Author: admin_ZTY1ZjN

Birth control pills have been safely used in the US (and sold only by prescription) for more than half a century. Just this past summer, the FDA approved Opill, the first daily contraceptive pill intended for sale over the counter. This offers many more people access to a new nonprescription option for preventing pregnancy. Opill…

Headaches are very common in children and teens. In fact, more than half will suffer from headaches at some point, and by 18 years the majority of adolescents have had them. And while most headaches are part of a viral illness, some are migraines. In fact, recurring migraines affect as many as one in 10…

You may have heard recent news reports about a company that knowingly sold defective lead testing machines that tested tens of thousands of children between 2013 and 2017. Or wondered about lead in tap water after the widely reported problems with lead-contaminated water in Flint, Michigan. Reports like these are reminders that parents need to…

It’s no secret that the typical American diet isn’t very healthy. Only about one in 10 American adults eats the recommended daily amount of fruit (1-1/2 to 2 cups) or vegetables (2 to 3 cups). These dietary shortfalls are even more pronounced among people in lower income groups. And the health impacts are substantial: In…

One of the many underappreciated things about the human body is that it has a lot of excess capacity. That is, our organs have more reserve than most of us will ever need. It’s as if our bodies were designed with the idea that we might need backups in case of illness or injury. And…

Nearly a century ago, surgeons developed what is still considered the gold-standard treatment for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), an age-related affliction that occurs when an enlarged prostate obstructs the flow of urine. Offered to men who don't respond to BPH medication, this procedure, called a transurethral resection of the prostate, or TURP, involves trimming excess…

If you’ve ever dealt with diarrhea, you know how quickly it leaves you feeling depleted. Now imagine a case that rages on and on — or comes back again and again. This is the reality for nearly 500,000 Americans each year who have the bacterial infection known as Clostridioides difficile, or C. diff. Virulent diarrhea…

On average, how many hours do you sleep each night? For most healthy adults, guidelines suggest at least seven hours of slumber. But these are general recommendations and not strict rules. “Some people need less than seven hours, while others might need more,” says Eric Zhou with the Division of Sleep Medicine at Harvard Medical…

The news these days is overwhelming in its awfulness. Acts of terrorism, wars, and heated conflicts constantly erupt throughout the world. Climate change looms, contributing to wildfires and flooding. Incomprehensible shootings occur with numbing regularity. The pandemic seems to be shifting from an immediate threat to health to an endemic illness — yet it’s still…

When I took up running in college, a friend of mine scoffed at the idea. He hated running and was convinced runners were “wearing out” their joints. He liked to say he was saving his knees for his old age. So, was he onto something? Does running really ruin your joints, as many people believe?…