Tag: disease & illness

What #Doctors Think About #Gargling With Salt #Water When You Have A Sore Throat
Health

What #Doctors Think About #Gargling With Salt #Water When You Have A Sore Throat

When you were a kid, being stuck at home when you were feeling under the weather had its perks. You’d get to cozy up on the couch and watch “The Price Is Right,” and your mom would make you chicken soup to help your cold symptoms and let you have a popsicle to soothe your aching throat. But not all of your mom’s remedies were as tasty. Exhibit A: salt water. Moms around the world love mixing up that warm salt water for their kids to gargle, claiming it helps soothe the pain of a sore throat. Was mom right? Or have children been suffering through this yucky tasting remedy for generations? Guess what? Your mom was right. Gargling those salty concoctions is recommended by doctors and backed by research. The Science Behind a Sore Throat A sore throat, also called pharyngitis, can b...
Celiac Disease #Vaccine In Clinical Trials Would Let People Eat #Gluten Again
Life

Celiac Disease #Vaccine In Clinical Trials Would Let People Eat #Gluten Again

Celiac Disease Vaccine In Clinical Trials Would Let People Eat Gluten Again For years, people with celiac disease have lived with the knowledge that there’s no cure for this autoimmune condition, and the only treatment is a strict gluten-free diet. Now, there’s a good reason for people with celiac disease to hope for both a cure and the ability to eat gluten safely again. ImmusanT, the makers of Nexvax2, announced they’ve started phase-two clinical trials for the vaccine, which is designed to protect people with celiac disease from inadvertent gluten exposure and, ultimately, could “allow patients to return to an unrestricted diet,” ImmusanT CEO Leslie Williams said in a release about the clinical trials. Here’s what you need to know:  fluidPlayer("video-id");...
#Women Who Wake Up Early Have A Lower Risk Of Breast #Cancer, According To New Research
Life

#Women Who Wake Up Early Have A Lower Risk Of Breast #Cancer, According To New Research

This is an important read. Women who are naturally early risers were found to have lower risk of developing breast cancer than evening types in a new study. One in 100 women who considered themselves morning people developed breast cancer, compared with two in every 100 women who called themselves evening people. Cancer risks associated with a person’s body clock and sleep patterns have been reported in previous research and the UK researchers wanted to explore sleep traits in more detail, as well as any genetic factors underlying this. Self-reported preferences for mornings or evenings were recorded in more than 180,000 women, led by Dr. Rebecca Richmond, research fellow in the Cancer Research UK Integrative Cancer Epidemiology Program and the Epidemiology Unit at the Universit...
FDA No Longer Allows Synthetic Flavoring Substances Common In Ice Cream, Cereal And Cand
Food

FDA No Longer Allows Synthetic Flavoring Substances Common In Ice Cream, Cereal And Cand

Many of your favorite snacks will be experiencing a shakeup soon. Do you have a sweet tooth and enjoy treats with flavors like mint, citrus and cinnamon? Well, many of your favorite snacks will be experiencing a shakeup soon. On Oct. 5, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration removed its approval of seven synthetic flavoring substances and flavor enhancers because they are carcinogenic to animals. The additives that are no longer allowed are benzophenone; ethyl acrylate; eugenyl methyl ether; myrcene; pulegone; and pyridine. (The seventh banned substance, styrene, is no longer in use by the industry but is nevertheless being added to the list.). If you take a look at food labels in your pantry, you probably won’t find these specific ingredients listed. According to the Environmental D...
Pret A Manger Will Label Its Food After Girl’s Death Caused By Allergic Reaction
News

Pret A Manger Will Label Its Food After Girl’s Death Caused By Allergic Reaction

Pret A Manger Will Label Its Food After Girl’s Death Caused By Allergic Reaction If you have food allergies, you'll want to read this. Pret a Manger will list all its ingredients, including allergens, on freshly made products following the death of a 15-year-old girl who had an allergic reaction to a sandwich containing sesame seeds, to which she was allergic. Natasha Ednan-Laperouse fell ill on a British Airways flight to Nice, France after buying an olive tapenade and artichoke baguette from a branch of Pret a Manger at London Heathrow Airport. She died later of anaphylactic shock, a UK medical coroner ruled last week. Pret a Manger Chief Executive Clive Schlee said in a statement that the fast-food chain was “deeply sorry” for her death and hopes the food-labeling measures...
1 In 20 Deaths Globally Is A Result Of Alcohol Use
Life

