Monday, September 30, 2019
Medical News Today: Foods to eat and avoid when hungover
Certain foods and drinks may help to alleviate the symptoms of a hangover. Discover what to eat and drink and what to avoid when hungover.
Medical News Today: Does penis stretching work?
Most penis stretching exercises and devices have no or limited evidence to suggest that they are effective. Learn more about them here.
Medical News Today: Why is my vagina wet?
Vaginal fluids are normal, and are part of keeping the vagina healthy. Many things can affect the amount and consistency of the fluid. Learn more about vaginal wetness here.
Medical News Today: Brain scans could help predict whether antidepressants will work
New research reveals how MRI scans and artificial intelligence can help identify brain patterns that predict responsiveness to certain antidepressants.
Medical News Today: Letter from the Editor: It's raining cats and dogs
In this month's letter, Managing Editor Honor Whiteman talks about a fantastic new type of content that landed on Medical News Today this September.
Medical News Today: 10% weight loss could send type 2 diabetes into remission
New research suggests that even 'modest' weight loss within 5 years of the initial diagnosis could help send type 2 diabetes into remission.
Medical News Today: Menopause symptom may trigger brain fog in breast cancer survivors
New research suggests that menopause-related night sweats could contribute to brain fog in women who have experienced breast cancer.
Medical News Today: 95% of people think they could develop dementia with age
A large scale global study from ADI and the London School of Economics and Political Science examines the attitudes of people toward dementia.
If you have migraines, put down your coffee and read this
During medical school, a neurologist taught me that the number one cause of headaches in the US was coffee.
That was news to me! But it made more sense when he clarified that he meant lack of coffee. His point was that for people who regularly drink coffee, missing an early morning cup, or even just having your first cup later than usual, can trigger a caffeine withdrawal headache. And considering how many daily coffee drinkers there are (an estimated 158 million in the US alone), it’s likely that coffee withdrawal is among the most common causes of headaches.
Later in my neurology rotation, I learned that caffeine is a major ingredient in many headache remedies, from over-the-counter medicines such as Excedrin and Anacin, to powerful prescription treatments such as Fioricet. The caffeine is supposed to make the other drugs in these combination remedies (such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen) work better; and, of course, it might be quite effective for caffeine-withdrawal headaches.
But then I learned that for people with migraine headaches, certain drugs, foods, and drinks should be avoided, as they can trigger migraines. At the top of this list? Coffee.
So, to review: the caffeine in coffee, tea, and other foods or drinks can help prevent a headache, treat a headache, and also trigger a headache. How can this be?
Migraine headaches: Still mysterious after all these years
Migraine headaches are quite common: more than a billion people reportedly suffer from migraines worldwide. Yet, the cause has long been a mystery — and it still is.
Until recently, the going theory was that blood vessels around the brain go into spasm, temporarily constricting and limiting blood flow. Then, when the blood vessels open up, the rush of incoming blood flow leads to the actual headache.
That theory has fallen out of favor. Now, the thinking is that migraines are due to waves of electrical activity spreading across the outer portions of the brain, leading to inflammation and overreactive nerve cells that send inappropriate pain signals. Why this begins in the first place is unknown.
Migraines tend to run in families, so genetic factors are likely important. In addition, chemical messengers within the brain, such as serotonin, may also play a central role in the development of migraines, though the mechanisms remain uncertain.
People prone to migraines may experience more headaches after coffee consumption (perhaps by effects on serotonin or brain electrical activity), but coffee itself, or the caffeine it contains, is not considered the actual cause of migraines. Certain foods or drinks like coffee are thought to trigger episodes of migraine, but the true cause is not known.
A new study about coffee and migraines: how much is too much?
In a new study published in the American Journal of Medicine, researchers (including several from the hospital where I work) asked 98 people with migraines to keep a diet diary that included how often they consumed caffeinated beverages (including coffee, tea, carbonated beverages, and energy drinks). This information was compared with how often they had migraines. Here’s what they found:
- The odds of having a migraine increased for those drinking three or more caffeinated beverages per day, but not for those consuming one to two servings per day; the effect lasted through the day after caffeine consumption.
- It seemed to take less caffeine to trigger a headache in those who didn’t usually have much of it. Just one or two servings increased the risk of migraine in those who usually had less than one serving per day.
- The link between caffeine consumption and migraine held up even after accounting for other relevant factors such as alcohol consumption, sleep, and physical activity.
Interestingly, the link was observed regardless of whether the study subject believed that caffeine triggered their headaches.
One weakness of this study is that the researchers did not actually measure caffeine consumption. Instead, they defined one serving of a caffeinated beverage as 8 ounces of regular coffee, 6 ounces of tea, a 12-ounce can of caffeinated soda, or 2 ounces of an energy drink. But caffeine content in different caffeinated beverages can vary widely. For example, an 8-ounce serving of coffee from Starbucks can have twice the caffeine as a similar-sized serving from a Keurig K-Cup. They also did not include caffeine-containing foods in the study, although such amounts tend to be quite small compared with the beverages studied.
The bottom line
There is a lot about the connection between caffeine consumption and migraine headaches that remains uncertain. Until we know more, it seems wise to listen to your body: if you notice more headaches when you drink more coffee (or other caffeinated beverages), cut back. Fortunately, this latest research did not conclude that people with migraines should swear off coffee entirely.
If you like coffee as much as I do, it may seem unfair that you need to keep drinking it to prevent a headache. And if you’re prone to migraines, it might seem unfair that you have to limit your coffee intake to avoid headaches. Either way, you’d be right.
The post If you have migraines, put down your coffee and read this appeared first on Harvard Health Blog.
Sunday, September 29, 2019
Rural hospitals, already cut by Medicare, are about to get their Medicaid payments reduced, too; here's a Kentucky list
By Melissa Patrick
Kentucky Health News
Hospitals in Kentucky and across the nation will likely get a reprieve, maybe a short one, from a new formula cutting the money the federal government gives them to care for poor people.
The cuts in Medicaid were supposed to go into effect Oct. 1, but Congress passed a continuing resolution to fund the federal government that, among other things, includes a provision to delay the cuts until Nov. 21. It awaits President Trump's signature.
"We are hoping that it will be delayed permanently," said Carl Herde, vice president of financial policy at the Kentucky Hospital Association.
The cuts are for "disproportionate share hospitals," which care for a significant number of uninsured and Medicaid patients. DSH payments under Medicare are already being cut.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' final Medicaid DSH rule, issued Sept. 23, calls for payment reductions in fiscal years 2020-25, with a $4 billion cut in fiscal 2020 and $8 billion in each of the next four fiscal years. Federal fiscal years begin Oct. 1.
Those figures mean Kentucky hospitals' DSH payments in 2021 would be $60 million, 75 percent less than the 2018 total of $227 million, according to the Kentucky Hospital Association.
Rural hospitals in Kentucky would likely be hit hardest, since so many of their patients are on Medicare and Medicaid or have no health insurance. Almost one of every three Kentuckians is on Medicaid.
"The final method considers the rate of uninsured in each state, the number of Medicaid inpatients, the level of uncompensated care in the state and other budget-neutrality factors," Michael Brady reports for Modern Healthcare. "It also clarifies the definition of total hospital cost and specifies state data submission requirements. Lastly, it adjusts the weighting of certain factors required in the methodology by the Affordable Care Act."
Hospitals and providers agreed to take cuts after the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act passed in 2010, because they assumed that the law would increase the number of people with insurance and decrease the number who couldn't pay their hospital bills.
"CMS issued a final rule in 2013 to implement cuts to DSH funding, but subsequent legislative efforts have delayed the federally required cuts," according to Becker's Hospital CFO Report.
CMS says its final DSH payment methodology “would mitigate the negative impact on states that continue to have high percentages of uninsured and are targeting DSH payments to hospitals that have a high volume of Medicaid patients and to hospitals with high levels of uncompensated care, consistent with statutorily-required factors.”
Hospitals in Kentucky have already been hit by a separate round of Medicare DSH cuts that will result in a $77 million reduction of payments by next year.
These cuts come from a change in the payment formula that no longer includes what the industry calls the "Medicaid shortfall," or the difference between what Medicaid pays and the actual cost of care. That's a problem because Medicaid only pays about 76% of the total cost of care, KHA says.The new formula now only includes charity care and bad debt.
The problem with that, according to Herde, is that they've just shifted money from states that expanded Medicaid to states that didn't expand.
"So basically, states that did not expand have more charity and bad debt than those that did not expand, but those that did expand have a lot more shortfall for Medicaid, obviously than the states that didn't expand," he said.
The Medicare DSH cuts are being phased in over two years. In the first round, some of the Kentucky hospitals with the greatest cuts were: Norton Hospitals, $8 million; Jewish Hospital & St. Mary's Healthcare, with a $4.0 million cut; UK HealthCare, $2.7 million; and Baptist Health Lexington, nearly $2 million.
The first-year cuts to many of the rural hospitals were much smaller, but many have such small profit margins that they are at risk of closing, so any payment reduction is a concern.
For example, Pineville Community Healthcare in Bell County, which recently sold in a bankruptcy auction, saw a $171,500 cut.
The second round of Medicare DSH cuts are in motion.
A report by Navigant Consulting in February concluded that 16 of Kentucky's rural hospitals, one-fourth of the total, are at high risk of closing unless their finances improve. The report does not name the hospitals. Since 2009, five rural hospitals in Kentucky have closed, according to the Sheps Center for Health Services Research at the University of North Carolina, which tracks such closures.
