By Ana Sandoiu Fact checked by Paula Field New research analyzes the effect of cigarette smoke on MRSA strains and finds that it makes the bacteria more persistent, more invasive, and more resistant to certain antibiotics. Smoking is the leading cause of preventable death across the world, with tobacco use, including smoking, being responsible for...
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How to recognize a heart attack: It’s not like on TV
by Deborah Lupton, The Conversation What kind of person do you imagine having a heart attack? Is it a middle-aged white businessman clutching his chest? Someone like the Roger Sterling character from the popular television series Mad Men, who had two heart attacks in season 1? While Mad Men was set in the 1960s, popular...
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New study sheds light on novel exercise treatment for common form of cardiovascular disease
by Isabelle Dubach, University of New South Wales Weight training—also called resistance training—can help people with peripheral artery disease reduce painful symptoms like muscle cramps during walking, a study by UNSW medical researchers recently published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine has shown. In people with peripheral artery disease (PAD), a build-up of plaque in the arteries—caused by high cholesterol, nicotine and other cardiovascular disease risk factors—leads...
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NOPE, ‘ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY’ CIGARETTES AREN’T HEALTHY
People perceive cigarettes marketed as being environmentally friendly as less harmful to health and the environment, a new survey shows. Few people would consider a handgun with a sustain-ably harvested wood stock any less lethal than one with a steel stock. But the same logic doesn’t apply to cigarettes—the leading preventable cause of death globally...
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Why Paleo and Keto Diets May Be Unhealthy for Your Heart
New research found that people who followed the paleo diet for a year had twice the amount of TMAO in their system. TMAO is a biomarker that previous studies have found increases a person’s risk for a major cardiovascular event by 62 percent and the risk of dying by 63 percent. A lack of whole grains is...
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1-2 caffeinated drinks not linked with higher risk of migraines; 3+ may trigger them
BETH ISRAEL DEACONESS MEDICAL CENTER BOSTON – Afflicting more than one billion adults worldwide, migraine is the third most prevalent illness in the world. In addition to severe headache, symptoms of migraine can include nausea, changes in mood, sensitivity to light and sound, as well as visual and auditory hallucinations. People who suffer from migraine...
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just how little short-term health plans paid out in medical benefits last year
Modern Healthcare’s Shelby Livingston found a report that uncovered just how little short-term health plans paid out in medical benefits last year, and hoo boy, the numbers are low, Axios’ Bob Herman writes. By the numbers: Fewer than 87,000 people had a short-term healthplan last year, paying only $110 million in cumulative premiums — indicating this market is still extremely...
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Having a parent, sibling, or child with blood cancer increases one’s own risk
by American Society of Hematology New data suggest that people who have a parent, sibling, or child with blood cancer have a higher likelihood of being diagnosed with the disease. The study published online today in Blood offers the first evidence that such familial risks exist across the spectrum of hematologic malignancies. Age of diagnosis, whether the...
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Why stress and anxiety aren’t always bad
by American Psychological Association Credit: CC0 Public Domain People generally think of stress and anxiety as negative concepts, but while both stress and anxiety can reach unhealthy levels, psychologists have long known that both are unavoidable—and that they often play a helpful, not harmful, role in our daily lives, according to a presentation at the annual...
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Take steps to slow Alzheimer’s disease
by Pennsylvania State University Credit: Pennsylvania State University Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia. It slowly kills brain cells and is the fifth-leading cause of death for Americans age 65 and older. But contrary to popular belief, steps can be taken to slow it down. “People think Alzheimer’s is an entirely genetic disorder, but...