Health Advice
/Health
/ArcaMax
Staff allows sexual assault of mom with dementia, saying she 'consented,' lawsuit says
A man is suing an assisted living facility, saying staff didn’t protect his mother, who has dementia, from two sexual assaults by a “dangerous” resident — and considered the assaults to be consensual.
Pamela Harney needed full-time assistance at Brookdale Senior Living Foundation in Federal Way, Washington, and can’t give consent due ...Read more
Wind phones help the bereaved deal with death, loss and grief − a clinical social worker explains the vital role of the old-fashioned rotary phone
My mother died in my home in hospice in 2020, on the day my state of Washington went into COVID-19 lockdown. Her body was taken away, but none of the usual touchstones for grief were available to our family. There was no funeral or supportive gathering, no deliveries of food and no hugs. For months afterward, as the nationwide lockdown ...Read more
Half of Black gay men will be diagnosed with HIV, despite highly effective preventive treatments − why?
At a pharmacy in Iowa, a 42-year-old Black gay man couldn’t find a medication he needed. The pharmacist, a white woman, told him they didn’t stock that medication. But while he waited to pay for his other purchases, he saw another customer place the medication he just asked for on the counter.
“I felt really bad,” he said. “...Read more
Lara Williams: Yes, bats carry disease. They also make us healthier
From ticks and mosquitoes to pangolins and raccoon dogs (two species accused of being the animal origin of COVID-19), the conversation around wildlife and health often hinges on the idea that animals can make us sick.
That’s not necessarily wrong. As humans encroach deeper into wild spaces and alter habitats, we’re creating opportunities ...Read more
Mayo Clinic Q and A: Lifespan vs. healthspan
Editors Note: September is Healthy Aging Awareness Month
____
DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I've been hearing a lot lately about healthspan versus lifespan when it comes to aging. What do they each mean? And what is the difference?
ANSWER: We get a lot of questions about what distinguishes between lifespan and healthspan. The simplest answer is to ...Read more
On Nutrition: Hunger or appetite?
A scene from the 1978 western comedy “Goin’ South” is not easy to forget. At a wild get-together with his old gang, Jack Nicholson’s character asks, “Anybody hungry?”
A scraggly-looking fellow spits out that he’s so hungry, he could “eat a frozen dog.”
“Well, we’ll just go out to the kitchen and see if we got one already ...Read more
This Medication Regimen Considerably Lowers Psa Levels
DEAR DR. ROACH: In 2022, my primary care doctor recommended that I get a PSA test. Even though I did not believe in it, he was a very caring doctor, so I had the test done. My result showed a PSA score of 38 ng/mL. I saw a urologist and had a biopsy that showed cancer, so I was started on Lupron.
After six months, I told the urologist that I ...Read more
Managing allergic reactions to foods
There are nine major food allergens -- milk, egg, peanut, tree nuts, wheat, soy, sesame and fish and crustacean shellfish -- that cause about 90% of serious food allergy reactions in the U.S. They affect about 33 million Americans, including almost 6 million children, and cause around 500 deaths annually.
The treatment for a severe allergic ...Read more
New COVID-19 XEC variant circulating just before fall
A new COVID-19 variant, XEC, has arrived just before fall.
The new variant has sprouted from the omicron variant that developed in late 2021. Although XEC is new, Francois Balloux, director of the Genetics Institute at University College London, told the BBC that he would be surprised if it became the dominant variant throughout winter.
...Read more
'Living' device that releases E. coli into bladder could treat UTIs, researchers say
A “close cousin” of the dangerous strain of E. coli could provide a new way to treat urinary tract infections, researchers said.
Researchers from Texas A&M are working to build a device that uses harmless strains of E. coli, first discovered in the 1970s, to inhibit the growth of bad bacteria that cause UTIs, according to a Sept. 17 news ...Read more
Billions of people are missing these 7 key nutrients, study says
More than half the world’s population is not getting enough of seven crucial nutrients. It’s an issue the World Health Organization said is a major threat, especially for children and pregnant women in low-income countries.