Kentucky Health News
Hospitals in Kentucky and across the nation will likely get a reprieve, maybe a short one, from a new formula cutting the money the federal government gives them to care for poor people.
The cuts in Medicaid were supposed to go into effect Oct. 1, but Congress passed a continuing resolution to fund the federal government that, among other things, includes a provision to delay the cuts until Nov. 21. It awaits President Trump's signature.
"We are hoping that it will be delayed permanently," said Carl Herde, vice president of financial policy at the Kentucky Hospital Association.
The cuts are for "disproportionate share hospitals," which care for a significant number of uninsured and Medicaid patients. DSH payments under Medicare are already being cut.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' final Medicaid DSH rule, issued Sept. 23, calls for payment reductions in fiscal years 2020-25, with a $4 billion cut in fiscal 2020 and $8 billion in each of the next four fiscal years. Federal fiscal years begin Oct. 1.
Those figures mean Kentucky hospitals' DSH payments in 2021 would be $60 million, 75 percent less than the 2018 total of $227 million, according to the Kentucky Hospital Association.
Rural hospitals in Kentucky would likely be hit hardest, since so many of their patients are on Medicare and Medicaid or have no health insurance. Almost one of every three Kentuckians is on Medicaid.
"The final method considers the rate of uninsured in each state, the number of Medicaid inpatients, the level of uncompensated care in the state and other budget-neutrality factors," Michael Brady reports for Modern Healthcare. "It also clarifies the definition of total hospital cost and specifies state data submission requirements. Lastly, it adjusts the weighting of certain factors required in the methodology by the Affordable Care Act."
Hospitals and providers agreed to take cuts after the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act passed in 2010, because they assumed that the law would increase the number of people with insurance and decrease the number who couldn't pay their hospital bills.
"CMS issued a final rule in 2013 to implement cuts to DSH funding, but subsequent legislative efforts have delayed the federally required cuts," according to Becker's Hospital CFO Report.
CMS says its final DSH payment methodology “would mitigate the negative impact on states that continue to have high percentages of uninsured and are targeting DSH payments to hospitals that have a high volume of Medicaid patients and to hospitals with high levels of uncompensated care, consistent with statutorily-required factors.”
These cuts come from a change in the payment formula that no longer includes what the industry calls the "Medicaid shortfall," or the difference between what Medicaid pays and the actual cost of care. That's a problem because Medicaid only pays about 76% of the total cost of care, KHA says.The new formula now only includes charity care and bad debt.
The problem with that, according to Herde, is that they've just shifted money from states that expanded Medicaid to states that didn't expand.
"So basically, states that did not expand have more charity and bad debt than those that did not expand, but those that did expand have a lot more shortfall for Medicaid, obviously than the states that didn't expand," he said.
The Medicare DSH cuts are being phased in over two years. In the first round, some of the Kentucky hospitals with the greatest cuts were: Norton Hospitals, $8 million; Jewish Hospital & St. Mary's Healthcare, with a $4.0 million cut; UK HealthCare, $2.7 million; and Baptist Health Lexington, nearly $2 million.
The first-year cuts to many of the rural hospitals were much smaller, but many have such small profit margins that they are at risk of closing, so any payment reduction is a concern.
For example, Pineville Community Healthcare in Bell County, which recently sold in a bankruptcy auction, saw a $171,500 cut.
The second round of Medicare DSH cuts are in motion.
A report by Navigant Consulting in February concluded that 16 of Kentucky's rural hospitals, one-fourth of the total, are at high risk of closing unless their finances improve. The report does not name the hospitals. Since 2009, five rural hospitals in Kentucky have closed, according to the Sheps Center for Health Services Research at the University of North Carolina, which tracks such closures.
Medical News Today: Hospital data breaches could lead to identity theft, financial fraud
New research looks at what kind of personal information gets leaked in the majority of hospital data breaches, and at some of the consequences.
Medical News Today: Cats bond with caregivers just as much as babies and dogs
A study finds that felines bond with their caregivers just as much as babies and dogs, in spite of their reputation for being aloof.
Algal bloom warning issued for Ohio River above Louisville
"Water ingested during recreational activities in this area may increase the risk of gastrointestinal symptoms such as stomach pain, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea," the warning says. "Skin, eye, and throat irritation and/or breathing difficulties, skin rashes, as well as numbness or tingling of limbs may also occur after contact."
The state said toxins in the Cincinnati area "were well above the advisory threshold. Toxin-producing blooms that exceeded the advisory threshold were also identified on the Ohio River near Dover, and near Towhead Island in Louisville -- and additionally at Briggs Lake in Logan County," which was also included in the warning.
"Bloom conditions can change rapidly," the state advises, giving tips to avoid exposure to harmful algal blooms (HABs):
• Avoid direct contact, including swimming, wading, paddling, diving, and water skiing, with affected water that has a visible bloom, unusual color, or algal scum.
• People who are prone to respiratory allergies or asthma should avoid areas with HABs. Children may be particularly at risk.
• If contact has been made with water containing blue-green algae, wash off with fresh water. In some cases, skin irritation will appear after prolonged exposure. If symptoms persist, consult your health care provider.
• If fishing in affected waters, fish fillets (not internal organs) may be consumed after the fillets have been rinsed in clean, potable water.
• Prevent pets and livestock from coming into contact with water where HABs are apparent.
If you are concerned that you have symptoms that are a result of exposure to HABs, please see your doctor and call your local health department. For additional information about harmful algal blooms in Kentucky, visit the Division of Water’s HAB webage.
"Blue-green algae occur naturally in the environment and are a vital part of the ecosystem," the state says. "Harmful algal blooms arise when there are excess nutrients (phosphorus and nitrogen), sunny conditions, warm temperatures, and low-flow or low-water conditions. The more typical green algae, which do not produce toxins, come in many forms.
"Harmful algal blooms, on the other hand, appear as slicks of opaque, bright-green paint, but closer inspection often reveals the grainy, sawdust-like appearance of individual colonies. The color of the algae may also appear red or brown."
• Avoid direct contact, including swimming, wading, paddling, diving, and water skiing, with affected water that has a visible bloom, unusual color, or algal scum.
• People who are prone to respiratory allergies or asthma should avoid areas with HABs. Children may be particularly at risk.
• If contact has been made with water containing blue-green algae, wash off with fresh water. In some cases, skin irritation will appear after prolonged exposure. If symptoms persist, consult your health care provider.
• If fishing in affected waters, fish fillets (not internal organs) may be consumed after the fillets have been rinsed in clean, potable water.
• Prevent pets and livestock from coming into contact with water where HABs are apparent.
If you are concerned that you have symptoms that are a result of exposure to HABs, please see your doctor and call your local health department. For additional information about harmful algal blooms in Kentucky, visit the Division of Water’s HAB webage.
"Blue-green algae occur naturally in the environment and are a vital part of the ecosystem," the state says. "Harmful algal blooms arise when there are excess nutrients (phosphorus and nitrogen), sunny conditions, warm temperatures, and low-flow or low-water conditions. The more typical green algae, which do not produce toxins, come in many forms.
"Harmful algal blooms, on the other hand, appear as slicks of opaque, bright-green paint, but closer inspection often reveals the grainy, sawdust-like appearance of individual colonies. The color of the algae may also appear red or brown."
Bevin wants 'inaccurate and defamatory' Democratic ad taken down; Frankfort paper finds it lacks context, but isn't baseless
Gov. Matt Bevin has asked TV stations to take down what his campaign calls a "factually inaccurate and defamatory" commercial that says Bevin has tried to take health care away from children and people with pre-existing conditions.
The Bluegrass Values ad, funded by the Democratic Governors Association, features Hoppy Henton, a Democratic activist fromVersailes, who says Bevin has tried "to take away health-care coverage, including vision and dental, from children" and has sued "in court to take away protection now that people have for preexisting conditions."
Davis Paine, Bevin’s campaign manager, said in a press release, “A look at the facts shows that every claim made in this ad is false,”
However, The State Journal of Frankfort reports, "Several claims made in the ad lack context, but they are not baseless."
The crux of the matter is Bevin's efforts to change Medicaid to require, among other things, "able-bodied" adults who are not primary caregivers to work, attend school, take job training, search for a job or volunteer 80 hours a month, if they don't qualify for an exemption or are in drug treatment. The plan has been blocked twice by a federal judge in Washington, D.C.; his rulings will be considered by three appellate judges on Oct. 11.
After the plan was vacated the first time, the Bevin administration moved to end free dental and vision benefits from about 460,000 Medicaid patients who gained their health insurance through the expansion of Medicaid to those with incomes up to 138 percent of the federal poverty line.
The cuts did not apply to pregnant women or children, but for several weeks in July 2018, "The new system — reportedly through a glitch — also led to multiple children and pregnant women being denied vision and dental care, as reported by several independent news outlets," Emily Laytham writes for The State Journal.
The Bevin administration eventually restored dental and vision benefits to the expansion population, as well as those unintentionally affected by the system glitch.
In its press release, the Bevin campaign does not mention the events of last summer, but cites a November letter from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services saying: “Beneficiaries receiving state plan benefits will continue to receive covered vision services, dental services, and over-the-counter medications . . . all beneficiaries under 21 years of age receiving services through the demonstration will continue to receive all early and periodic screening, diagnostic, and treatment services.”
The ad also suggests that Bevin is suing to “take away protections … for pre-existing conditions.”
In June, Bevin and 14 other state officials appealed a federal judge's decision that limited access to association health plans, a type of insurance that makes it easier for small employers to band together, free of many of the requirements of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Such plans are intended to reduce small business owners' cost of providing coverage.
