Doctors are used to being the last word. Here’s your diagnosis… here’s your prescription… there’s the door. Have a nice day! Patients rarely question them, and that’s how they like it. Well, friend, new research shows how you should ask more questions — ask every last one you have, and even (politely) challenge him if […]
FDA Approves 1st Direct-to-Customer Genetic Risk Tests
Unlocking the marvelous world of genetics has made a huge difference in our lives. Over a decade ago, DNA evidence began to find its way into hundreds of court cases. Eye witness accounts have been proven to be inaccurate and has led to the wrongful conviction of innocent people. In today’s courts, jurors want to […]
AP Exclusive: Pesticide maker tries to kill risk study
WASHINGTON – Dow Chemical is pushing a Trump administration open to scrapping regulations to ignore the findings of federal scientists who point to a family of widely used pesticides as harmful to about 1,800 critically threatened or endangered species. Lawyers representing Dow, whose CEO is a close adviser to Trump, and two other manufacturers of […]
‘Pacemaker’ for the Brain Can Help Memory, Study Finds
Well-timed pulses from electrodes implanted in the brain can enhance memory in some people, scientists reported on Thursday, in the most rigorous demonstration to date of how a pacemaker-like approach might help reduce symptoms of dementia, head injuries and other conditions. The report is the result of decades of work decoding brain signals, helped along […]
Mumps Cases Surge In U.S.
April 17, 2017 — Mumps is making a comeback. While Texas is experiencing a 20-year high in mumps cases, public health officials report nearly 2,000 cases across 42 states and the District of Columbia since January. That number is on track to top last year’s total by about 50%. Public health officials in Texas alerted […]
Nocturia caused by too much salt
Cut nighttime bathroom trips with this one change It can literally haunt your dreams. Doesn’t matter what’s going through your mind as you snooze, eventually the sound of rushing water invades — and, next thing you know, you’re standing next to a river or maybe a waterfall. It’s your bladder, sending a signal straight into […]
Is a drug you’re taking on the FDA’s ‘Serious Risk’ list?
How do you know if a drug you’re taking is being “watched” by the FDA because of serious side effects? Unless you consult the agency’s official list of “Potential Signals of Serious Risks,” or unofficially, the “Watch List,” you likely won’t. And neither will your doctor. The Watch List, which gets updated four times a […]
Does Ethnicity Play a Role in Heart, Stroke & Diabetes Risks?
We hear a lot about ‘race’ these days, generally in cases of biased, activism, discrimination and so on. Personally, I do not like using the term race as it is inaccurate, misleading and often racist in its connotation. We are all ONE race – the human race! In 1995, Robert Lee Hotz, reported in the […]
8-month-old baby weighing 38 pounds baffles doctors
An 8-month-old baby in India who weighs as much as a healthy 4-year-old has left doctors stumped over what could be causing her rabid appetite. Chahat Kumar, who weighs 38 pounds, was born a healthy baby without any complications, The Sun reported. When she was around 4 months old, Chahat’s weight began ballooning, and now […]
At the End of Life, a Way to Go Gentle
While confronting the prospect of death, people like me — grappling with a diagnosis of advanced cancer — often consider what sort of care they want and how to say goodbye. Given the delicate negotiations in which the dying need to engage, do intensive care physicians with their draconian interventions act like proverbial bulls in […]