A new study presented Monday at the annual Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) in Boston suggested the potential of an anti-HIV gel in protecting rectal tissue cells from infection with the virus that …
Medicine
How Being a Jerk Shortens Your Life
Beware jocks and mean girls: you may be more popular in high school, but according to a new academic paper, it is the smart kids and conscientious glee-club types who will live longer. Not only that, they will suffer fewer …
Another Reason to Skip the Soda: High Blood Pressure
There’s plenty of evidence that guzzling sugared drinks like sodas can harm your health. The extra calories can lead to obesity and contribute to heart problems and diabetes. Now researchers say the sweet beverages may boost …
Measles Exposure Follows an Unvaccinated Passenger’s Flight Pattern
Here’s what can happen when you don’t get vaccinated for a highly communicable disease, then take a series of overseas and transcontinental flights.
Pediatricians Group Urges a Ban on Teens at Tanning Salons
Bad news for GTL‘ers-in-training: the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) wants to ban teens from using UV tanning beds.
Good News, Guys: Spikes in PSA Don’t Mean Prostate Cancer
The National Comprehensive Cancer Network and the American Urological Association currently recommend that men who have a spike in prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels get a biopsy to test for prostate cancer — even if their …
Stress Doesn’t Hurt Chances of Success with IVF
Of all the factors that infertile couples worry about, they can now stop worrying about one: worry. It turns out that stress and tension, while detrimental to overall health, may have little impact on couples’ chances of …
The Hot Flashes of Menopause May Protect Women’s Hearts
A new study suggests that women who experience intense menopausal symptoms like hot flashes and night sweats may actually have a health advantage — they may be protected from heart disease, stroke and even death years after the Change.
Bruesewitz v. Wyeth: What the Supreme Court Decision Means for Vaccines
Vaccine injury is a tricky thing to prove — medically and legally. So it was inevitably controversial when the Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday against the parents of Hannah Bruesewitz, 18, who suffered seizures and permanent …
Major Triggers of Heart Attack: Alcohol, Coffee — and Sitting in Traffic
We all know that high cholesterol, obesity and high blood pressure can increase the risk of having a heart attack. On the behavioral side, triggers include getting angry, exerting yourself and feeling stressed. But none of these …
Why Mammograms Are Less Effective Among Breast Cancer Survivors
Sometimes, even in medicine, where it’s all about evidence, we slip and take some things for granted. Such as, for instance, the fact that women who have survived breast cancer should get regular mammogram screenings, so they …
Cheers! More Evidence that Moderate Drinking Is Good for Your Health
Knocking back a drink after work may help keep your heart healthy, according to two meta-analyses from scientists at the University of Calgary. Overdoing it, however, can be dangerous to health, increasing the risk of heart …
5 Easy Ways to Reduce Your Cell Phone Exposure
A new government-funded study found that cell phone radiation can cause measurable changes in brain activity. Whether those changes are good, bad, cancerous or none of the above is unknown, but it doesn’t hurt to reduce your …