The U.S. Department of Labor says association plans "may not charge higher premiums or deny coverage to people because of pre-existing conditions," but Laytham reports, "Workarounds exist."
According to the American Medical Association, “There is a significant risk that AHPs could disproportionately impact individuals with pre-existing conditions” by charging “based on factors that are not explicitly defined in terms of health or medical conditions, but that closely track those forbidden factors."
The AMA notes that association plans are permitted to vary premiums by age, gender, industry and geography, factors that can be used to predict or anticipate pre-existing conditions.
Bevin’s campaign did not respond to The State Journal's request for comment.
Attorney General Andy Beshear, the Democrat running against Bevin in the Nov. 5 gubernatorial election, says he would immediately rescind Bevin's Medicaid plan if elected.
The Bluegrass Values ad, funded by the Democratic Governors Association, features Hoppy Henton, a Democratic activist fromVersailes, who says Bevin has tried "to take away health-care coverage, including vision and dental, from children" and has sued "in court to take away protection now that people have for preexisting conditions."
Davis Paine, Bevin’s campaign manager, said in a press release, “A look at the facts shows that every claim made in this ad is false,”
However, The State Journal of Frankfort reports, "Several claims made in the ad lack context, but they are not baseless."
The crux of the matter is Bevin's efforts to change Medicaid to require, among other things, "able-bodied" adults who are not primary caregivers to work, attend school, take job training, search for a job or volunteer 80 hours a month, if they don't qualify for an exemption or are in drug treatment. The plan has been blocked twice by a federal judge in Washington, D.C.; his rulings will be considered by three appellate judges on Oct. 11.
After the plan was vacated the first time, the Bevin administration moved to end free dental and vision benefits from about 460,000 Medicaid patients who gained their health insurance through the expansion of Medicaid to those with incomes up to 138 percent of the federal poverty line.
The cuts did not apply to pregnant women or children, but for several weeks in July 2018, "The new system — reportedly through a glitch — also led to multiple children and pregnant women being denied vision and dental care, as reported by several independent news outlets," Emily Laytham writes for The State Journal.
The Bevin administration eventually restored dental and vision benefits to the expansion population, as well as those unintentionally affected by the system glitch.
In its press release, the Bevin campaign does not mention the events of last summer, but cites a November letter from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services saying: “Beneficiaries receiving state plan benefits will continue to receive covered vision services, dental services, and over-the-counter medications . . . all beneficiaries under 21 years of age receiving services through the demonstration will continue to receive all early and periodic screening, diagnostic, and treatment services.”
The ad also suggests that Bevin is suing to “take away protections … for pre-existing conditions.”
In June, Bevin and 14 other state officials appealed a federal judge's decision that limited access to association health plans, a type of insurance that makes it easier for small employers to band together, free of many of the requirements of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Such plans are intended to reduce small business owners' cost of providing coverage.
The U.S. Department of Labor says association plans "may not charge higher premiums or deny coverage to people because of pre-existing conditions," but Laytham reports, "Workarounds exist."
According to the American Medical Association, “There is a significant risk that AHPs could disproportionately impact individuals with pre-existing conditions” by charging “based on factors that are not explicitly defined in terms of health or medical conditions, but that closely track those forbidden factors."
The AMA notes that association plans are permitted to vary premiums by age, gender, industry and geography, factors that can be used to predict or anticipate pre-existing conditions.
Bevin’s campaign did not respond to The State Journal's request for comment.
Attorney General Andy Beshear, the Democrat running against Bevin in the Nov. 5 gubernatorial election, says he would immediately rescind Bevin's Medicaid plan if elected.
Saturday, September 28, 2019
Schuster wins top health policy advocacy award for more than 40 years of work in mental health; calls for an end to stigma around it
By Melissa Patrick
Kentucky Health News
To a standing ovation, Sheila Schuster, who has spent more than four decades advocating for those with mental illness and other disabilities, and worked to increase access to health care across Kentucky, was named the first Gil Friedell Health Policy Champion.
The Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky award was presented at the organization's annual health policy forum in Lexington on Sept. 23, exactly one year after the death of Gil Friedell who was a fierce advocate for health equity and finding community-based solutions to the many health issues that plague Kentucky.
"This award is a tremendous honor. I treasure it even more because it is named for Gil Friedell, a mentor, friend and role model," she said with great emotion. "Gil's legacy of health advocacy inspires me every day to do all I can to improve the lives of my fellow Kentuckians."
Schuster, a psychologist and mental-health advocate, selected Mental Health America of Kentucky to get the $5,000 cash grant that came with the award. She said she chose MHA because it was the oldest mental-health advocacy organization in the state and because it had partnered with her organization, the Kentucky Mental Health Coalition, on numerous policy initiatives.
Ben Chandler, president and CEO of the foundation, said in a news release, "Sheila is passionate about improving mental health, she is passionate about ensuring access to health care, and she is passionate about going about her work in a way that garners both respect and results."
Schuster was chosen from this year's 10 Healthy Kentucky Policy Champion recipients, Kentucky individuals or organizations recognized by the foundation for their engagement in improving the health of people in their communities and/or the entire state through policy change.
In addition to leading the Advocacy Action Network, an umbrella organization that includes groups addressing health care, mental health, social justice and disability issues, Schuster also chairs Kentucky Voices for Health, a coalition to improve Kentucky's health, and leads the Kentucky Mental Health Coalition, which comprises more than 80 organizations. She chairs the Behavioral Health Technical Advisory Committee of Kentucky's Medicaid program. She has also held numerous leadership positions, including president and executive director, with the Kentucky Psychological Association.
"I love the policy work that I've done over the past 40 plus years," she said. "And to get an award for doing it is like icing on the cake."
And not to let an opportunity pass, Schuster spoke about the challenges of stigma when it comes to mental health and encouraged the 360 people in the room to do their part to reduce it.
"And while I have the mic, I'd like to close by urging each of you to do whatever you can to reduce the stigma that envelops mental illness, making it so difficult for our people to seek the help they need and to feel OK about it," she said.
"Stigma causes us to fear and isolate individuals with mental illness, to unfairly blame them for mass shootings when they are 10 times more likely to the the victim of violence than to be its perpetrator. Think about your language, examine your attitudes and do something positive to support those who are struggling with mental health issues. Never underestimate what a kind gesture, an understanding word or a listening ear can do to tear down that stigma."
Kentucky Health News
To a standing ovation, Sheila Schuster, who has spent more than four decades advocating for those with mental illness and other disabilities, and worked to increase access to health care across Kentucky, was named the first Gil Friedell Health Policy Champion.
 |
| Left to right: Mark Carter, Sheila Schuster, Ben Chandler, LeChrista Finn |
"This award is a tremendous honor. I treasure it even more because it is named for Gil Friedell, a mentor, friend and role model," she said with great emotion. "Gil's legacy of health advocacy inspires me every day to do all I can to improve the lives of my fellow Kentuckians."
Schuster, a psychologist and mental-health advocate, selected Mental Health America of Kentucky to get the $5,000 cash grant that came with the award. She said she chose MHA because it was the oldest mental-health advocacy organization in the state and because it had partnered with her organization, the Kentucky Mental Health Coalition, on numerous policy initiatives.
Ben Chandler, president and CEO of the foundation, said in a news release, "Sheila is passionate about improving mental health, she is passionate about ensuring access to health care, and she is passionate about going about her work in a way that garners both respect and results."
Schuster was chosen from this year's 10 Healthy Kentucky Policy Champion recipients, Kentucky individuals or organizations recognized by the foundation for their engagement in improving the health of people in their communities and/or the entire state through policy change.
 |
| Sheila Schuster accepts Friedell award |
"I love the policy work that I've done over the past 40 plus years," she said. "And to get an award for doing it is like icing on the cake."
And not to let an opportunity pass, Schuster spoke about the challenges of stigma when it comes to mental health and encouraged the 360 people in the room to do their part to reduce it.
"And while I have the mic, I'd like to close by urging each of you to do whatever you can to reduce the stigma that envelops mental illness, making it so difficult for our people to seek the help they need and to feel OK about it," she said.
"Stigma causes us to fear and isolate individuals with mental illness, to unfairly blame them for mass shootings when they are 10 times more likely to the the victim of violence than to be its perpetrator. Think about your language, examine your attitudes and do something positive to support those who are struggling with mental health issues. Never underestimate what a kind gesture, an understanding word or a listening ear can do to tear down that stigma."
Ben Chandler awarded Kentucky Medical Association's advocacy award for his work on flu prevention and tobacco-free efforts
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| Dr. Bruce Scott (L), Ben Chandler (R) Kentucky Medical Association photo. |
The award is presented to individuals who have effected positive change in the healthcare space through their advocacy efforts, a KMA news release said. Chandler received the award at the association's 2019 annual meeting on Sept. 21 in Louisville.
Through his work with the foundation, Chandler has partnered with numerous outside organizations, including the KMA and its Kentucky Foundation for Medical Care. Together, these groups launched a “Focus on Flu” campaign last year to mitigate the effects of another deadly flu season in Kentucky.
Chandler is chair of the Coalition for a Smoke Free Tomorrow, made up of various stakeholders from across the state. In 2018, the coalition successfully secured a 50-cent increase in the state’s tobacco tax, to $1.10 per pack, and in 2019 helped pass a statewide tobacco-free schools law.
This year, the foundation, KMA and KFMC have once again partnered to offer campus signage at no cost to schools who comply with the law, which takes effect next summer.
