Latest Health News

11Mar
2022

AHA News: Stroke Survivor Never Lost Fluency in the Language of Dance, Art and Song

AHA News: Stroke Survivor Never Lost Fluency in the Language of Dance, Art and SongFRIDAY, March 11, 2022 (American Heart Association News) -- When Paula Gallagher arrived at a rehabilitation center five days after her stroke, she felt overwhelmed and devastated.She also couldn't speak. The clot that reached her brain had stolen her voice.Gallagher, who lives in Madison, Connecticut, was diagnosed with a form of Broca's aphasia, which meant she could understand what other people said but struggled to speak herself. She also had apraxia, an inability to control the muscles used to form words.Upon admittance, she couldn't speak or write, not even her name, but she could read and understand speech.And she could still dance.In her room, the former professional dancer would move through various styles of dance – ballet, modern, belly dancing.One day, an aide saw her...

Could Russian Hackers Cripple U.S. Health Care Systems?

11 March 2022
Could Russian Hackers Cripple U.S. Health Care Systems?FRIDAY, March 11, 2022 -- Sick people seeking lifesaving care in the United States could fall victim to a hidden part of Russia's war on Ukraine -- vicious cyberattacks aimed at sowing disruption, confusion and chaos as ground forces advance.Cybersecurity experts warn that attacks launched against Ukrainian institutions have the potential to spill over into America's health care systems, potentially endangering patients' lives.The cybersecurity program at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services last week issued an analysis warning health care IT officials about two pieces of Russian malware that could wipe out hospital data vital to patient care. And since early December, the American Hospital Association has been warning about increased risk related to Russian cyberattacks,...

Flu Vaccine No Match for Circulating Variants This Season

11 March 2022
Flu Vaccine No Match for Circulating Variants This SeasonFRIDAY, March 11, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- This season's flu shot offered virtually no protection against infection, a new government report shows.While this latest vaccine only cut the risk of getting a mild case of flu by 16%, the agency has noted that flu vaccines typically reduce the risk of illness by 40% to 60%.Still, the shot should offer some protection against more severe illness, according to the study from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.But the findings mean the flu vaccine was “essentially ineffective,” Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious diseases expert at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tenn., told NBC News.The CDC study, which included data on over 3,600 Americans in seven states, confirmed research released earlier in the...

Drug Could Be Non-Antibiotic Alternative to Treat UTIs

11 March 2022
Drug Could Be Non-Antibiotic Alternative to Treat UTIsFRIDAY, March 11, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Women plagued by frequent urinary tract infections often take daily antibiotics to ward them off. But an old antibiotic alternative might work just as well, a new clinical trial finds.Researchers found that the medication, called methenamine, was comparable to standard, low-dose antibiotics in preventing women's recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs). Either treatment curbed the infections to around one per year, on average.Methenamine is a long-established medication that works by making the urine more acidic and stopping bacterial growth. Studies have shown that it can prevent recurrent UTIs, but it's not widely used.It's such an "old" drug, many doctors today do not know about it, said Dr. Karyn Eilber, a urologist at Cedars-Sinai...

High Anxiety: Poll Finds Americans Stressed by Inflation, War

11 March 2022
High Anxiety: Poll Finds Americans Stressed by Inflation, WarFRIDAY, March 11, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Inflation, Russia's invasion of Ukraine and continuing concerns about money and COVID-19 have Americans more stressed than ever, a new poll conducted last week reveals.The biggest concerns: rising costs of food, energy and other everyday items due to inflation (87%); supply chain issues (81%); global uncertainty (81%); Russia's invasion of Ukraine (80%), and potential Russian cyberattacks or nuclear threats (80%).In addition to those worries cited by the thousands of adults who participated in the American Psychological Association's Stress in America Poll, 63% said their lives had been forever changed by COVID-19."Americans have been doing their best to persevere over these past two tumultuous years, but these data suggest that we’re now...

Sleep Experts Call for End to Twice-a-Year Time Changes

11 March 2022
Sleep Experts Call for End to Twice-a-Year Time ChangesFRIDAY, March 11, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Spring and fall time changes for daylight saving time should be scrapped because they pose health and safety risks, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) says.Moving clocks ahead and losing an hour of sleep presents hazards that include: an increase in car crashes and fatal crashes; a rise in missed medical appointments; a higher risk of stroke and hospital admissions; greater chance of mood disturbances, and a disruption of the body’s internal clock that harms sleep quality and leads to sleep loss, according to the academy."Physicians, legislators and the general public have been talking about the health and safety benefits of eliminating seasonal time changes for years," said Erin Flynn-Evans, a sleep and circadian researcher who...

More Evidence That Exercise Protects the Aging Brain

11 March 2022
More Evidence That Exercise Protects the Aging Brain FRIDAY, March 11, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Just a bit of exercise can help keep your brain in shape as you age, according to the latest study that shows how physical activity can benefit older minds."This finding isn't saying, 'If you're older, you need to go out there and start running marathons,'" said lead author Marissa Gogniat, a recent doctoral graduate in psychology from the University of Georgia."This is saying if you get more steps, if you’re moving around your environment a little bit more, that can be helpful to your brain health and keep you more independent as you age," Gogniat said in a university news release. The researchers measured the fitness and physical activity of 51 older adults. Their thinking skills were measured using tests on cognitive functioning, and...

Vietnamese Pangolins Carry COVID-Like Coronavirus

11 March 2022
Vietnamese Pangolins Carry COVID-Like CoronavirusFRIDAY, March 11, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- In a finding that suggests the new coronavirus did indeed jump species to cause the pandemic, a new study reports that pangolins seized from the illegal wildlife trade in Vietnam were carrying SARS-CoV-2-related coronaviruses.Previously, only pangolins confiscated in China had tested positive for such coronaviruses.The researchers tested 246 pangolins seized from the illegal wildlife trade in Vietnam from 2016 to 2018. Seven pangolins confiscated in 2018 tested positive for a SARS-CoV-2-related coronavirus.The coronaviruses detected in the pangolins seized in Vietnam were closely related to coronaviruses previously detected in pangolins confiscated from the illegal wildlife trade in the Yunnan and Guangxi provinces in China.In February,...

As Clocks Spring Forward, Keep Sleep on Track

FRIDAY, March 11, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- You may only worry about losing an hour of sleep when the clocks spring forward this Sunday, but the time change can also be dangerous for your health,...

Science Brings Shortcut to Spotting 50 Rare Genetic Diseases

THURSDAY, March 10, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Scientists have developed a single test that can rapidly detect a collection of rare genetic diseases -- an advance they hope will shorten the...
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