Published in the journal the Lancet Global Health, researchers from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, UC ...Read more
Former Outcome Health exec Ashik Desai, star witness in trial, sentenced to 7 months in prison
CHICAGO — A former executive at Outcome Health – who was the star witness against his bosses in a trial last year – was sentenced to seven months in prison on Thursday for his role in what prosecutors have called a $1 billion fraud at the company.
Before sentencing, former Outcome executive Ashik Desai stood before the judge and ...Read more
50 years after the first procedure, Tommy John surgery is more common than ever − especially for young athletes
Tommy John pitched in the big leagues from 1963 to 1989 and won 288 games. Only 25 MLB pitchers have won more.
But check out his 27 years of statistics, and you’ll see one year is blank: 1975. That’s because in the fall of 1974, John underwent surgery for a ligament tear in his elbow, an injury once considered career-ending.
...Read more
TRUTH in Labeling Act would heighten the warning for shoppers looking to cut sugar, salt and saturated fat intake
With rising rates of obesity in the U.S. and increasing attention being paid to the health harms of processed foods, it’s clear that far more could be done to help consumers make healthy food choices.
A bill known as the TRUTH in Labeling Act has been sitting before Congress since late 2023. If passed, it would require U.S. food ...Read more
Mayo Clinic Minute: What you should know about prostate cancer screening
The prostate is a small gland in males that aids in reproduction. Prostate cancer is one the most common types of cancer, and when it's detected early, often by a simple blood test, it has the best chance for successful treatment.
"Prostate cancer is incredibly common, probably going to be diagnosed in about 300,000 men this year in the United ...Read more
Mayo Clinic Minute: Palliative medicine for cancer patients
Patients undergoing cancer treatments often use palliative medicine to cope with nausea, fatigue and other bothersome symptoms.
Palliative medicine is a medical specialty whose main focus is supporting patients and families/caregivers who need help managing symptoms related to cancer or side effects related to the treatment of cancer, along ...Read more
Drug-resistant germs will kill millions more people in coming decades, researchers warn
Since the dawn of the antibiotic age, opportunistic pathogens have evolved defenses faster than humans can develop drugs to combat them.
At the same time, humans have unwittingly given the bugs an advantage through the overuse of antibiotics, allowing pathogens that survive their exposure to pass on their resistant traits.
Now, a new report ...Read more
Healthy Men: Important month for men's health
Dear Healthy Men: I just found out that September is both Suicide Awareness and Prostate Cancer Awareness Month. What do we need to know about those two issues?
A: Prostate cancer and suicide are among the top 10 causes of death for males. Let’s take a closer look at both:
Prostate Cancer
Only biological males have a prostate, and one in ...Read more
Decades of national suicide prevention policies haven't slowed the deaths
If you or someone you know may be experiencing a mental health crisis, contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by dialing or texting “988.”
____
When Pooja Mehta’s younger brother, Raj, died by suicide at 19 in March 2020, she felt “blindsided.”
Raj’s last text message was to his college lab partner about how to divide homework...Read more
Alpha Blocker Treatment Is Prescribed Based On Symptom Index
DEAR DR. ROACH: I'm a 73-year-old male in good health. I'm starting to show signs of prostate troubles. I have trouble starting to urinate, and the stream stops and starts, usually at night before bed and first thing in the morning for some reason. When do doctors prescribe an alpha blocker such as Flomax (tamsulosin)? -- R.
ANSWER: That's ...Read more
Inside Health Advice
Popular Stories
- New COVID-19 XEC variant circulating just before fall
- Mayo Clinic Q and A: Lifespan vs. healthspan
- Billions of people are missing these 7 key nutrients, study says
- Lara Williams: Yes, bats carry disease. They also make us healthier
- Former Outcome Health exec Ashik Desai, star witness in trial, sentenced to 7 months in prison