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Alcohol use disorder can be treated with an array of medications – but few people have heard of them

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

More than 29.5 million Americans ages 12 and up had alcohol use disorder – the medical term for the disease commonly known as alcoholism – in 2022, when the most recent national data was published.

The condition is characterized by a pattern of heavy alcohol consumption with loss of control over drinking despite negative social, ...Read more

DREAMSTIME/TNS

Timesaving tips for cooking healthy meals

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Living a busy, fast-paced life can make it hard to find the motivation to cook a healthy meal at home.

However, learning some shortcuts in the kitchen can keep your healthy eating goals on track and help you avoid grazing on unhealthy snacks, grabbing the first thing you see in the fridge or going out for fast food.

Why cook at home?

...Read more

Allison Pellegrin/KFF HEALTH NEWS/TNS

Medicaid 'unwinding' decried as biased against disabled people

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Jacqueline Saa has a genetic condition that leaves her unable to stand and walk on her own or hold a job. Every weekday for four years, Saa, 43, has relied on a home health aide to help her cook, bathe and dress, go to the doctor, pick up medications, and accomplish other daily tasks.

She received coverage through Florida’s Medicaid program ...Read more

DYLAN SLAGLE/The Baltimore Sun/TNS

Virtual medicine: How has telehealth improved the lives of people with substance disorders?

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

From the driver's seat of his parked truck, Lewis recalled what it felt like to take opioids.

He was prescribed Vicodin after getting his wisdom teeth removed at age 15, he says, which jumpstarted an addiction he's battled for nearly two decades. (Lewis' last name has been omitted for concerns regarding his medical privacy.)

"I just remember ...Read more

Stockcreations/Dreamstime/TNS

Diabetes Quick Fix: Southwestern Chicken Burgers with Tortilla Salad

Health Advice / Health Advice /

Spicy tomato salsa gives these light, juicy chicken burgers a hint of the Southwest.

Look for ground chicken made from chicken breast meat only. If it says ground chicken, then skin, fat and dark meat may have been added.

Helpful Hints:

Be sure to drain the salsa to keep the hamburgers from being too wet to retain their shape.

Any type of ...Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

Mayo Clinic Minute: Perimenopause and menopause

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Menopause marks a significant transition for women, yet understanding its precursor, perimenopause, and its symptoms can be complex.

Dr. Stephanie Faubion, director of Mayo Clinic's Center for Women's Health and medical director of The Menopause Society, says experiencing perimenopause and menopause can be confusing for some. She says it is not...Read more

Noam N. Levey/KFF Health News/TNS

Why one New York health system stopped suing its patients

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Jolynn Mungenast spends her days looking for ways to help people pay their hospital bills.

Working out of a warehouse-like building in a scruffy corner of this former industrial town, Mungenast gently walks patients through health insurance options, financial aid, and payment plans. Most want to pay, said Mungenast, a ...Read more

Alexandra Malyk/Dreamstime/TNS

Ask the Pediatrician: Why do infants need baby formula instead of cow's milk?

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Many parents ask why they can't feed their baby regular cow's milk instead of breast milk or formula.

There are two main reasons: Infants cannot digest cow's milk as completely or easily as they digest breast milk or baby formula. More importantly, cow's milk is not a source of complete nutrition for babies under age 1, since it does not ...Read more

Are your reflux medications giving you a headache?

In 1959, Bristol-Meyers advertised its buffered over-the-counter pain reliever with the catchy phrase: "Don't trade a headache for an upset stomach." Fast-forward almost 65 years and researchers from the University of Maryland are asking, "Are you trading an upset stomach for a headache?"