The release notes that flu prevention and smoking cessation are two of the focus areas of KMA’s “AIM for Better Care: Administrative Improvements in Medicine” initiative.
Medical News Today: Strong link found between chronic headache and back pain
A review of 14 studies found that people with persistent headache or back pain were about twice as likely to also experience the other condition.
Medical News Today: Alcohol and dementia risk: A complex relationship
The relationship between alcohol consumption and dementia risk in older adults is proving difficult to unpick. A recent study takes a fresh look.
Medical News Today: What causes vulvar itching that is worse at night?
Vulvar itching that gets worse at night has many possible causes. These include bacterial vaginosis, yeast infections, and allergies. Learn about more these and other causes and how to treat them here.
Medical News Today: What to know about hand veins
The veins in the hands can bulge for many reasons, including aging, exercise, and warm temperatures. In this article, learn more about these and other causes, as well as when to see a doctor.
Medical News Today: What to know about cellulitis from bug bites
Cellulitis is a skin infection that can occur at sites of skin breakage, including those due to bug bites. Learn more about the signs and symptoms, as well as when to see a doctor.
Medical News Today: Does vaping without nicotine have any side effects?
Many people believe that vaping is a harmless alternative to smoking. However, research into the safety of vaping is still in its early stages. Learn what the current research says about the side effects of vaping without nicotine.
Medical News Today: How does smoking weed affect a cold?
Some people claim that smoking cannabis can alleviate cold symptoms, while others say that it can make them worse. Learn about the potential benefits and disadvantages of smoking cannabis with a cold.
Popular heartburn drug ranitidine recalled: What you need to know and do
If you or a family member take ranitidine (Zantac) to relieve heartburn, you may have heard that the FDA has found a probable human carcinogen (a substance that could cause cancer) in it. The story is unfolding quickly and many details remain murky. Here is what we know so far and what you should do.
What do we know so far?
On September 13, 2019, the FDA announced that preliminary tests found low levels of N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) in ranitidine, a heartburn medication used by millions of Americans. This week, the drug companies Novartis (through its generic division, Sandoz) and Apotex announced that they were recalling all of their generic ranitidine products sold in the US.
These announcements came after a Connecticut-based online pharmacy informed the FDA that it had detected NDMA in multiple ranitidine products under certain test conditions.
What is ranitidine and which products are affected?
Ranitidine (also known by its brand name, Zantac, which is sold by the drug company Sanofi) is available both over the counter (OTC) and by prescription. It belongs to the class of drugs known as H2 (or histamine-2) blockers. OTC ranitidine is commonly used to relieve and prevent heartburn. Prescription strengths are also used to treat and prevent more serious ulcers in the stomach and intestines. Multiple companies sell generic versions of both the OTC and prescription products.
So far, only Novartis/Sandoz and Apotex have recalled products. Ranitidine distributed by other companies remains on store shelves.
Health Canada, a federal department within the Canadian government, has asked all companies to stop distributing ranitidine drugs there, indicating that “current evidence suggests that NDMA may be present in ranitidine, regardless of the manufacturer.” France has taken the step of recalling all ranitidine products.
What is NDMA and what harm can it cause?
NDMA is an environmental contaminant that is found in water and foods, including dairy products, vegetables, and grilled meats. Its classification as a probable carcinogen is based on studies in animals; studies in humans are very limited.
It is important to know that the NDMA in ranitidine products does not pose any immediate health risks. Neither the FDA nor Novartis/Sandoz or Apotex have received any reports of adverse events related to NDMA found in ranitidine. Although classified as a probable carcinogen, NDMA may cause cancer only after exposure to high doses over a long period of time. NDMA is one of the same impurities that was found in certain heart medications beginning last year and that resulted in the recall of many products.
What should you do if you take ranitidine?
As the FDA and other agencies around the world continue to investigate ranitidine, more details will become available. In the meantime, the FDA is not calling for individuals to stop taking the medication.
However, for many conditions, ranitidine is only recommended for short-term use. If you have been using ranitidine for a while, now would be a good time to discuss with your physician whether you still need it, and whether you might benefit from alternative treatment options, including other drug classes or a different H2 blocker. Based on what is known so far, there is no evidence that other H2 blockers or other heartburn medications are affected by NDMA impurities.
Some people might find antacids useful for relieving heartburn. Lifestyle changes, including avoiding certain foods and beverages, such as spicy foods, large or fatty meals, and alcohol, can also help prevent episodes of heartburn.
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The post Popular heartburn drug ranitidine recalled: What you need to know and do appeared first on Harvard Health Blog.
Friday, September 27, 2019
Founding dean of UK College of Public Health, Dr. Douglas Scutchfield, wins top award from American Public Health Assn.
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| F. Douglas Scutchfield, M.D. |
Scutchfield, a native of Wheelwright in Floyd County, will receive the Sedgwick Memorial Medal for Distinguished Service in Public Health "for his outstanding accomplishments in academic medicine and public health, an APHA news release said. He "is being honored for his work on public-health accreditation, public health services research and mentorship, among other accomplishments."
Scutchfield was the founding dean of the San Diego State University School of Public Health and the UK College of Public Health, where he is Peter P. Bosomworth Professor emeritus. He has been an international leader in public health; he has been a consultant to government and non-governmental organizations in Panama, China, Saudi Arabia, Israel and Germany, as well as the U.S.
Scutchfield is a member of the Public Health Accreditation Board and serves as chair of its Accreditation Committee. The board accredits local and state health departments, and Kentucky has been a leader in getting its departments accredited.He served as a secretary-treasurer of the Association of Schools of Public Health, a member of the Secretary of Health and Human Services Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Council, and a board member of the Public Health Foundation, which presented him with the Theodore R. Ervin Award. In 2004, he received the Balderson Lifetime Achievement Award of the National Public Health Leadership Network. He is editor-in-chief of the newly founded, freely available Journal of Appalachian Health.
Scutchfield was the founding dean of the San Diego State University School of Public Health and the UK College of Public Health, where he is Peter P. Bosomworth Professor emeritus. He has been an international leader in public health; he has been a consultant to government and non-governmental organizations in Panama, China, Saudi Arabia, Israel and Germany, as well as the U.S.
Scutchfield is a member of the Public Health Accreditation Board and serves as chair of its Accreditation Committee. The board accredits local and state health departments, and Kentucky has been a leader in getting its departments accredited.He served as a secretary-treasurer of the Association of Schools of Public Health, a member of the Secretary of Health and Human Services Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Council, and a board member of the Public Health Foundation, which presented him with the Theodore R. Ervin Award. In 2004, he received the Balderson Lifetime Achievement Award of the National Public Health Leadership Network. He is editor-in-chief of the newly founded, freely available Journal of Appalachian Health.
Scutchfield earned his bachelor’s degree from Eastern Kentucky University and his medical degree from UK. Following practice in Morehead, and in conjunction with that work, he began his career at UK as a field professor of community medicine. He was the first chair of the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Alabama, then an associate dean of its College of Community Health Sciences. Later he became founding director of the Graduate School of Public Health at San Diego State and held faculty appointments at the campuses in Irvine and San Diego.
He was certified by the American Board of Preventive Medicine in 1974 and the American Board of Family Practice from 1971 to 1985. He was a charter diplomat of the latter organization and is a fellow of both. He is a fellow of the American College of Preventive Medicine, served as a regent and president, and won the college’s Distinguished Service Award and Special Recognition Award. He has served as a member of the board and as president of the Association of Teachers of Preventive Medicine, which gave him its highest recognition, the Duncan Clark Award.
Scutchfield was a member of the American Medical Association House of Delegates and served as chair of the AMA Section Council of Preventive Medicine on several occasions. He was elected to membership in the AMA’s Council on Medical Education, and served as its vice chair and member of its executive committee. He represented the AMA as a member of the Accreditation Council on Graduate Medical Education, the Liaison Committee on Specialty Boards, the American Board of Medical Specialties and the Committee on Allied Health Education and Accreditation. He received AMA’s Dr. William Beaumont Award as its outstanding young physician in 1985 and its Distinguished Service Award, the highest recognition of a physician, in 2003.
Scutchfield has served as editor of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine and is a member of the editorial board of the American Journal of Public Health. He also served as editor of California Medicine and the San Diego Physician, both of which won awards during his tenure as editor. He served as editor of Appalachia Medicine and a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Community Health. He is the author of numerous textbooks, text chapters and published articles in referred journals. His avocational interest in Thomas Merton resulted in a book he co-authored with Paul Evans Holbrook Jr., The Letters of Thomas Merton and Victor and Carolyn Hammer: Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam, published by the University Press of Kentucky in 2015.
He was certified by the American Board of Preventive Medicine in 1974 and the American Board of Family Practice from 1971 to 1985. He was a charter diplomat of the latter organization and is a fellow of both. He is a fellow of the American College of Preventive Medicine, served as a regent and president, and won the college’s Distinguished Service Award and Special Recognition Award. He has served as a member of the board and as president of the Association of Teachers of Preventive Medicine, which gave him its highest recognition, the Duncan Clark Award.
Scutchfield was a member of the American Medical Association House of Delegates and served as chair of the AMA Section Council of Preventive Medicine on several occasions. He was elected to membership in the AMA’s Council on Medical Education, and served as its vice chair and member of its executive committee. He represented the AMA as a member of the Accreditation Council on Graduate Medical Education, the Liaison Committee on Specialty Boards, the American Board of Medical Specialties and the Committee on Allied Health Education and Accreditation. He received AMA’s Dr. William Beaumont Award as its outstanding young physician in 1985 and its Distinguished Service Award, the highest recognition of a physician, in 2003.
