The next time you’re due for a medical exam you may get a call from someone like Ana: a friendly voice that can help you prepare for your appointment and answer any pressing questions you might have. With her calm, warm demeanor, Ana has been trained to put patients at ease — like many nurses … Read more
Struggling to contain a raging measles epidemic in West Texas, public health officials increasingly worry that residents are relying on unproven remedies endorsed by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the health secretary, and postponing doctor visits until the illness has worsened. Hospitals and officials sounded an alarm this week, issuing a notice explaining which measles symptoms … Read more
A class of drugs commonly used to treat movement disorders like Parkinson’s disease and restless leg syndrome is pushing people into risky sexual behavior. Patients taking dopamine agonists say the drugs have triggered uncontrollable impulses, including flashing, sex addiction and even pedophilia — leaving them struggling with feelings of shame and confusion. Reports reviewed by … Read more
More than 100,000 Americans are on waiting lists for donor organs, most needing a kidney. Only 25,000 human donor kidneys become available each year. Twelve Americans on the kidney list die every day on average. Scientists first transplanted genetically engineered pig organs into other animals and then to brain-dead human patients. In 2022, researchers received … Read more
Fed-up patients facing astronomical medical bills are fighting back against hospitals and insurance companies with a secret weapon: artificial intelligence. Alicia Bittle gave birth to her youngest son in August, but rushed him to the emergency room just three weeks later after the infant developed a fever and respiratory illness. The stay-at-home mom and “trad wife” who raises her brood … Read more
Florida’s insurance regulator has demanded an unusually intrusive trove of data on millions of prescription drugs filled in the state last year, including the names of patients taking the medications, their dates of birth and doctors they’ve seen. The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation in January sought this information from pharmacy benefit managers like UnitedHealth’s … Read more
Novo Nordisk will cut the price of its blockbuster weight loss medication Wegovy to $499 per month for certain patients who pay using their own money instead of going through insurance, the drug maker said on Wednesday. The move could cause more patients to start taking the drug. But the impact stands to be limited, … Read more
Can Paxlovid treat long Covid? A new report suggests it might help some patients, but which patients might benefit remains unclear. The report, published Monday in the journal Communications Medicine, describes the cases of 13 long Covid patients who took extended courses of the antiviral drug. Results were decidedly mixed: Nine patients reported some improvement, … Read more
The brain plays a big part in the aging process, and scientists think they’ve pinpointed the specific cells that control it. In a study of mice, researchers at the Allen Institute identified certain cells that showed “major changes” with age, particularly in one specific “hotspot,” according to a press release. Mice were chosen because their brains … Read more
This health hack is a sight for sore eyes. This health hack is a sight for sore eyes. Retina surgeon Dr. Park (@drpark524) has revealed the “secret” pink eye treatment doctors used for themselves but don’t typically offer to patients. “The way that eye doctors treat each other for pink eye is vastly different from … Read more
A colorectal cancer doctor is making the case for butting into your family’s business. Dr. Parul Shukla, a colon and rectal surgeon with Northwell Health, said there’s a key piece of advice he always gives patients when it comes to preventing colorectal cancer. And while it might be a bit uncomfortable, it’s certainly less so … Read more
You can’t wriggle your way out of obesity. Doctors on YouTube have warned viewers that tapeworm egg pills are being sold on the dark web as a quick-fix weight loss solution — putting consumers at risk of serious illness and potentially death. The parasites are known to make a home in the human gut after … Read more
It’s a tough pill to swallow. Aspirin is a popular drug with people of all ages — but one heart surgeon says not everybody should be popping the pain reliever. Dr. Jeremy London took to TikTok to share his expert intel on who should, and should not be, taking a daily dose of aspirin. The … Read more
A type of drug being developed to combat cancer could be repurposed to treat Alzheimer’s disease in its early stages, new research finds. Blocking an enzyme called indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase 1 (IDO1) can rescue memory and brain function in models that mimic Alzheimer’s, Penn State researchers say. IDO1 inhibitors have already shown promise in the fight against … Read more
This news is bananas. Dr. Saurabh Sethi, a California gastroenterologist, is revealing three surprising reasons why bananas should be cut from your fruit smoothie recipes. “I commonly see my patients make this mistake,” Sethi shared in a TikTok this week. “Adding bananas to your smoothies might be doing more harm than good.” Bananas can contain … Read more
It was the week before Memorial Day and Dr. Cindy Bressler was already inundated with frantic calls. There was a poodle with a tick bite, a dachshund with sudden back pain and a Labrador who had ingested a bucket of sand. Now, the owner of a 7-year-old goldendoodle was extremely worried and agitated because her dog … Read more
Personalized prognoses for people diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease soon may only be a click away. Researchers at Amsterdam University Medical Center say they have developed a prototype app based on their model that forecasts an Alzheimer’s patient’s projected mental decline over five years. The model is inspired by details gathered from nearly 1,000 patients with … Read more
Researchers say they have developed a 3D imaging model of early-stage embryos that may make it easier for women to get pregnant through in vitro fertilization (IVF). About 2.5% of US births — nearly 92,000 — were from IVF in 2022. When IVF patients create several embryos, it can be difficult to determine which ones have … Read more
A California doctor wants people to know that, in his view and experience, the medical community doesn’t always tell patients the truth. Dr. Robert Lufkin, a physician and father of two young children, has been diagnosed with four chronic diseases — the same ones that claimed his father’s life. Inspired by his own medical struggles, Lufkin … Read more
A mammoth $25 million Australian [$16 million USD] settlement is being offered to more than a thousand women who say their lives were “ruined” by a clinic that offered “boob jobs for the cost of a cup of coffee a day”. The New South Wales, Australia Supreme Court signed off on the settlement against the … Read more