In the short term, it seems that social media could be helpful in creating supportive networks for people with poor mental health. But in the long term, it depends on how we start to challenge societal perceptions of the issue. If nothing changes, then at least be prepared for challenges ahead.
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For all the regulation of what's written in direct-to-consumer health ads (and for all the hand-wringing about informed consent), there's little said about what patients understand. As it turns out, health literacy is a problem. And those with the biggest problems are looking for help in all the wrong places.
When it comes to muscle, and its memory, could it be that it's just like remembering how to ride a bike?
The name has nothing to do with fish, but there is a relationship with pigs. Salmonella actually refers to a species of bacteria that inhabit the intestines of people and animals, along with a large variety of other bacteria.
Rep. Ocasio-Cortez, who fancies herself a visionary, challenged her critics to come up with an alternative to the Green New Deal. It wasn't very hard to do. Not only that, when the Fox Business Channel read Dr. Alex Berezow's plan, they invited him to discuss it on television last night. So he did. And here's his proposal.
We hear a great deal about blood sugar while talking about diabetes. But the problems triggered by it have another common theme.
The adverse effects on patient safety from poor hospital scheduling and staffing are well known. This occurs when there's a shortage of experienced physicians and health professionals at work during non-standard hours. Maternal health is the latest focus.
The Lancet is a highly respected biomedical journal that's taken an odd turn toward sensationalism and clickbait. That is troubling. Here's what we've been noticing.
The fact that Ethan Lindenberger is over 18 years of age cannot be glossed over here. When dealing with minors -- which this teen by legal definition is not -- the terrain can get murky.
Eating at Panda Express recently in Seattle, it was hard not to notice that after just a few bites some diners found their forks to be completely bent out of shape. A quick look at the handle revealed why: It was marked "compostable."
Overlapping surgery increases a surgeon's efficiency. But it comes at too high an expense: the denigration of our the surgeon's role, as well as an unwarranted emphasis on technique over care.
If someone were to lick your face in the subway, there's a pretty good chance you'd take offense. Yet, we see people getting their faces licked by dogs on the street rather commonly. What gives? Is dog saliva "cleaner" than the human kind? No, it's not. Just different.
Insurance providers use big sticks. They call them co-payments and high deductibles, used to try and lower their costs. Yet, when they try the carrot of rewards -- using actual dollars -- we have little interest.
A recent bus crash reminds us that all episodes of impaired driving are not due to overdose.
Some science positions are so well-supported by data that every literate adult should embrace them. For those who reject facts, an appeal to emotion with funny pictures and clever text can sometimes work to persuade. So, let's celebrate some of our favorite pro-vaccine memes.
In the science wars, some positions are so well-supported by mountains of data ("vaccines are safe and effective"), that every literate adult should embrace them. Alas, they do not. For people who reject facts, an appeal to emotion might work. Hence, the meme. It's simply a matter of reality that memes with funny pictures and clever text go viral, while the latest research paper from the Journal of the American Medical Association does not. So, let's celebrate pro-vaccine memes.
Honey doesn't treat erectile dysfunction. If it does, it might be spiked with Viagra.
Drug discovery is a long, arduous process. Chemists and biologists have been eternally looking for methods to shorten it by trying to differentiate between chemical compounds that simply pop up in a test and those that have promise as drugs. Chris Gerry, a Harvard graduate student in Prof. Stuart's Chemistry & Chemical Biology group, describes a new, elegant where DNA is used to test "good" molecules, trillions at a time.
Inappropriate requests bombard physicians constantly. And identifying honorable ones from the more nefarious diverts substantial time away from patient care.
Wine lovers have probably experienced this. When opening a bottle there can be a smell similar to one of a damp basement or wet dog. But there's nothing wrong with the wine. Instead, there's a trace chemical that leaked out of the cork, which confuses your olfactory receptors into thinking that the vino is fino. Yet it is not ruined. And now, here's a chemistry lesson from hell.
Bad headlines are ... bad. Sometimes they're bad enough that they screw up the story to the point where the headline says one thing and the paper, study or story says another. The folks at the Hospital For Special Surgery in New York did just that, by issuing a press release which suggested that Tylenol is useful for pain following hip replacement. But the study says no such thing. In fact, another study says it's useless.
The coroner's report on the tragic death of a teenage girl last year in a Montreal suburb was just released. What was at first speculation now proves to be true.
Expectant parents are bombarded with costly propositions. Diverting attention to all the "what ifs" can be distracting, as compared to "what actually is." Storing their infant's cord blood can be preoccupying. But is it worth it?
Most of you are familiar with lithium batteries and the drug for bipolar disorder. But did you know it used to be put in soda for hangovers, and it saved the lives of the Apollo 13 astronauts? You don't? Better keep reading.
A cure for herpes? Finally? Synergy Pharmaceuticals claims it has one. The FDA did not agree. Who's right? Take a wild guess.
U.S. Senator Kristin Gillibrand (D-NY) has officially announced her plans to run for president in 2020. Part of her platform is women's health. Yet, her recently announced (and totally misguided) plans for "solving" the "opioid crisis" will disproportionately hurt women, an irony that Gillibrand obviously missed.
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