Scutchfield has served as editor of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine and is a member of the editorial board of the American Journal of Public Health. He also served as editor of California Medicine and the San Diego Physician, both of which won awards during his tenure as editor. He served as editor of Appalachia Medicine and a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Community Health. He is the author of numerous textbooks, text chapters and published articles in referred journals. His avocational interest in Thomas Merton resulted in a book he co-authored with Paul Evans Holbrook Jr., The Letters of Thomas Merton and Victor and Carolyn Hammer: Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam, published by the University Press of Kentucky in 2015.
After being fired by VA for 'egregious' medical misconduct, doctor was hired by the state and held the job for six months
Gov. Matt Bevin's administration hired a physician to lead the state infectious-disease office soon after he had been dismissed by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs for "egregious" medical misconduct, Mary Meehan reports for Ohio Valley Resource, a consortium of public radio stations
State officials were not aware of Dr. John “Mel” Bennett's misconduct at the time her was hired, the state Cabinet for Health and Family Services said in response to the story.
The state hired Bennett hired in the same month that the VA’s inspector general published a report that found between Oct. 1, 2015, and Dec. 27, 2017, Bennett repeatedly entered the same blood pressure reading for hundreds of high-risk patients in order to avoid triggering an alert, Meehan reports.
An alert requires the provider to document additional follow-up care, such as additional blood tests or making changes to their medications. The inaccurate blood pressure data, according to the IG's report, were “most likely an effort to reduce workload.”
Several patients had adverse health outcomes because of the inaccurate information, and one suffered a "cardiac event," according to VA consultant Thomas Wong, in a podcast produced by the IG's office, Meehan reports.
The "IG found that Bennett falsified blood pressure readings in 99.5 percent of 1,370 cases involving patients at highest risk for developing health problems due to hypertension," the clinical name for high blood pressure, and "Documents show he recorded inaccurate information into patient charts 50 times in 10 days between Dec. 11 and Dec. 21, 2017," Meehan reports.
When confronted at the time, Bennett acknowledged the seriousness of the situation, according to records Meehan got with a federal Freedom of Information Act request.
The Kentucky Board of Medical Licensure later issued an agreed order outlining Bennett’s conduct and sanctions against him. In it, Lexington VA Medical Center Director Emma Metcalf called Bennett’s offenses “egregious," Meehan reports.
“You have lost the confidence of your colleagues regarding your reliability, accuracy, and integrity,” Metcalf wrote. “You have violated your patients’ and colleagues’ trust as well as failed to meet the standards entrusted to us as physicians.Your actions have placed veterans in harm’s way and violate the established principles governing the practice of medicine.”
The VA barred Bennett from treating patients at the facility on Dec. 26, 2017, when the investigation began; fired him on July 6, 2018; and sent a letter to the state licensure board two weeks later explaining its decision, Meehan reports.
The state health cabinet hired Bennett in September 2018 to lead the state’s infectious disease branch at a salary of $127,000, Meehan reports. The department works to combat and prevent contagious diseases like HIV and hepatitis A. Meehan notes that Bennett was hired during a hepatitis A outbreak that has killed 16 and sickened 4,900 Kentuckians.
Cabinet spokesperson Christina Dettman told Meehan in an email that the VA published its report after Bennett was hired and that “the findings did not identify Dr. Bennett as the physician under investigation.”
Bennett's hiring was approved by Dr. Jeffrey Howard, the health commissioner at the time. He was on the licensure board, which received the VA’s letter in July. However, Meehan reports that "board rules require such information to remain confidential for some time until an investigation is complete," so Howard would not have been notified of the VA letter at the time Bennett was hired.
“The Cabinet for Health and Family Services had no way of knowing Dr. Bennett’s conduct was in question when he was hired by the cabinet, nor at any point during his tenure with the cabinet through the time he was terminated,” Dettman wrote in a separate e-mail after the article was first published.
Bennett remained in charge of the infectious disease office for six months until his removal in April.
Bennett's resume at the time he applied for the job said he was still employed by the VA, though he had been fired in July.
Bennett told Meehan that he was unaware of entering the same blood pressure over and over but also that it was a treatment strategy.
“I thought I had an ability to, to sub categorize my patients into a group that I can work with at a later date. It was wrong,” he said.
"Bennett gave a similar explanation to both the VA and the licensure board. Both rejected his arguments. In June, the state licensure board place Bennett’s license on probation for five years. The board also ordered Bennett to complete mandated training and pay a $5,000 fine," Meehan reports.
State officials were not aware of Dr. John “Mel” Bennett's misconduct at the time her was hired, the state Cabinet for Health and Family Services said in response to the story.
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| Dr. John "Mel" Bennett in an interview while at the state health department. (Ky. Cabinet for Health and Family Services photo) |
An alert requires the provider to document additional follow-up care, such as additional blood tests or making changes to their medications. The inaccurate blood pressure data, according to the IG's report, were “most likely an effort to reduce workload.”
Several patients had adverse health outcomes because of the inaccurate information, and one suffered a "cardiac event," according to VA consultant Thomas Wong, in a podcast produced by the IG's office, Meehan reports.
The "IG found that Bennett falsified blood pressure readings in 99.5 percent of 1,370 cases involving patients at highest risk for developing health problems due to hypertension," the clinical name for high blood pressure, and "Documents show he recorded inaccurate information into patient charts 50 times in 10 days between Dec. 11 and Dec. 21, 2017," Meehan reports.
When confronted at the time, Bennett acknowledged the seriousness of the situation, according to records Meehan got with a federal Freedom of Information Act request.
The Kentucky Board of Medical Licensure later issued an agreed order outlining Bennett’s conduct and sanctions against him. In it, Lexington VA Medical Center Director Emma Metcalf called Bennett’s offenses “egregious," Meehan reports.
“You have lost the confidence of your colleagues regarding your reliability, accuracy, and integrity,” Metcalf wrote. “You have violated your patients’ and colleagues’ trust as well as failed to meet the standards entrusted to us as physicians.Your actions have placed veterans in harm’s way and violate the established principles governing the practice of medicine.”
The VA barred Bennett from treating patients at the facility on Dec. 26, 2017, when the investigation began; fired him on July 6, 2018; and sent a letter to the state licensure board two weeks later explaining its decision, Meehan reports.
The state health cabinet hired Bennett in September 2018 to lead the state’s infectious disease branch at a salary of $127,000, Meehan reports. The department works to combat and prevent contagious diseases like HIV and hepatitis A. Meehan notes that Bennett was hired during a hepatitis A outbreak that has killed 16 and sickened 4,900 Kentuckians.
Cabinet spokesperson Christina Dettman told Meehan in an email that the VA published its report after Bennett was hired and that “the findings did not identify Dr. Bennett as the physician under investigation.”
Bennett's hiring was approved by Dr. Jeffrey Howard, the health commissioner at the time. He was on the licensure board, which received the VA’s letter in July. However, Meehan reports that "board rules require such information to remain confidential for some time until an investigation is complete," so Howard would not have been notified of the VA letter at the time Bennett was hired.
“The Cabinet for Health and Family Services had no way of knowing Dr. Bennett’s conduct was in question when he was hired by the cabinet, nor at any point during his tenure with the cabinet through the time he was terminated,” Dettman wrote in a separate e-mail after the article was first published.
Bennett remained in charge of the infectious disease office for six months until his removal in April.
Bennett's resume at the time he applied for the job said he was still employed by the VA, though he had been fired in July.
Bennett told Meehan that he was unaware of entering the same blood pressure over and over but also that it was a treatment strategy.
“I thought I had an ability to, to sub categorize my patients into a group that I can work with at a later date. It was wrong,” he said.
"Bennett gave a similar explanation to both the VA and the licensure board. Both rejected his arguments. In June, the state licensure board place Bennett’s license on probation for five years. The board also ordered Bennett to complete mandated training and pay a $5,000 fine," Meehan reports.
Medical News Today: What causes a period to start and stop?
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It's flu season, and 154 Kentuckians have already been diagnosed with it; the best defense is an easy-to-get vaccine
By Melissa Patrick
Kentucky Health News
The beginning of fall means it's also the beginning of flu season, prompting health officials to remind Kentuckians it's time to get vaccinated as a way to not only protect themselves, but also their loved ones. Flu season runs through May 2020.
Kentucky has already seen 154 confirmed cases of the flu since Aug. 4, according to the state health department. Last year, which was the nation's longest flu season ever, 194 Kentuckians died from the flu, two of which were children.
"Getting the flu can be debilitating and sometimes life-threatening," Dr. Angela Dearinger, the state's health commissioner, said in a news release.“Vaccination is the best tool we have to prevent the flu. It is also extremely important to take simple preventive steps to avoid the flu and other illnesses that tend to circulate at this time of year – wash your hands frequently, cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze and stay home when you are sick.”
Flu is a highly contagious disease caused by the influenza virus that spreads from person to person. Symptoms include fever, headache, cough, sore throat, runny nose, sneezing, fatigue and body aches.
An antiviral drug can shorten the course of the illness or reduce its severity if given within two days of a person getting the flu, but there is no real treatment for the disease, and that's why health officials encourage everyone six months and older to get a flu shot.
The flu season has been particularly bad in the last few years, largely because the vaccine hasn't been a perfect match for the circulating virus, but the Kentucky Department for Public Health says the vaccine has been changed this year in hopes it will offer better protection against it.
