doctors spot serious health problems. Now a new study finds low-dose scans can readily spot appendicitis while reducing patients’ radiation exposure. “The results of this study suggest that the diagnostic CT scan radiation dose can be significantly decreased without impairing diagnostic accuracy,” said lead study… read on > read on >
All Lifestyle:
Adult ‘Picky Eaters’ on What Parents Did Right and Wrong
As many parents know, children can be notoriously picky eaters. In some cases, their chronically fearful approach towards food amounts to what is considered a serious psychiatric condition. But a new survey of adults who were, and continue to be, finicky eaters suggests that rather than forcing a child to eat foods they don’t like,… read on > read on >
Alzheimer’s Diagnosis May Come With Big Cost to Social Life
Alzheimer’s is a devastating disease, slowly robbing patients of their memories and even their sense of selves. Now, new research shows it also robs sufferers of a healthy social life. “Social relationships are an essential feature of our quality of life and can buffer against cognitive decline,” said study co-author Addam Reynolds, a doctoral candidate… read on > read on >
More Evidence That COVID Vaccines Are Safe for Cancer Patients
COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective for most cancer patients, a new study confirms. Cancer patients have an increased risk of severe illness and death from COVID because their immune systems have been weakened by their disease or treatments. “We pursued this study because there were limited data on the safety of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines in… read on > read on >
Child Nasal Swab Tests Conducted by Parent Yield Accurate Results: Study
Parent-collected nasal swab samples from kids could be as good at detecting respiratory infections such as COVID-19 as those taken by nurses, but that’s not the case with saliva samples, British researchers say. Respiratory infections such as colds and flu are among the most common illnesses in kids treated by primary care doctors. COVID-19 is… read on > read on >
Study Links Muscle Mass to Severity of Hot Flashes in Women
Older women with muscle loss are less likely to have menopause-related hot flashes, a new study finds. The loss of muscle mass and function (sarcopenia) is one of the most significant changes that occurs with age, and older women are at increased risk due to sex hormone changes after menopause. Other risk factors for sarcopenia… read on > read on >
Biden Announces New Lung Health Program for U.S. Veterans
A new program to help U.S. veterans with lung problems caused by inhaling toxins while deployed was announced on Veterans Day by President Joe Biden. It will also assess the potential connection between cancers and time spent overseas breathing poor air, according to the White House. “We’re discovering there is a whole host of lung… read on > read on >
More Than 2 Million COVID Home Test Kits Recalled Due to False Positive Results
A recall of Ellume at-home COVID-19 test kits has been expanded to include roughly 2 million of the 3.5 million tests that had been shipped to the United States by last month, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday. The original recall, involving 427,000 kits, was first announced in early October due to a… read on > read on >
Workers’ Share of Annual Premium for Employer Health Plans Nears $6,000
Health insurance has gotten slightly more expensive during the pandemic: A new survey shows that annual family premiums for employer-sponsored health insurance rose 4%, to an average of $22,221 this year. Of that amount, employees paid an average of nearly $6,000 toward the cost of coverage, while employers paid the remainder of the premium. But… read on > read on >
50 Years On, Real Progress in War Against Cancer
Since 1971, when the U.S. government made defeating cancer a goal and put major funding behind it, death rates for many cancers have plummeted, but some are increasing, according to a new American Cancer Society report. Death rates for all cancers combined have declined since passage of the National Cancer Act of 1971, according to… read on > read on >