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Type 2 diabetes: Which medication is best for me?
If you are living with Type 2 diabetes, you certainly are not alone. One in 10 people in the U.S. has diabetes, according to the CDC. However, despite considerable progress in diabetes treatment over the past 20 years, fewer than half of those with diabetes actually reach their target blood sugar goal.
In part, this may be because doctors can ...Read more
Mayo Clinic Q&A: Advances in ablation for prostate cancer
DEAR MAYO CLINIC: My husband was diagnosed with prostate cancer, and we are looking at treatment options. One doctor suggested a prostatectomy, but my husband finds ablation appealing because of quality of life advantages. I’ve been reading about ablations and came across information about different techniques. I am wondering if one technique ...Read more
From Hear to There
A small study suggests that older adults with hearing loss may also be less physically active. Researchers looked at nearly 300 adults, ages 60 to 69, and found that those with hearing loss reported nearly 35 minutes of more sedentary activity each day than those without hearing loss.
They also reported that the hearing-impaired had 30 fewer ...Read more
Editorial: Rubio calls it 'crazy nonsense.' To Black and brown people, health inequity is dead serious
In one short tweet Tuesday, Florida's senior senator, Marco Rubio, managed to dismiss the idea that racial and social inequities exist in health care in this country.
And he did it during a pandemic that has disproportionately harmed minorities. Talk about tone deaf — and hurtful.
"The American Medical Association has fallen victim to the ...Read more
You'd think COVID gives smokers a reason to quit. But many did the opposite
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Valerie Howard thought smokers in Missouri had a big incentive to quit this past year: the fear of dying from COVID-19.
"But I think in some cases the converse happened," said Howard, Tobacco Control Program manager for the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.
"People were really struggling, there was a lot ...Read more
Another COVID vaccine option? Here's what we know about the Novavax shot that's on the way
Novavax, a Gaithersburg, Maryland-based pharmaceutical company, reported Monday that its coronavirus vaccine was highly effective against COVID-19 infections after testing in about 30,000 people.
The trial included about 500 people followed by the University of Maryland School of Medicine, and the results from the United States and Mexico ...Read more
The benefits of even minimal weekly activity
Arnold Schwarzenegger got back to exercising regularly after his 2018 emergency open-heart surgery. The 72-year-old goes to Gold's Gym at 7 a.m. every day. Midday, he takes a 45-minute bike ride. In the evening, he does an at-home workout.
Be inspired! Set a goal of 150 minutes a week if you're a workout novice. Most folks are. Only 23% of U.S....Read more
Colonoscopy is still the best screening test for colon cancer
DEAR DR. ROACH: I have a colonoscopy scheduled for mid-May. I spoke with the physician assistant, and she read me the warnings about possible punctures and possible bleeding afterward. With a puncture, she said a colostomy bag is required for three to four months. If there's bleeding afterward, they must go back into the colon to stop it.
She ...Read more
Lost sleep because of the pandemic? More people turning to doctors, new treatments to help cure newfound insomnia
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – As the country emerges from the pandemic, South Florida doctors say they are flooded with patients who are battling sleep disorders.
Some people can’t get back on a normal sleep schedule after working from home and staying up late. Others gained weight and their airway obstruction worsened. Then, there is a group ...Read more
Preventing diabetes adds years to your life
Chris Rock knows how to get to the point: "You know, some people say life is short and that you could get hit by a bus at any moment and that you have to live each day like it's your last. Bull****. Life is long. You're probably not gonna get hit by a bus. And you're gonna have to live with the choices you make for the next 50 years."
With the ...Read more
Find the right med and dosage to treat protein S deficiency
DEAR DR. ROACH: My father was diagnosed with protein S deficiency, but there isn't much information on it. I'm unable to find a doctor who specializes in it or even knows about it. His health is declining fast, and we are thinking it might be linked to this. The amount of Lovenox he has to inject daily is equivalent to an ICU patient needing ...Read more
Colorado bill aims to give farmworkers easier access to medical care
SAN LUIS VALLEY, Colo. — A woman with pregnancy complications needed permission from her boss to visit a doctor. Community health volunteers were turned away from delivering food and COVID-19 information to worker housing. A farmworker had a serious allergic reaction but was afraid to seek treatment.
To Nicole Civita, policy director with ...Read more
Ask the Pediatrician: Does my unvaccinated child still need to wear a mask?
Q: Does my unvaccinated child still need to wear a mask if the rest of our family has gotten their shots?
A: New guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says people who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 no longer need to wear masks indoors or outdoors in most cases. But we realize that families with children who are not...Read more
Breast cancer patients face insurance denials that complicate recovery: 'The emotional toll was enormous'
PHILADELPHIA – It had been a long four years since that July night when Marianne Sarcich first felt the lump in her right breast as she toweled off from a shower.
Breast cancer.
The cancer was caught early enough that it had not spread to other parts of her body, but doctors said she would need a mastectomy to remove the breast and the ...Read more
Protein amount, not source, key to increasing your muscle mass
"The Game Changers" is billed as a documentary about meat, protein and strength. The mission: to show folks that for many professional athletes, a vegan or vegetarian diet gives them an edge over their competition, and it can do the same for you in the gym, on the field, at work and at home. As the vegan strongman Patrik Baboumian says: "When ...Read more
Beta blockers are important meds for coronary artery disease
DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a very active 66-year-old male who had three stents put into my right coronary artery about 10 years ago after I had two heart attacks. I have not had any problems since then. I am restoring a 1966 GTO convertible, which includes many days of heavy work and have had no chest pains, shortness of breath or any problems.
I ...Read more
Women now drink as much as men -- and are prone to sickness sooner
Victoria Cooper thought her drinking habits in college were just like everyone else’s. Shots at parties. Beers while bowling. Sure, she got more refills than some and missed classes while nursing hangovers, but she couldn’t have a problem, she thought.
“Because of what my picture of alcoholism was — old men who brown-bagged it in a ...Read more
Nutrition News: Fiber Benefits
Fiber Benefits
Want to make a simple change that will help you have a healthier diet? Eat more fiber. Most of us simply aren't eating enough.
A recent five-year study presented at the American Society for Nutrition's annual conference found just 7.4% of U.S. adults met the Institute of Medicine's recommended daily intake of 14 grams of fiber ...Read more
Consumer Health: Treating cluster headaches
June is Migraine and Headache Awareness Month, which makes this a good time to learn more about one of the most painful types of headache: the cluster headache.
Cluster headaches occur in cyclical patterns or cluster periods that can last from weeks to months. During a cluster period, headaches usually occur daily, sometimes several times a day...Read more
Mayo Clinic Q And A: Viral skin bumps that are a common occurrence in childhood
DEAR MAYO CLINIC: My 7-year-old son developed a small pink bump on his arm recently. Soon we started noticing more on his back and under his arms. His pediatrician said they were called "molluscum," and we didn't have to do anything about them. But I am worried about them spreading to his little sister. What are these spots, and should I be ...Read more
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