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Atlanta struggles to meet MLK’s legacy on health care

While public safety commissioner Bull Connor's police dogs in 1963 attacked civil rights protesters in Birmingham, Ala., leaders in Martin Luther King Jr.'s hometown of Atlanta were burnishing its reputation as "the city too busy to hate."

4 Apr 2018

Women with type-1 diabetes face tough situation after giving birth

Holding a newborn baby - and, at the same time, dealing with a blood sugar level that is fluctuating like never before. For some women with type-1 diabetes, the situation right after giving birth is overwhelming, and they need more support, according to research at Sahlgrenska Academy, Sweden.

4 Apr 2018

Older Americans are hooked on vitamins despite scarce evidence they work

When she was a young physician, Dr. Martha Gulati noticed that many of her mentors were prescribing vitamin E and folic acid to patients. Preliminary studies in the early 1990s had linked both supplements to a lower risk of heart disease.

4 Apr 2018

Study finds connection between obesity and sociodemographic, economic characteristics

Nearly 70 percent of the U.S. adult population meets the definition of overweight or obese, but a new study by University of Arkansas researchers shows the problem isn't randomly distributed across the country. Instead, obesity is concentrated in areas with social and demographic factors that create what researchers term an "ecology of disadvantage."

4 Apr 2018

Medicare Advantage plans cleared to go beyond medical coverage — even groceries

Air conditioners for people with asthma, healthy groceries, rides to medical appointments and home-delivered meals may be among the new benefits added to Medicare Advantage coverage when new federal rules take effect next year.

3 Apr 2018

Diabetic patients less likely to visit dentist than people with prediabetes or without diabetes

Adults with diabetes are less likely to visit the dentist than people with prediabetes or without diabetes, finds a new study led by researchers at NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing and East Carolina University's Brody School of Medicine.

3 Apr 2018

Many older adults support marijuana use with doctor’s recommendation, poll finds

Few older adults use medical marijuana, a new national poll finds, but the majority support its use if a doctor recommends it, and might talk to their own doctor about it if they developed a serious health condition.

3 Apr 2018

Genetic testing could help guide blood-thinner treatment after stent placement

Using genetic testing to inform which blood thinner to use following a procedure to open narrowed blood vessels resulted in significantly fewer complications among patients, according to new research in Circulation: Genomic and Precision Medicine, an American Heart Association journal.

3 Apr 2018

Psychiatrist stays close to home and true to her childhood promise

Dr. Yamanda Edwards, the daughter of a truck driver and a stay-at-home mom, grew up just a few miles from Martin Luther King/Drew Medical Center, at the time an iconic yet troubled hospital in South Los Angeles.

3 Apr 2018

Study finds link between pre-pregnancy fitness and lower risk of gestational diabetes

Expectant mothers who were more fit before pregnancy are at lower risk of developing gestational diabetes, according to a new study from the University of Iowa.

2 Apr 2018

Medicaid minus stigma: In Indian country, it’s part of the fabric of life

On a crisp sunny day, Tyson Toledo, a precocious 5-year-old boy, hobbled into a private health clinic to have his infected foot examined.

2 Apr 2018

Staying alive: How to fight an opioid addiction

If you or a loved one wants to beat an opioid addiction, first make sure you have a handy supply of naloxone, a medication that can reverse an overdose and save your life.

2 Apr 2018

Getting better prepared to treat in-flight medical emergencies

"Ladies and gentlemen, is there a physician on board?" The flight attendant on a flight from Rwanda to Turkey made the announcement no one wants to hear, and Rachel Zang, MD, an Emergency Medicine resident at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, jumped into action.

31 Mar 2018

Time’s running out: The frail in Puerto Rico face end of hurricane relief programs

Straddled across Ausberto Maldonado’s backyard in Bayamon, a suburb of San Juan, is a nagging reminder of Hurricane Maria’s destructive power.

30 Mar 2018

Plastic surgery done in developing countries can carry substantial risks of complications

Patients traveling to developing countries for plastic surgery procedures may experience severe complications—requiring extensive and costly treatment after they return to the United States, reports a study in the April issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

30 Mar 2018

Alfred Blalock’s medical breakthroughs have been saving many lives

The year was 1925, and Alfred Blalock was already a failure at age 26. The born-and-raised Georgian earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Georgia in 1918, then a medical doctorate from Johns Hopkins University four years later. But he didn't get the surgical residency he coveted at Hopkins; he ended up interning in urology instead.

29 Mar 2018

New review explores potentially safer therapies for treating chronic abdominal pain

An estimated 2 million people in the U.S. are addicted to prescription opioids- powerful doctor-prescribed medications for chronic or severe pain. The drugs are commonly prescribed to treat gastrointestinal pain caused by conditions such as Crohn's disease and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), raising the risk of addiction among this population.

29 Mar 2018

Study provides broader picture of problems faced by stroke victims

A new study looks at what problems affect people most after a stroke and it provides a broader picture than what some may usually expect to see.

29 Mar 2018

Single high-fat meal can set the stage for cardiovascular disease

A single high-fat milkshake, with a fat and calorie content similar to some enticing restaurant fare, can quickly transform our healthy red blood cells into small, spiky cells that wreak havoc inside our blood vessels and help set the perfect stage for cardiovascular disease, scientists report.

29 Mar 2018

Tackling Hand Hygiene Barriers in Healthcare

Hand hygiene is critical to preventing the spread of infection in hospitals. Current methods are outdated, and new technologies are expensive. Zoono's products offer an alternative to alcohol-based hand sanitizers that protect the skin's surface for longer.

28 Mar 2018