The governor of Maine signed a bill on Monday that will expand access to abortions in the state by allowing health care professionals who are not physicians to perform the procedure. Gov. Janet Mills, a Democrat, said in a statement that the measure “will ensure that Maine women, especially those in rural areas, are able…
Severe asthma refers to asthma that does not respond well to regular asthma treatments, such as inhaled corticosteroids and inhaled bronchodilator medications. More than 26 million people in the United States have asthma. Severe asthma is relatively uncommon, generally affecting 5–10% of people with asthma. Those with severe asthma usually find their symptoms difficult to…
Image Kim Chambers, a champion open-water swimmer, covered with lanolin and zinc in 2016.CreditJason Henry for The New York Times Skin cancer is the most common malignancy in the United States, affecting more than three million people each year. Using sunscreen is one mainstay of prevention. But the recent news that sunscreen ingredients can soak…
How did you sleep last night? If you’re over 65, I hope it was better than many others your age. In a study by the National Institute on Aging of over 9,000 Americans aged 65 and older, more than half said they had difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep. Many others who believe they spend…
A 13-year-old patient recently talked to me about the amount of time he spends playing video games (plenty) and about his weight (heavier than he wants, and on the rise). I asked about exercise, and he told me proudly that he rides his bike a lot, now that the weather is good. And then, of…
Dietary supplements for weight loss, energy, sexual function or muscle building are popular among young people. But they led to 1,392 adverse event reports in people under 25 from 2004 to 2015, with more than 40 percent of them severe or even fatal. A 1994 law prohibits the Food and Drug Administration from screening supplements…
Mild traumatic brain injuries can result in long-term cognitive issues. According to research in mice, a new, low-intensity form of magnetic stimulation could be the first effective treatment for these injuries. Current research points to a possible new therapy for brain injury. A traumatic brain injury (TBI) can be mild or severe, but each case…
The chickenpox vaccine not only protects against chickenpox: A new study has found it also lowers the risk for shingles. Shingles, sometimes called herpes zoster, is a painful nerve infection and rash that can occur after recovery from a case of chickenpox or after immunization with the vaccine. It is more common in older people…
Researchers may have found a way to stop cancer cells from defending themselves against chemotherapy. In a new mouse study, blocking a DNA repair pathway prevented cancer cells from surviving or becoming resistant to treatment. Researchers screened 10,000 drugs and found a compound that boosts cisplatin. Graham Walker, the American Cancer Society Research Professor of…
Overall mortality rates continue to decline, according to the most recent Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer. Cancer mortality has declined, but certain demographic groups are more at risk than others. This report, which appears in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, was a joint effort among the National Cancer…