1 In 20 Deaths Globally Is A Result Of Alcohol Use

This is an important read. Over 3 million people died from alcohol consumption in 2016, equating to 1 in 20 deaths globally, according to a new report by the World Health Organization. More than 75 percent of these deaths were among men, says the report, published Friday. The largest cause of death — 28 percent — was due to injuries. This was followed by 21 percent of deaths due to digestive disorders and 19 percent due to cardiovascular diseases. The remaining causes of death were infectious diseases, cancers, mental disorders and other health conditions attributable to drinking alcohol. “The alcohol consumption level continues to be very high,” said Dr. Vladimir Poznyak, WHO’s Management of Substance Abuse coordinator. “All countries can do much more to reduce the health and so...
Pediatricians Are Urging Parents To Get Their Kids The 2018 Flu Shot ASAP
Health, News

Pediatricians Are Urging Parents To Get Their Kids The 2018 Flu Shot ASAP

Here's what pediatricians have to say. It’s time to call your pediatrician. All children should get a flu shot as soon as it becomes available this season, preferably before the end of October, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends in a policy statement published Monday. It also emphasizes that the shot is preferred over the nasal mist.“Everyone over 6 months of age should get their flu vaccine before Halloween,” said Atlanta pediatrician Dr. Jennifer Shu, who is a member of the academy but was not involved in the new recommendations. “Don’t go trick-or-treating unless you’ve had your flu shot.” Many pediatricians will be offering their patients both the standard flu shot and FluMist nasal spray. The flu shot contains dead influenza virus strains, while the nasal spray contains...
What You Need To Know About Chagas Disease, A Dangerous Infection Caused By ‘Kissing’ Bugs
Health, News

What You Need To Know About Chagas Disease, A Dangerous Infection Caused By ‘Kissing’ Bugs

This is scary—here are the symptoms to watch out for. A parasite called the “kissing bug” is spreading a dangerous infection that can lead to heart problems in some people who get it. In August, the American Heart Association released a statement about Chagas disease, which is caused by an infection from a parasite known as Trypanosoma cruzi (T cruzi). About one-third of those infected with Chagas disease go on to develop chronic heart disease. Chagas disease is spread through the feces of an infected blood-sucking insect known as a triatomine, colloquially called the “kissing bug.” The infection enters a person’s skin through the bite site or in the eyes, nose or mouth. According to the World Health Organization, scratching or itching at the bite site helps the infection get into t...
This Boy With Terminal Cancer Got Racing Stickers For His Casket And The Chance To Drive A Race Car
Inspiration, News

This Boy With Terminal Cancer Got Racing Stickers For His Casket And The Chance To Drive A Race Car

He also requested racing stickers for a special sendoff. Caleb Hammond is just 11 years old and facing terminal cancer. Diagnosed with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia at the age of 9, he and his family recently decided to stop treatment for his illness because it was no longer helping. Facing the end of his young life, Hammond had one wish — to cover his casket in racing stickers. After hearing about the boy’s request, the racing community responded, sending Hammond so many stickers that his family now says he has more than enough and have asked that no more stickers be sent. Here are some of the stickers he received from Go Fas Racing: Thank you to everyone who has sent us or tagged us in Caleb's story. We'll be sending him a package with some stickers and a personalized ...
New Cervical Cancer Screening Guidelines De-emphasize Pap Smears
Health, News

New Cervical Cancer Screening Guidelines De-emphasize Pap Smears

New cervical cancer screening guidelines have been released by the U.S. Preventative Service Task Force,  and they may be welcomed as good news by many: fewer Pap smears. According to the new guidelines published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), women between the ages of 21 and 29 should get a Pap smear every three years, while women between the ages of 30 and 65 can get a human papilloma virus (HPV) test every five years in lieu of a Pap smear, a Pap smear every three years or a combination every five years. Additionally, the task force says that women over age 65 who have had adequate testing in the past and have no other risk factors do not need to be tested, and women under age 21 do not need to be tested either. Although the change may sound confusin...