My elderly friend has a serious clutter problem. Her apartment is so stuffed that it is hard to get around. No treatment has helped her. Could you explain this problem and is there any help for her?
A CRP blood test for heart disease risk does not add much to the other information doctors use. A review of 52 previous studies found this result. The studies included 240,000 people. None of the people had cardiovascular disease. The test was helpful in less than 2% of people. A CRP test is a blood test. It measures inflammation in the body. Inflammation may lead to narrowing of blood vessels. This can increase a person’s risk for heart attack or stroke. People most likely to benefit from heart-disease screening are those at medium risk. But in that group, regular CRP tests prevented only 1 heart attack or stroke for every 400 to 500 people screened. The study was published October 4 in the New England Journal of Medicine.
People who take drugs called beta-blockers aren’t always helped by them, a study has found. The study included more than 20,000 adults. All had either stable heart disease or just risk factors for heart disease. Beta-blockers did not appear to help any of the groups. In people with risk factors only, beta-blocker treatment slightly increased the risks for heart attack, stroke and death from heart disease. The authors of the study call for randomized clinical trials to help define which patients would benefit from taking beta-blockers. The study was published October 2 in the online version of the Journal of the American Medical Association. Science News, HealthDay News and other media wrote about it.
I’ve been on antacids for 2 years. I have a lot of gas and my stools are not properly formed. What’s happening?
A new virus has infected two men. One died, and the other is in critical condition. The new virus is similar to the SARS virus, researchers say. The SARS virus was identified in 2003. The new virus does not appear to spread easily from person to person. Its genes have already been examined. It is closely linked to bat viruses. But it also could have come from sheep, camels or other animals. Both men were infected in the Middle East. They were infected months apart, however. Scientists are now looking for the virus in animals.
I have a sharp pain on the left side of my face that comes and goes. It occurs on and off. What might this be? Is there a cure or treatment?
Sometimes the skin on my hands has completely peeled away, leaving a very soft layer of new skin. This has happened a few times of the course of the last few years. