Spouses help spot skin cancers early
There’s an extra bonus to marriage for melanoma patients: They tend to be diagnosed in earlier more treatable stages than patients who are unmarried, widowed or divorced, a new study found. Spouses may be apt to notice suspicious moles on their partners that could signal melanoma — the most dangerous type of skin cancer. More importantly, they may also be more inclined to nag their... READ MORE
Untreated warts can spread to other people
Dear Mayo Clinic: Can an untreated wart on my hand spread to another person? Is treatment for it necessary if it’s small and doesn’t bother me? Answer: If left untreated, it is possible for warts to spread, and for the virus that causes warts to be passed to another person. Fortunately, most adults have developed immunity to the viruses that cause warts. Because of this,... READ MORE
Immune therapy works well for lung cancer
For the first time, a treatment that boosts the immune system greatly improved survival in people newly diagnosed with the most common form of lung cancer. It’s the biggest win so far for immunotherapy, which has had much of its success until now in less common cancers. In the study, Merck’s Keytruda, given with standard chemotherapy, cut in half the risk of dying or having the... READ MORE
Hospitals must post care prices online
Medicare will require hospitals to post their standard prices online and make electronic medical records more readily available to patients. The program is also starting a comprehensive review of how it will pay for costly new forms of immunotherapy to battle cancer. Seema Verma, head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said the new requirement for online prices... READ MORE
Pros and cons of do-it-yourself gene test
Q: I am considering ordering a genetic test to see if I am at risk for cancer or Alzheimer’s disease. What are the pros and cons? A: That’s a question many people are asking now that the FDA has given the green light to third-party direct-to-consumer (DTC) test kits that look for genetic risk information. A DTC test is a sort of do-it-yourself genetic fact finder. The tests, which ... READ MORE
Can too much gambling make you ill?
This might come as a surprise, but it’s true. You can become addicted to gambling just like you can become addicted to alcohol or other drugs. For most gamblers, betting on the outcome of a sporting event, lottery drawing, casino table game, or any event with an outcome determined by chance represents an entertaining recreational activity. However, for some, gambling can become an... READ MORE
Fitness programs for everyone
Stuart Engle raises his fists, encased in bright red boxing gloves, and slugs a punching bag. Once, twice, a third time, then rocks back on his heels. His sweat-soaked T-shirt reads “Never underestimate an old man with boxing gloves.” But here in this gym in Gaithersburg, Md., he and the 15 others present aren’t fighting each other. Rather, they say, they are fighting Parkinson’s ... READ MORE
A touching new profession
Annie Hopson of Ellicott City worked as a certified massage therapist for over 20 years. But she noticed that some clients seemed to yearn for something more. “In my massage practice, I encountered people who were touch hungry,” she said. “They would have been better served by being held rather than kneaded” — but in a platonic way. And then Hopson discovered the growing... READ MORE
Daily multivitamins not usually necessary
Q: Should I take a daily multivitamin? A: This may come as a surprise, but for healthy adults, the use of a daily multivitamin is generally not recommended. Research has not been able to show that taking multivitamins in supplement form can prevent illness. Vitamins are important, but the best sources of them are the foods we eat. The federal 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans ... READ MORE
Turn ‘my’ retirement into ‘our’ retirement
Dear Solutions: Since I retired, my wife keeps making appointments for us to go places and do things constantly. I told her that I worked very hard, and now I just want to stay home and listen to my music, read, relax and do nothing. So now, she doesn’t say anything during the day but just goes out all day. The problem is that as soon as we get into bed at night she starts... READ MORE
Health 2024
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