Walnuts may be the healthiest nut of all

By Dr. Robert H. Shmerling, M.D.
Posted on November 12, 2018

Q: I am trying to eat more nuts as part of my effort to eat healthier. Is one kind of nut healthier than others? buy flomax online flomax online no prescription online pharmacy buy cellcept online no prescription A: Many studies have found that people with higher nut consumption have improved cardiovascular risk factors and lower rates of cardiovascular disease. For example, several... READ MORE

Lifting barriers to living organ donation

By Lauran Neergaard
Posted on November 09, 2018

Surgeons turned down Terra Goudge for the liver transplant that was her only shot at surviving a rare cancer. Her tumor was too advanced, they said — even though Goudge had a friend ready to donate, no matter those odds. “I have a living donor. I’m not taking away from anyone. I’m trying to save my own life,” she pleaded. Finally, the Los Angeles woman found a hospital on the... READ MORE

Choose the right mental health provider

By Dr. Adam P. Stern
Posted on November 08, 2018

When faced with mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety or other symptoms of the mind and brain, it can be difficult to know where to find the best care. In part, the challenge of finding the right professional for you stems from the highly variable manner in which mental health concerns can emerge. One person’s depression, for example, may be very different than... READ MORE

Never ignore pain after hip replacement

By Rafael J. Sierra, M.D.
Posted on November 07, 2018

Dear Mayo Clinic: Six years ago, at age 67, I had my right hip replaced. I’d been feeling fine until about eight weeks ago, when it started to hurt toward the front of my hip when I lifted my right leg. The pain is quite significant — to the point where it hurts every time I get in my car or attempt to put on socks. What could be causing this to happen? Answer: There are a number... READ MORE

Don’t miss out on the flu vaccine this year

By Mike Stobbe
Posted on November 06, 2018

An estimated 80,000 Americans died of flu and its complications last winter — the disease’s highest death toll in at least four decades. The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. Robert Redfield, revealed the total in a recent interview with the Associated Press. Flu experts knew it was a very bad season, but at least one found the size of the estimate... READ MORE

Medicare open season; upgraded website

By Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar
Posted on November 06, 2018

With Medicare sign-up season in full swing, Medicare has modernized its website to make it more useful for beneficiaries already accustomed to searching online for insurers, hospitals and doctors. But some consumer advocates said the changes reflect a subtle bias toward private plans on the part of the Trump administration. Medicare Administrator Seema Verma said new features include... READ MORE

More women may benefit from bone drugs

By Marilynn Marchione and Lindsey Tanner
Posted on November 05, 2018

A bone-strengthening drug given by IV every 18 months greatly lowered the risk of fracture in certain older women, a large study found. The results suggest these medicines might help more people than those who get them now, and can be used less often, too. Broken bones are a scourge of aging. A hip fracture can start a long decline that lands someone in a nursing home. The risk is most... READ MORE

Is medical marijuana for you?

By Barbara Ruben and Robert Friedman
Posted on November 05, 2018

Washington Beacon Two years ago, Scott Deiter ruptured several discs in his neck. Four neck surgeries later, “between the residual pain from the surgeries and daily migraines, I really couldn’t function because of the pain,” he said. Deiter felt opioid pain medication impaired him too much to work, so he turned to cannabis “in desperation.” “It worked the first time ... READ MORE

Ways to avoid hospital-related infections

By Christian Ruiz
Posted on October 22, 2018

Q: I’m getting a procedure done at the hospital soon, and I’m afraid of getting an infection while I’m there. Is there anything I can do? A: Infections you can develop while inside hospitals or other medical settings — including doctors’ offices, rehab facilities or nursing homes — are called healthcare-associated infections, or HAIs. They could come from germs that enter... READ MORE

Did you know these benefits of prunes?

By Suzy Cohen
Posted on October 18, 2018

Almost everyone knows what prunes are for: They help you get going! Your parents probably kept them in the kitchen and offered them to you when you were a constipated kid. Prunes are, of course, just dried plums. They’re fruits of the tree species Prunus domestica, hence the name. More recently, for purely marketing reasons, they have begun to be called “dried plums,” which... READ MORE