Regardless, health officials urge everyone to get vaccinated not only because it reduces your risk of getting the flu, but because it also lessens the severity of the illness if you get it and makes you less likely to develop complications of the virus. It's also important to get vaccinated early because it takes the vaccine two to four weeks to become effective.
Overall, about half, or 49.6 percent, of Kentuckians six months and older were vaccinated during last year's flu season, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And while that rate has largely remained about the same since the 2010-11 flu season, last season's rate showed a slight increase from the 2017-18 season when that rate was 44.1%.
The CDC recommends that everyone over six months of age get a flu vaccination every year, and especially people who may be at higher risk for complications or negative consequences. They include:
Kentucky Health News
The beginning of fall means it's also the beginning of flu season, prompting health officials to remind Kentuckians it's time to get vaccinated as a way to not only protect themselves, but also their loved ones. Flu season runs through May 2020.
Kentucky has already seen 154 confirmed cases of the flu since Aug. 4, according to the state health department. Last year, which was the nation's longest flu season ever, 194 Kentuckians died from the flu, two of which were children.
Flu is a highly contagious disease caused by the influenza virus that spreads from person to person. Symptoms include fever, headache, cough, sore throat, runny nose, sneezing, fatigue and body aches.
An antiviral drug can shorten the course of the illness or reduce its severity if given within two days of a person getting the flu, but there is no real treatment for the disease, and that's why health officials encourage everyone six months and older to get a flu shot.
The flu season has been particularly bad in the last few years, largely because the vaccine hasn't been a perfect match for the circulating virus, but the Kentucky Department for Public Health says the vaccine has been changed this year in hopes it will offer better protection against it.
Regardless, health officials urge everyone to get vaccinated not only because it reduces your risk of getting the flu, but because it also lessens the severity of the illness if you get it and makes you less likely to develop complications of the virus. It's also important to get vaccinated early because it takes the vaccine two to four weeks to become effective.
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| Centers for Disease Control and Prevention graphic; click on it to enlarge |
The CDC recommends that everyone over six months of age get a flu vaccination every year, and especially people who may be at higher risk for complications or negative consequences. They include:
- Children aged six months through 59 months (just before turning 5);
- Persons 50 or older;
- Women who are or will be pregnant during the flu season;
- Extremely obese people (body-mass index of 40 or greater);
- Infants six months and older with chronic health problems;
- Residents of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities;
- Household contacts and caregivers of children younger than 5 and adults 50 and older.
- Household contacts and caregivers or people who live with a person at high-risk for complications from the flu; and
- Health care workers, including physicians, nurses, medical-emergency response workers, employees of nursing homes and long-term care facilities who have contact with patients or residents, and students in these professions who will have contact with patients.
Pregnant women are encouraged to get vaccinated before or during their pregnancy because it also provides immunity to their baby up to 6 months of age. That's when infants are old enough to get vaccinated.
Medicaid and Medicare and most private insurance providers cover flu vaccination as a preventive service, according to a news release from the Northern Kentucky Health Department.
Medicaid and Medicare and most private insurance providers cover flu vaccination as a preventive service, according to a news release from the Northern Kentucky Health Department.
Is there a test for Alzheimer’s disease?
After spending 30 minutes hunting for your car in a parking lot, or getting lost on a familiar route, have you ever considered asking your doctor for a blood test or brain scan to find out if you have Alzheimer’s disease?
A number of factors contribute to Alzheimer’s disease. By definition, this form of dementia involves the buildup of a protein in brain called beta-amyloid. Beta-amyloid forms plaques that disrupt communication between brain cells, and ultimately destroys them. For this reason, tests for Alzheimer’s disease focus on beta-amyloid.
Blood tests for Alzheimer’s disease are being developed
Recently, researchers at Washington University in St. Louis measured the levels of beta-amyloid in the blood of 158 mostly normal people (10 had cognitive impairment).
When they compared their findings with those of amyloid brain PET (positron emission tomography) scans performed within 18 months of the blood draw, they found very similar results. Moreover, the few people in their study who had a positive blood test and negative brain scan were actually 21 times more likely to have a positive brain scan in the future. This means that the new blood test may be extremely sensitive at detecting Alzheimer’s disease — that is, it results in few false negatives.
If you’re worried about your memory, should you ask your doctor for this test? Not yet — the blood test is still being evaluated and is not currently available for clinical use.
What about amyloid brain PET scans?
Maybe you’re thinking about having an FDA-approved amyloid brain PET scan. These tests involve the injection of a radioactive dye attached to a molecule that sticks to amyloid plaques in the brain. The radioactivity is then measured by special imaging technology, similar to a CT scan.
Should you get one? You could, but there are two issues to consider. First, they are not paid for by insurance — and they cost about $5,000 — so you either have to pay out of pocket or join a research study at a National Institute on Aging Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, where you might get one for free. Second, how would the information help you?
No special amyloid brain scans are needed for the straightforward diagnosis and treatment of memory loss. If you are having significant symptoms of memory loss, such as those mentioned above, talk with your doctor about them. Your doctor will likely evaluate your overall health and the medications you take, then do some standard blood tests and brain scans as well as pencil and paper testing. Based on the results of those tests, your doctor may start you on a medication intended to boost your memory function.
Perhaps you don’t have any symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease today, but one of your parents had it. Should you get an amyloid brain scan to find out if you are likely to develop Alzheimer’s in the future?
Unfortunately, there are no medications that can prevent or slow down the development of Alzheimer’s disease. So if you get the scan and it is positive, again, what will you do with the information?
Spinal fluid tests are available now — and paid for by insurance
Perhaps I’ve convinced you that you don’t need to rush out and have an expensive amyloid brain scan. But there are situations when it is important to find out if you or a loved one has Alzheimer’s, versus another brain disease that would be treated differently. In these situations, we often use a spinal fluid test that is quite good at being able to distinguish Alzheimer’s from other brain diseases affecting thinking and memory.
To obtain the spinal fluid, you need to undergo a lumbar puncture, more commonly known as a spinal tap. Although it may sound frightening, it is actually a perfectly safe test. You simply sit or lie down on your side with your back to the doctor and curl into a little ball by bringing your shoulders down and your knees up. The doctor finds the right spot, cleans the area well, gives you some numbing medicine, inserts a thin needle, and takes out a small amount of spinal fluid, which is sent to a lab for analysis.
Exercise daily, eat right, stay social, keep active
Lastly, don’t forget that you can work to prevent Alzheimer’s disease every day by performing aerobic exercise, eating a Mediterranean-style diet, staying socially engaged, and keeping your mind active. These activities are the only things that have been proven to reduce your chances of developing Alzheimer’s disease — regardless of the results of any special tests.
The post Is there a test for Alzheimer’s disease? appeared first on Harvard Health Blog.
Thursday, September 26, 2019
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Medical News Today: Remedios naturales caseros para el malestar estomacal
El malestar estomacal e indigestión se pueden tratar con remedios caseros. Mira aquí los 21 remedios naturales más populares para tratar un malestar estomacal, cómo funcionan y cómo usarlos. También te decimos cuándo debes ver a un médico.
Medical News Today: What are the benefits of hot yoga?
Hot yoga takes place in a studio heated beyond normal room temperature. Learn about the possible benefits, as well as the risks, of hot yoga in this article.
Medical News Today: 6 evidence based ways to calm down
Feeling unable to control worry, fear, anxiety, or other negative emotions is something that many people experience. In this article, learn how to calm down in these situations.
Medical News Today: Home remedies for peeling skin on the face
Sunburn, dry skin, reactions, and skin conditions can all cause peeling skin on the face. Here, we look into these and other causes and the remedies that can help.
Medical News Today: What to know about vaginal lubrication
The vagina usually produces natural lubrication to stay healthy and facilitate sexual activity. When this is not enough, artificial lubricants or vaginal moisturizers can help. This article looks at the uses and side effects of different types of lube.
Medical News Today: Why does coffee make me tired?
Although coffee’s caffeine content makes it a stimulant, some people feel tired after they drink a cup. Learn about why coffee could make a person feel tired here.
Medical News Today: What to know about spotting in early pregnancy
It is not uncommon for a woman to experience spotting in early pregnancy, but it can still cause worry. Learn about the possible causes of spotting in early pregnancy and when to see a doctor here.
We help journalists avoid reliance on sources with financial conflicts of interest
For the past 11 years, HealthNewsReview.org has helped journalists find industry-independent experts to use as sources in their stories. It’s an effort begun by journalists Jeanne Lenzer and Shannon Brownlee (now a VP at the Lown Institute), but joined by me and Adriane Fugh-Berman, MD, of Georgetown not long after.
You can read more about the genesis of our list of industry-independent experts in this BMJ article if you have a subscription. (Note to BMJ: This shouldn’t be behind a paywall.) Or read our backgrounder on this website.
Many journalists have asked us for access to the list – for example, recent requests from journalists for Forbes, Houston Chronicle, Science magazine, STAT, USA Today, and a web section editor for the Association of Health Care Journalists.
Members of our list recently made news themselves by publicly objecting to undeclared drug company funding of the National Partnership for Maternal Safety. The Partnership published recommendations that would greatly expand the use of blood-thinning drugs in women who had c-section deliveries. Critics said that the recommendation “would cost as much as $130 million and would expose thousands of women to the risk of severe bleeding and other side effects.” The Lown Institute wrote about the episode. It took three years for the journal of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology – which published the conflicted recommendations – to add a correction about the conflicts of interest.
It is one small but significant example of individuals taking a stand against undisclosed conflicts of interest in health care.
