With cold and flu season starting, you can be sure that you’ll be given this advice: The best defense is washing your hands.
That’s because you typically get infected with viruses by touching a germy surface. Then, when you touch your face, the virus enters your body through the eyes, nose, mouth, or ears. You likely touch your face a lot more than you think.… Read More
If you’re a fan of the TV show Jeopardy, you probably know that host Alex Trebek is fighting for his life.
Trebek has stage 4 pancreatic cancer. That means the disease has spread to other parts of his body.
The 79-year-old publicly announced his condition in March.
He did surprisingly well after initial treatment. In May, his doctors said he was in “near remission.”… Read More
Just about every health-conscious person knows that soda is bad for you.
But what is surprising is just how bad.
In recent years, studies have found that sweetened, carbonated drinks drive obesity, cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, heart disease, and even lung disease.
But an exhaustive new analysis shows that the dangers may be far worse than anybody suspected.
Scientists from the International Agency for Research on Cancer looked at 451,000 people.… Read More
For years, we were told that BPA (bisphenol A) was the harmful ingredient in plastic bottles.
BPA and its chemical cousins, BPS (bisphenol S) and BPF (bisphenol F), are linked to cancer, heart disease, diabetes, hormone problems, and migraines.[1]
Get rid of BPA, and plastic food and beverage containers would be perfectly safe, the plastics industry and the FDA said.… Read More
Doctors have always been mystified about the cause of rheumatoid arthritis.
About 1.3 million Americans suffer with the joint condition. It’s an autoimmune disease in which your body’s own immune system attacks your joints.
Doctors have always suspected that genetics were the main cause. But new research points to a different culprit: antibiotics.
The study was published in the journal BMC Medicine.… Read More
Before surgery, doctors have a standard procedure that they follow with each patient.
They explain the possible side effects. They discuss after-surgery pain care and rehab. They give you a general idea of what to expect.
And then, just before the operation, you are asked to sign a consent form that says you agree to allow your doctor to perform the operation and you understand the risks. … Read More