Their new study reveals that common drugs taken for acid...Read more

Alect2 Has A Better Prognosis Than Other Types Of Amyloidosis

Health Advice / Keith Roach /

DEAR DR. ROACH: I recently saw a friend who had been diagnosed with ALECT2 amyloidosis, a form of chronic kidney disease that is not well-understood but is considered fatal. Her illness was first misdiagnosed. She is in her late 60s and seems to be aging gracefully. She never was a heavy drinker or a substance abuser, and she's not diabetic. ...Read more

As bird flu spreads to dairy cows, Minnesota's raptors show signs of building remarkable immunity

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

A little barred owl looked up from the crux of Dana Franzen-Klein's elbow, stared the veterinarian in the eye and, in as tough and menacing of a posture as he could muster, clicked his beak. The injured bird was a baby, maybe a month old. His click was a warning, that despite being a puffball barely bigger than Franzen-Klein's palm, he would ...Read more

Boomers have a drug problem, but not the kind you might think

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Baby boomers – that’s anyone born in the U.S. between 1946 and 1964 – are 20% of the population, more than 70 million Americans. Decades ago, many in that generation experimented with drugs that were both recreational and illegal. Although boomers may not be using those same drugs today, many are taking medications, often several of ...Read more

RJ Sangosti/The Denver Post/TNS

Philly health officials detect a veterinary sedative more powerful than xylazine in drug samples

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

PHILADELPHIA — The animal tranquilizer xylazine's spread into Philadelphia's illicit opioid supply has introduced new hazards to an already-dangerous drug crisis, sending people in addiction into intense blackouts and leaving them with severe skin wounds.

Now, another veterinary sedative more potent than xylazine has emerged. The discovery of...Read more

Scott Olson/Getty Images North America/TNS

What is bird flu? Is it just an animal thing, or can people catch it?

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

ATLANTA — Bird flu continues to pose a low risk to the general public according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

It is rare for humans to get bird flu and currently, most cases of bird flu in people around the globe are linked to direct contact with an infected animal ― mostly birds.

But scientists are paying close ...Read more

Andrey Popov/Dreamstime/TNS

On Nutrition: Do calories really count?

Health Advice / Nutrition /

A recent column about my husband and I trying to shed a few vacation pounds brought these responses:

“I read your article about counting calories after a trip to Texas. I can totally relate. In 2016, I started an Excel spread sheet and kept track of each calorie. I dropped from 275 to 231 (pounds)," said Red in York, Nebraska.

"Four ...Read more

Does Weight Or Size Play A Part When Dosing Medicine?

Health Advice / Keith Roach /

DEAR DR. ROACH: I watch several programs about zoos on TV. When they are dealing with animals, the weight/size of the animal always seems to come into play when medicating them. This applies whether it's an initial tranquilizer dart, anesthesia, or follow-up medications like antibiotics and steroids.

Why then does my adult friend who weighs ...Read more

New recommendations for managing glucose levels

Only about half of folks with Type 2 diabetes have their blood sugar under control and regularly achieve an A1C of 7% or less. That puts them at increased risk of complications such as retinopathy and kidney disease. The reasons for lack of control range from poor nutritional and exercise habits to insufficient response to prescribed medication....Read more

Tab1962/Dreamstime/TNS

What military doctors can teach us about power in the United States

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Power is invisible, but its effects can be seen everywhere — especially in the health records of active duty military personnel.

By examining details of 1.5 million emergency room visits at U.S. military hospitals nationwide, researchers found that doctors invested significantly more resources in patients who outranked them than in patients ...Read more

Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun/TNS

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore signs bill requiring mental health training for public high school, college coaches

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

BALTIMORE — It’s a right of passage into Mike Locksley’s Maryland football program to participate in the ‘3 H’s’ meeting. Newcomers stand before teammates, coaches and staff to share about their hero, a highlight of their life and a hardship. It’s one of a few crucial Terps mental health touchpoints.

Head coach always goes first. ...Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

Mayo Clinic Minute: Advances in minimally invasive kidney stone surgery

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Most small kidney stones can pass on their own. However, kidney stones that are too large to pass on their own or cause bleeding, kidney damage or ongoing urinary tract infections may require surgical treatment. In this Mayo Clinic Minute, Dr. Aaron Potretzke, a Mayo Clinic urologist, explains some of the different surgical options for removing ...Read more