A member of our list of industry-independent experts – Adam Urato, MD, Chief of Maternal-Fetal Medicine at the MetroWest Medical Center in Framingham, Massachusetts – helped recruit other list members to object to the initial recommendations.
Dr. Urato says the list was “immensely helpful,” and that “a lone voice might have been ignored, [but] 46 people joining together to call attention to this issue makes all of the difference… This type of effort by the list helps to call attention to the problem of corporate influence in medicine — and, ultimately, to help protect and inform pregnant women and the public.”
There are now more than 100 members of The List of Industry-Independent Experts. Our group continuously reviews nominations for new list members. In our most recent addition of names, the list members who recommended and endorsed the latest additions were leading voices on conflict of interest issues – Drs. John Ioannidis, Vinay Prasad and Teppo Jarvinen. Here are the eight newest list members:
Jarno Rutanen, MD, PhD, Rheumatologist, Tampere University. Dr. Rutanen has a special interest in drug safety and regulatory issues.Finland.
David Nunan, PhD, Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Evidence Based Medicine, Oxford University, focus on critical appraisal and clinical care. UK
Allen Frances, MD, emeritus professor of psychiatry, Duke University, headed development of the 4th revision of psychiatry’s Diagnostic & Statistical Manual. US
Sanket Dhruva, MD, cardiologist, assistant professor of medicine, UCSF, focus on drug and device approval, medical devices, and regulatory affairs. US
Genevieve Kanter,PhD, assistant professor, University of Pennsylvania, focus on health economics and health services research. US
Susan Bewley, MD, emeritus professor, obstetrics and women’s health, Kings College, London, with special interest in ethics and conflicts of interest; worked with National Institute of Clinical Excellence. UK
Ioana Cristea, PhD, assistant professor, psychiatry, University of Pavia, Italy and Associate Professor at Babes-Bolyai University, Romania and previous Fulbright Visiting Scholar at METRICS – the Meta-Research Innovation Center at Stanford.
Jussi Valtonen, PhD, visiting professor, University of the Arts, Helsinki, psychiatry, psychology, neuropsychology. Finland
Journalists who want access to The List can fill out this online form or do so from Jeanne Lenzer’s website.
You can also listen to a 2017 podcast we produced about The List of Industry-Independent Experts.
Vitiligo: More than skin deep
Vitiligo (pronounced vit-uh-LIE-go) is a medical condition in which patches of skin lose their color. This occurs when melanocytes, the cells responsible for making skin pigment, are destroyed. Vitiligo can affect any part of the body, and it can occur in people of any age, ethnicity, or sex.
Affecting approximately 1% of the population, vitiligo can be an emotionally and socially devastating disease. Particularly frustrating to many is its unpredictable progression, which can be slow or rapid.
Thus far, there is no cure for vitiligo. But new hope is on the horizon, thanks to recent research that is improving our understanding of the pathways involved in this condition and potential new ways to treat it.
Body attacks cells responsible for producing skin’s pigment
Vitiligo is generally thought to be an autoimmune disease, in which a person’s immune system mistakenly attacks its own body (in this case, it attacks melanocytes). In addition, the melanocytes of people with vitiligo appear unable to deal with the imbalance of antioxidants and harmful free radicals in the body, which results in cell damage and death.
While most people with vitiligo are otherwise healthy, there is an association between vitiligo and thyroid disease (either over- or underactivity of the thyroid). Less frequently, it occurs together with other autoimmune conditions, such as lupus or type 1 diabetes.
Phototherapy and topical treatments can help
There are a number of treatments aimed at restoring color to depigmented skin. One of the oldest and most effective treatments is phototherapy (light therapy) with ultraviolet B (UVB) light. For this treatment, depigmented skin is exposed to UVB light several times a week, either in a clinic or at home.
Light therapy is often used in combination with topical medications that are applied to the skin. Topical treatments include topical steroids, topical calcineurin inhibitors (such as tacrolimus or pimecrolimus), or topical vitamin D analogues (such as calcipotriol and tacalcitol). Psoralen, a type of medication previously used in conjunction with phototherapy, has largely fallen out of favor. Topical medications may also be used on their own, without light therapy, although when the two treatments are used together, patients typically see better results.
If the depigmented areas are extensive, there is also the option of using topical medications to bleach unaffected skin, bringing it closer in color to the depigmented areas.
If medical treatments are ineffective, surgical treatment may be an option for certain people. Skin grafts can be taken from normally pigmented skin, usually from the buttocks or hips, and transferred to depigmented areas in more visible parts of the body.
New treatments for vitiligo may be on the horizon
Recently, several exciting studies have looked at a class of medications called JAK inhibitors as a possible new treatment option. JAK inhibitors target a type of immune communication pathway that has not been targeted before in vitiligo. These medications are thought to work by reducing levels of inflammatory chemicals that drive disease progression, and by stimulating melanocytes to regrow.
One study, published in JAMA, looked at the JAK inhibitor tofacitinib; another study, published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, looked at the JAK inhibitor ruxolitinib. Both reported promising results for repigmentation in people with vitiligo when the JAK inhibitor was used together with UVB phototherapy.
Though these initial studies analyzed small groups of patients, several larger-scale studies are underway to assess how both oral and topical JAK inhibitors may improve vitiligo. Preliminary data from these larger trials are showing promising results for repigmentation, especially on the face. The hope is that these results will eventually lead to FDA approval of JAK inhibitors for the treatment of vitiligo. For now, because they are still considered off-label by the FDA for use in vitiligo, these drugs are rarely covered by insurance for the treatment of vitiligo, and therefore can be quite expensive.
Psychosocial support is a key part of vitiligo treatment
A diagnosis of vitiligo can be life-altering. Patients may struggle with self-esteem or depression, and they often have to deal with social stigma, due to misunderstanding about the contagiousness of the condition. As a result, people with vitiligo typically benefit from psychosocial support in addition to medical treatment.
If you have vitiligo (or know someone who does) and would like to learn more about support groups and other available resources, please visit the Global Vitiligo Foundation or Vitiligo Support International.
Follow me on Twitter @KristinaLiuMD
The post Vitiligo: More than skin deep appeared first on Harvard Health Blog.
Juul stops all ads, gets a new CEO, and says it won't lobby on proposed ban of most electronic-cigarette flavorings
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| Juul products (Photo by Bill O'Leary, The Washington Post) |
On the same day, Altria and Philip Morris International said they had ended talks about a merger that would re-unite the companies that dominate the world's cigarette industry.
All three developments "underscore the concerns prompted by continued increases in underage e-cigarette use and growing alarm over a mysterious lung ailment linked to vaping that has stricken at least 530 people, nine of whom have died," McGinley notes. "Officials said Tuesday that they still don’t know the cause.were signs of the "public uproar over a surge in youth vaping,"
Juul also said it wouldn't lobby "on a planned ban on flavored vaping products recently announced by President Trump," McGinley writes. The Food and Drug Administration is moving to enact the ban.
At a congressional hearing, acting FDA Commissioner Norman “Ned” Sharpless said “In retrospect, the agency should have acted sooner” against e-cigarettes. "Sharpless said earlier data had suggested that youth vaping was declining and noted the agency has issued thousands of warning letters and penalties involving underage sales in the past year and a half," McGinley reports.
Wednesday, September 25, 2019
Medical News Today: Can you have sex when you have a UTI?
Once a urinary tract infection (UTI) starts to get better, people may wonder if they can return to sex. Learn about the safety and risks of sex with a UTI here.
Medical News Today: What to know about alexithymia
Alexithymia is where a person has trouble recognizing and describing their emotions. Here, we give an overview of alexithymia and its links with mental health conditions and autism.
Medical News Today: Tips for reducing or stopping sweating
Sweating is important for regulating body temperature. However, some people sweat more than is necessary. This article outlines the tips and treatments people can try to reduce excessive sweating.
Medical News Today: US diet still contains too many low quality carbs
Refined grains, added sugar, and other low quality carbs still account for 42% of daily calories in the typical diet of U.S. adults, a new study finds.
Medical News Today: Body clock influences how well the immune system works
Current research in mice demonstrates that body clocks play a crucial role in how effectively certain immune cells respond when triggered to become active.
Medical News Today: Adult obesity: Is childhood sugar intake in the '70s to blame?
Are adult obesity rates in the United States today the result of childhood sugar consumption in the 1970s and 1980s? New research suggests so.
Medical News Today: Fluctuating blood pressure may speed up cognitive decline in Alzheimer's
New evidence suggests that managing blood pressure may help slow down the progression of cognitive decline in people with Alzheimer's disease.
Medical News Today: 6 consejos para eliminar el mal olor vaginal
La alimentación, la salud y otros factores afectan el olor natural de la vagina, que no es necesariamente un mal olor. Infecciones como la vaginosis bacteriana, pueden provocar cierto olor a pescado, mientras que los hongos (yeast) producen un olor dulce. Cómo identificar y eliminar el olor vaginal.
Medical News Today: What can make passing stool painful?
There are many reasons a person may experience pain during a bowel movement. In this article, we discuss 10 possible causes and some treatment options.
Medical News Today: What to know about chickenpox in babies
Chickenpox in babies is often mild and resolves without treatment, although there are possible complications. Learn about the symptoms and treatment of chickenpox in babies here. This article includes pictures of babies with chickenpox to aid diagnosis.
Medical News Today: Everything you need to know about pebble poop
Pebble poop is small, pellet-like stool, and it is usually a sign of constipation. In this article, learn about the possible causes, as well as treatments and home remedies.
