Time for an honest conversation on narcotic pain killers
When I started working as a medical resident, in 2004, I heard from a patient I had inherited from a graduating resident. The patient had an appointment scheduled in a couple weeks. "But I need your help now," he said. He was a former construction worker who had hurt himself on the job a couple of years earlier. "I also...For Ironman, inspiring others more important than winning
Ramsey Saab.DEARBORN — He didn’t know how to swim, so he learned. He bought a bike. He ran. He set out to finish a grueling 140-mile race — and he did. Ramsey Saab, a 35-year-old customer manager for a global software company, recently completed his first Ironman — a triathlon that challenges participants with a 2.4-mile...
Healthy holiday eating guide
December 24th, 20150 If there’s one thing we all know about the holidays, it’s that there will be food. Lots of food. Desserts, candies, dips, cheeses, meat trays, cracker displays, appetizers and cookies. And truth be told, you most likely don’t have visions of celery sticks dancing in your head. You’ve probably heard that the average...Isis Pharma changes ‘unfortunate’ name to avoid confusion
After deliberating for most of the year, Isis Pharmaceuticals Inc said it would change its name to avoid being confused with the Islamist militant group known as ISIS.The biotechnology company said it would be called Ionis Pharmaceuticals Inc from Dec. 22 and also changed its stock exchange ticker symbol to "IONS" from "ISIS". "It's been...Early detection decreases chance of death from lung cancer
Lung cancer is typically asymptomatic in early stages and is usually diagnosed in advanced stages when the chances of a cure are lower. With effective treatment, only 15 to 16 percent of all patients diagnosed in various stages of lung cancer manage to survive five years. There are four stages of lung cancer: from early, when...U.S. teens smoked, drank, used drugs less in 2015
A decades-long decline in teenage drinking and smoking continued in 2015 and use of some drugs by eighth-graders and high school students also fell, while marijuana consumption extended a five-year flat trend, according to results of a study released on Wednesday.Teen cigarette smoking fell to its lowest level since the University of...More than one in 10 U.S. kids have ADHD as diagnosis rates surge
(Reuters Health) - More than 10 percent of U.S. children have been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), reflecting a surge in recent years particularly among girls and minority groups, a new study finds. Spikes in diagnoses among girls, Hispanics and older kids may be the result of better screening and...Moderate coffee drinking may be tied to lower risk of death
People who drink coffee daily, even up to four cups per day, are less likely to die from heart disease, neurological disease, type 2 diabetes or suicide than others, according to a new study. Researchers did not test how upping coffee consumption would change health outlooks, so they cannot conclude that coffee "causes" a decreased...Study: Men may eat more when women are watching
"People should calm down when eating with members of the opposite sex"If women are prone to “eat like a bird” when men are watching, men may be similarly programmed to “eat like a horse” when women are around, suggests a small U.S. study by behavioral scientists.Researchers observed diners at an all-you-can-eat Italian buffet...Red meat linked to increased stroke risk
Red meat – but not other types of protein - is linked to an increased stroke risk, and the odds go up the more meat people eat, a recent study suggests.Researchers analyzed data on about 11,000 middle-aged people who didn’t have other risk factors for strokes such as diabetes or heart disease, and followed half of them for...Michigan safest state to have prostate biopsy
The Michigan Urological Surgery Improvement Collaborative (MUSIC) and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan released findings that show Michigan is the safest state to have a prostate biopsy. Using the unique Collaborative Quality Initiative (CQI) model, they reduced the post-biopsy infection rate in Michigan to 0.6%. The national average...UNICEF: Cholera spreads from Iraq to Syria, Kuwait, Bahrain
A cholera outbreak in Iraq has spread to neighboring Syria, Kuwait and Bahrain and risks turning into a region-wide epidemic as millions of pilgrims prepare to visit the country, UNICEF's Iraq director said. The disease, which can lead to death by dehydration and kidney failure within hours if left untreated, was detected west of...Pop linked to increased heart failure risk
Men who drink two or more glasses of pop or other sweetened drinks a day may have a greater risk of heart failure, a Swedish study suggests. Previous research has linked high consumption of sugary beverages with several risk factors for heart failure, including high blood pressure, high blood sugar, weight gain, diabetes and obesity,...Most tobacco-using teens start with flavored products
(Reuters Health) - A survey of teen smokers has added more evidence that flavored tobacco products are particularly attractive to people younger than the legal smoking age.Cigarettes can include menthol flavoring, and other tobacco products like hookah are available in wide variety of flavors.“Consistent with national school-based...Mediterranean diet linked to healthier aging brain
(Reuters Health) - Following a Mediterranean diet rich in fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, fish and healthy fats may preserve a more youthful brain in old age, a U.S. study suggests. Previous research has connected a Mediterranean diet to a reduced risk of developing Alzheimer's disease and other degenerative brain......
Perceived discrimination linked to smoking and poor diet
Feeling like the target of discrimination may increase a person’s odds of harmful behaviors like smoking, eating fatty foods and getting less sleep, a study of African-Americans suggests. Researchers examined the connection between discrimination and these unhealthy habits among almost 5,000 African-American residents of the...Study: Young people on antidepressants more prone to violence
Young people taking antidepressants such as Prozac and Seroxat are significantly more likely to commit violent crimes when they are on the medication, but taking higher doses of the drugs appears to reduce that risk, scientists said on Tuesday. In research published in the journal PLOS Medicine, the scientists wrote that while their...McDonald’s to use only cage-free eggs by 2025
McDonald's Corp.'s 16,000 U.S. and Canadian restaurants will serve only eggs laid by cage-free chickens within 10 years, the company said on Wednesday. McDonald's USA has been buying more than 13 million cage-free eggs annually since 2011. The long-awaited switch is happening as North American egg suppliers are slowly starting to...California Assembly approves assisted suicide bill
SACRAMENTO, Calif — A hard-fought measure to legalize physician-assisted suicide in California cleared the State Assembly on Wednesday, despite opposition from religious groups and advocates for the disabled, and moved to the state Senate, where it was widely expected to gain final passage. The measure, patterned after an Oregon law......
Women, minorities still underrepresented in medical specialties
Diversifying the physician workforce may be key to addressing health disparities and inequities, Dr. Curtiland Deville of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, who worked on the study, said in an email."Minority physicians continue to provide the majority of care for underserved and non-English speaking populations,” Deville...Study: Depression not contagious, but happiness spreads among friends
COVENTRY, England — Researchers found that while depression does not spread among friends, happiness is contagious in circles of friends and may be the key to treating and preventing depression. Parents have long been wary of friends who have a bad influence on their children. Using a mathematical model to study teenagers' influence......
Study: Walking while texting slows you down
Texting while driving is clearly a bad idea, but it may be dangerously distracting while walking, too, a new study suggests. Researchers asked 30 people to navigate an obstacle course three times and found they were significantly slower while texting and walking than when completing the route without any distractions. When the...Music boosts recovery from surgery, reduces pain
Listening to music before, during and after surgery reduces patients' pain, eases anxiety and lessens the need for painkillers, British scientists said on Thursday. After reviewing evidence from around 7,000 patients, the scientists said people going for surgery should be allowed to choose the music they'd like to hear to maximize the......