People with recurring urinary tract infections frequently have persistent pain, even after antibiotics have cleared the harmful bacteria from their system. Now, researchers have figured out why this perplexing problem occurs. It appears that an overgrowth of highly sensitive nerve cells can occur in the bladder as a result of frequent UTIs, researchers report March… read on > read on >
The vast majority (84%) of Americans with pets say their animal companion brings a positive mental health impact to their lives, a new poll shows. The poll of more than 2,200 adults conducted early last month also found about two-thirds of respondents calling their pet “a true friend,” a “companion” and someone who “provide[s] unconditional… read on > read on >
As new outbreaks of measles — a once nearly eliminated illness in the United States — continue to emerge, experts remind Americans that there’s an easy way to stop infection: Get vaccinated. “Measles spreads so easily that if one person has it, 90% of the people close to that person who are not vaccinated or… read on > read on >
Although the pandemic has ended, staffing shortages and employee burnout still plague U.S. nursing homes, a new government report finds. But the problems didn’t end there: The report, issued Thursday by the Inspector General’s Office at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, showed that infection-control procedures were still sorely lacking at many facilities.… read on > read on >
New research finds the 2022 mpox outbreak among gay and bisexual men began to slow down after just a few months — even though just 8% of high-risk people had received the mpox vaccine. That suggests that it was changes in gay and bisexual men’s sexual behaviors, not the vaccine, that caused the outbreak to… read on > read on >
Even if they got a COVID booster last fall, American seniors should still get a second shot this spring to best protect themselves, U.S. health officials recommended Wednesday. The latest guidance, voted on by a vaccine advisory panel and endorsed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, states that a second booster is… read on > read on >
Teens have a higher risk of self-injury — deliberately cutting or burning themselves — if they have a fraught relationship with a struggling parent, a new study shows. Teenagers were nearly five times more likely to self-injure if, when they were 6, their moms and dads reported stress and discomfort in their role as parents,… read on > read on >
Folks hoping to quell their anxiety would do best to use cannabis products that don’t get them high, a new clinical trial has found. The non-intoxicating marijuana compound CBD appears to help manage anxiety better than THC, the chemical in weed that gets people high, researchers say. Patients with anxiety randomly assigned to smoke CBD-dominant… read on > read on >
Perhaps by reducing anxiety, a service dog can help reduce seizures in people with tough-to-treat epilepsy, a new study finds. A group of 25 study participants had an average 31% fewer seizures after months of owning a service dog trained to help people with epilepsy. And seven of those patients experienced a 50% to 100%… read on > read on >
Once thought to be a bygone disease, measles is making a comeback in the United States and globally as folks shun a safe, surefire way to prevent it: The measles vaccine. But what is measles, and how easily does it spread? Drs. Aaron Milstone and Lisa Lockherd Maragakis, two infectious disease experts at Johns Hopkins… read on > read on >
