Posts in category: Uncategorized

The federal COVID-19 pandemic protections that have largely prohibited states from dropping anyone from Medicaid since 2020 helped millions of low-income Americans retain health insurance coverage—even if they no longer qualified—and brought the U.S. uninsured rate to a record low.

Spring is around the corner, which means the beginning of berry season. Berries can be a great source of potassium and vitamins C and K, and can also promote a healthy gut. While berries are among the healthiest foods to eat, if not stored properly, they can get mushy and grow mold. But a little bit of mold doesn’t necessarily mean the whole batch goes to waste.

Colorectal cancer is a cancer of the lower digestive system, which includes the colon and the rectum. If you feel like you are hearing a lot about this topic lately, it’s because March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. The goal is to increase awareness and encourage people 45 and over to get screened. And that doesn’t just mean a colonoscopy.

An artificial pancreas originally developed at the University of Virginia Center for Diabetes Technology improves blood sugar control in children ages 2 to 6 with type 1 diabetes, according to a new study. Details of the clinical study and its findings have been published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

There’s good news for those with multiple sclerosis (MS). A new study has found that female participants were no more likely to have a flare-up of the disease after receiving fertility treatments than they were before their treatments. The study is published in the March 15, 2023, online issue of Neurology Neuroimmunology & Neuroinflammation. Earlier studies had shown conflicting results. The study also found a link between the use of MS medications and a lack of increase in relapses during fertility treatments.

Physical exercise can help to improve the severity of movement-related symptoms and the quality of life in people with Parkinson’s disease. Findings from the first Cochrane review of the available evidence has found that any type of structured exercise is better than none. The work is published in Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.

For some people receiving methadone for treatment of opioid use disorder (OUD), the co-use of opioids and stimulants such as cocaine is an issue. Now, a new study led by Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers found that bupropion, an antidepressant medication also used for smoking cessation, may help people stop using cocaine while in treatment for OUD.

Did you set a New Year’s resolution to kick a bad habit, only to find yourself falling back into old patterns? You’re not alone. In fact, research suggests up to 40% of our daily actions are habits—automatic routines we do without thinking. But how do these habits form, and why are they so difficult to break?

A plumber who shows up to fix a leaking toilet with a single tool is not likely to succeed. The same is true if a mental health professional offers only one approach for a complex problem like depression.

From the widespread outbreak of mpox (formerly called monkeypox) in 2022, to the evolving bird flu situation, to recent cases of Marburg virus in Equatorial Guinea, COVID isn’t dominating the headlines as much as it used to. Instead, we’ve been regularly hearing about outbreaks of newly emerging or re-emerging viruses.