‘Instant’ chicken takes the pressure off

By Melissa D’Arabian
Posted on June 12, 2018

Not a day goes by that I don’t get a recipe request or question about the Instant Pot. So, dear readers, today is the day for my starter recipe for you Instant Pot (Multi-Pot, etc.) fans. I’ll start by pointing out that we are really talking about here is an automated, easy-to-use electric pressure cooker. I hear a collective sigh of recognition from a whole generation of... READ MORE

Going for the gold at the Senior Games

By Catherine Brown
Posted on June 12, 2018

Hundreds of older adults braved buckets of rain last month to give their all to competing in the Virginia Senior Games. At multiple locations, more than 1,300 men and women participated in 68 events spread over 18 different sports, including pickleball, swimming, cycling, racquetball, and track and field. This is the 40th year the Virginia Recreation and Park Society has presented the... READ MORE

Spouses help spot skin cancers early

By Lindsey Tanner
Posted on June 11, 2018

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

By Dawn Davis
Posted on June 08, 2018

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

By Marilynn Marchione
Posted on June 07, 2018

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

By Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar
Posted on June 06, 2018

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

By Dr. Howard LeWine
Posted on June 05, 2018

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: buy amitriptyline online amitriptyline online no prescription buy orlistat online orlistat online no prescription 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... READ MORE

Can too much gambling make you ill?

By Howard J. Shaffer
Posted on June 04, 2018

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

By Barbara Ruben
Posted on June 04, 2018

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

By Robert Friedman
Posted on May 29, 2018

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