Using the psychiatric drug lithium early in pregnancy may raise the risk of birth defects — but not as much as previously thought, a large new study suggests. Researchers found that women who used lithium during the first trimester were more likely to have a baby with a birth defect, compared to pregnant women who… read on >
Exercise is a known stress buster, and different disciplines relax and tone you in a variety of ways. So, you can pick and choose from many types of exercise to go beyond physical fitness to better mental health. Exercise’s mind-body boosts: Improves your mood by releasing natural feel-good chemicals. Decreases tension in your muscles. Leads… read on >
Illegal opioid sales on the internet have surged in the wake of U.S. government crackdowns on prescriptions for the highly addictive painkillers, a new study shows. In 2014, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration reclassified the opioid hydrocodone (Vicodin). The change made the drug harder to prescribe and banned automatic refills. Not surprisingly, the number of… read on >
It’s often said salt water is good for cuts. Or that sunscreen isn’t needed on cloudy days. But both are incorrect, says Isabel Valdez, a physician assistant and instructor of family medicine at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. When you head outdoors this summer, you should be aware of some common health myths, she… read on >
If you could protect yourself from cancer, you’d do it, right? Yet most Americans still aren’t taking the easiest step to prevent the most commonly diagnosed type — skin cancer, which will affect one in five people at some point in their lives. Only 14 percent of American men and 30 percent of women regularly… read on >
Split fingernails, medically called onychoschizia, affect more women than men. The condition typically is caused by repeated wetting and drying of the nails, and tends to worsen in low humidity and during dry winters. The American Osteopathic College of Dermatology suggests how to prevent the problem: Apply a lotion containing alpha-hydroxy acids or lanolin to… read on >
Good sleep is hard to come by for the 25 percent of Americans who experience a period of severe insomnia each year, new research suggests. There was some good news, though: Most who suffer a bout of “acute,”‘ new-onset insomnia will recover and go on to gain restful slumber, the study found. Tracking more than… read on >
Doctors can’t yet predict if someone exposed to the flu will become sick. But such predictions may be getting closer to reality, new research hints. Researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine say they’ve identified a “biomarker” that indicates a person’s susceptibility to flu viruses. “We’ve been after this for about four years,” said study… read on >
Having a baby is a unique joy, yet it can also bring profound sadness to some women. In fact, about 13 percent of new mothers will experience a major depressive episode during their baby’s first year. Postpartum depression, or PPD, affects baby as well as mom because it can keep you from taking care of… read on >
For years, doctors thought that giving IV fluids too quickly could trigger brain swelling in children experiencing a serious diabetes complication called ketoacidosis. But new research now suggests the treatment is safe. In four different scenarios, the rate of fluid replacement, as well as the concentration of saline (salt) in that fluid, didn’t raise the… read on >