Medical News Today: What is the average size of testicles?
In this article, we describe average testicle size and growth. We also look into health issues that can affect testicle size and how to perform a self-examination.
What donor offspring seek when they do DNA testing
I wrote previously about parents who fear that their donor-conceived children might uncover long-held secrets through DNA testing. Many were unsettled by Dani Shapiro’s memoir Inheritance, which told of how a DNA test done for no particular reason dismantled a family story. Now let’s consider reasons why some people who know they were donor-conceived might pursue DNA testing.
Why might people who were donor-conceived seek DNA testing?
Donor-conceived adults who embark upon DNA testing may, like Shapiro, stumble upon information accidentally. Their experience with DNA testing is not explored in this post, which focuses on those whose choice to do testing followed one of these three paths:
- They were told their conception story at a young age, but had limited information about their donor and his or her family.
- They were only recently told of their donor conception, but grew up knowing something was different or left unspoken (the “unknown known”).
- As adults, they were completely startled to learn that they were donor-conceived.
What might people hope to learn through DNA testing?
So what might these people seek — and hope to find — in DNA testing? Everyone is different and DNA testers have a wide range of reasons for swabbing their cheeks. Yet most have the desire to better understand their personal story. We all have origin stories that circle around our ancestry, ethnicity, and the circumstances of our conception and birth. Whether they grow up always knowing, or learn of donor conception as young adults, personal stories for the donor-conceived are complicated. Questions people hope to have answered include:
- Why did he or she become a donor? Am I simply the product of a transaction, or were there other reasons that motivated someone to donate?
- Who else am I related to? This question is especially compelling for sperm donor offspring, who may have large numbers of genetic half-siblings. This is less often true for those conceived from donated eggs, yet there are the donor’s children, her nieces and nephews, all those she donated to, and in some instances, children born through embryos donated to other families after the original recipient family was complete.
- What is my ethnicity? What does it mean if the ethnicity in my DNA does not match the ethnic identity I was raised with? One woman I spoke with had grown up believing she was Irish on her mother’s side and Jewish (Ashkenazi) on her dad’s side. When the DNA test results came back indicating she is 100% Irish, she felt a sense of loss. She always felt proud to be half Jewish. Did this mean that she is not?
- What abilities and vulnerabilities might I have inherited from the donor? For many, the high beam of this question directs itself to medical issues. This can go both ways: learning one’s actual medical history may relieve worries regarding illnesses in the family, or it may bring new medical concerns. Either way, those who are just learning they were donor-conceived as adults have relied on a family medical history that they now know to be only half complete.
- Most people feel they came from two people. I came from three. What does this mean for my identity? People conceived with donated eggs are often, though not always, told of the donation from a young age. They grow up always knowing that they are gestationally, but not genetically, connected to their mothers. Part of their task as they mature is sorting out as best they can what it means to literally come from three people. (Sperm donor offspring, by contrast, must reconcile with the fact that they have no physical connection to their fathers.)
What does the future hold?
The world of commercially available DNA testing is still in its infancy. These days it is being heavily marketed in the media as a nifty gift, an interesting tool, a key that will unlock doors. Undoubtedly its uses, and its meaning for all of us, will unfold and evolve over time. The questions it raises and the “answers” it provides are surely more complex and multidimensional for the donor-conceived.
For more information
If you’d like further information and support, you may find these organizations helpful.
The post What donor offspring seek when they do DNA testing appeared first on Harvard Health Blog.
Tuesday, September 24, 2019
Medical News Today: 12 home remedies for heat rash
Home remedies, such as cold compresses, calamine lotion, and oatmeal baths, can help soothe the symptoms of heat rash. Read on to learn more.
Medical News Today: Pulled calf muscle: Symptoms and what to do
A pulled calf muscle can cause minor or severe pain in the calf, depending on the extent of the injury. Learn more about the symptoms and how to treat them here.
Medical News Today: When does the penis start and stop growing?
The penis tends to stop growing in both length and girth at the end of puberty. Learn more about penis growth in this article, along with other facts about penis size.
Medical News Today: Walking patterns may help differentiate types of dementia
A new study suggests that people with Lewy body dementia and Alzheimer's have distinct walking patterns that may match cognitive and disease changes.
Medical News Today: Onions and garlic may protect against breast cancer
The first population-based study of its kind examines the association between onion and garlic consumption and breast cancer risk.
Medical News Today: 'Antibiotic resistance in farm animals is rising fast'
Antibiotic resistance is reaching a crisis point not just for humans, but also for farm animals bred for food, global evidence suggests.
Medical News Today: Severe gum disease linked to 49% higher risk of hypertension
A new systematic review and meta-analysis concludes that there is a linear association between the severity of gum disease and the risk of hypertension.
Medical News Today: Eating more nuts may help prevent weight gain
A new observational study finds that increasing daily nut consumption is associated with a lower risk of gradual weight gain and obesity.
Medical News Today: Natural ways to lower ALT levels
High levels of the liver enzyme ALT indicates liver damage. Taking steps to lower ALT levels through diet, exercise, and other methods can help the liver recover. Learn more here.
Medical News Today: What causes uterus pain in early pregnancy?
Uterus pain in early pregnancy is a common symptom, but in some cases, it is a sign of a complication. Learn about the causes and treatment of uterus pain in early pregnancy here.
Medical News Today: What can cause a bump on the forehead?
People may have a bump on the forehead for many reasons. Learn about causes, their associated treatments, and when to see a doctor here.
Medical News Today: What is the average weight for a 13-year-old?
The average weight for 13-year-olds is different for boys and girls, and puberty and genetics can also factor in. Learn about the average weight and BMI for a 13-year-old here.
Weekend catch-up sleep won’t fix the effects of sleep deprivation on your waistline
Sleeping in late on a Saturday sounds delicious, right? However, as with many delicious things, there may be a cost to your health and waistline.
Catching up on sleep on the weekend can almost feel like the norm these days. With increasingly full schedules and competing demands, sleep is often sacrificed during the busy workweek. As the week comes to an end, many people look to the less structured weekend to cram in what couldn’t be done during the week, including sleep. In sleep clinic, I now ask “When do you get up on work (or school) days?” and “What about bedtime and wakeup time on days off?” The catch-up time — perhaps a 6 am wake-up for a work day, but 11 am on a weekend — can be close to an entire weeknight’s sleep. But does it matter? We’re paying back our sleep debt, right?
Our average hours of sleep may hide a weekly sleep debt
Despite the fact that number of hours of sleep, when averaged, may approach the seven to nine hours per night recommended by most professional societies, the “average” can hide some truths. The daily amount, quality, and regularity of bed/wake time all seem to matter too. A recent paper in Current Biology shows that our sleep is not very forgiving of being moved around to more convenient times. Researchers found that subjects who cut their sleep down by five hours during the week, but made up for it on the weekend with extra sleep, still paid a cost. That cost included measurable differences: excess calorie intake after dinner, reduced energy expenditure, increased weight, and detrimental changes in how the body uses insulin. Although sleep debt was resolved on paper, the weekend catch-up subjects had similar results (though there were some differences) to those who remained sleep-deprived across a weekend without catch-up sleep.
New research is a reminder that you can’t cheat on sleep and get away with it
First, sleep deprivation, even if only during the workweek, likely has real health consequences. Sleep is often an overlooked factor when considering chronic disease risk, including hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, and even death. There’s ample data, including a recent review in Sleep Medicine, suggesting that too little sleep is a risk factor for these conditions, as well as obesity. Unfortunately, this new study suggests that extending sleep on the weekend doesn’t seem to undo the impact of short sleep.
Second, whether the health impact is due to the decreased sleep alone, or additionally due to changes in timing of sleep on the weekend — an at-home “jet lag” — is unknown. The impact of essentially jumping time zones by staying up later and sleeping later on weekends, may add to the problem. Other behaviors, such as eating or drinking later on weekends, also confuse the body’s rhythm.
What can you do to improve nightly sleep?
As with a lot of medicine, prevention seems to be the best strategy. Although we can’t undo the impact of short sleep by trying to oversleep on the weekends, we can try to carve out a bit more time for sleep at night during the week and improve behaviors that lead to better sleep.
It’s very important to keep bedtime and waketime fairly stable across the weekend, which may also help reduce the jet-lag effect. Short naps of 15 to 20 minutes may help relieve sleepiness, but shouldn’t interfere with the regularity of bedtime and waketime. For some people, keeping a sleep log to track sleep patterns can be eye-opening and provide accountability, in the same way that tracking food choices and behaviors around eating can help with weight loss. Finally, consider reframing your relationship with sleep and prioritize it. Sleep is preventive medicine — we know it helps reduce illness and optimizes your daily well-being.
The post Weekend catch-up sleep won’t fix the effects of sleep deprivation on your waistline appeared first on Harvard Health Blog.
Monday, September 23, 2019
Medical News Today: What causes unexplained weight loss?
Many medical conditions can cause unexplained or unintended weight loss. These include hyperthyroidism, depression, Addison's disease, inflammatory bowel disease, and more.
Medical News Today: What to know about generalized anxiety disorder
Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is a common mental health condition in the United States. Learn about the symptoms, causes, and treatment options here.
Medical News Today: What to do about a weight loss plateau
Many people reach a weight loss plateau after several months of diet and exercise. In this article, learn about the possible causes and what to do to break through the plateau.
Medical News Today: What are the health benefits of yoga?
Yoga is a practice with many possible benefits, including reduced back pain, improved mood, and less stress. Learn about these and other benefits in this article.
