One way to get better medical care and more value for your health care dollars is to find yourself a primary care provider, researchers say. For the study, researchers analyzed data from more than 70,000 U.S. adults who took part in a Medical Expenditure Panel Survey. Of those, more than 49,000 had a primary care…  read on >

Mammogram? Check. Pap test? Check. Blood pressure? Check. Hearing and vision? Check. Screenings are an important part of maintaining women’s health. They can detect disease when it’s most treatable and prevent serious problems, according to Dr. Lili Lustig. She is a family medicine specialist at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center in Ohio. To get the…  read on >

Hairstyles are a defining feature for many people, but some ‘dos can also damage hair follicles. A Johns Hopkins review of 19 studies has found that many hairstyles can lead to a condition known as traction alopecia. That’s the gradual loss of hair from damage to the follicle due to prolonged or repeated tension on…  read on >

E-cigarette use is surging among American teenagers, with millions of kids flirting with nicotine addiction by regularly vaping. Unfortunately, these kids are going to face a rocky road if they try to kick their nicotine habit, experts say. There are no tested or approved methods for quitting e-cigarettes, said Linda Richter, director of policy research…  read on >

Minus 29 Fahrenheit in Fargo, minus 28 in Minneapolis, minus 13 in Des Moines. With potential record-setting low temperatures ahead for much of the nation, one expert warns that frostbite can quickly strike exposed skin. “With wind chills approaching the single digits and below zero, it is possible to develop ‘frostnip’ with progression to frostbite…  read on >

Using medical scribes in emergency departments is a smart way to increase the number of patients seen by doctors and reduce the time patients spend there, a new study indicates. Medical scribes do administrative tasks, such as documenting visits while a doctor evaluates the patient, printing out paperwork and arranging tests and appointments. While most…  read on >

For years, you’ve probably heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day if you’re trying to maintain a healthy weight. But new research suggests that’s not true. Eating a hearty breakfast doesn’t help people eat less later in the day, and those who have breakfast end up eating more calories each day,…  read on >

The research is in its early days, but Chinese scientists say they’re using bartenders’ tricks to stir up a new, reversible male contraceptive. In experiments with rats, the method successfully kept sexually active males from impregnating females for more than two months. “The two most widely used male contraceptives are condom and vasectomy,” noted a…  read on >

If you’d like to lighten up on carbs without compromising the taste of dishes you love, make cauliflower “rice” your go-to substitute ingredient. Cauliflower is among the healthiest of all vegetables, high in vitamin C, fiber and folate. “Ricing” it simply means pulsing it in a food processor until chunks become the size of rice…  read on >

If you were up all night and you ache all over the next morning, your lack of sound slumber might be to blame. New research found that sleep loss delivered a double whammy to the brain that all but guaranteed greater levels of body pain. “Activity in the somatosensory cortex, previously associated with the location…  read on >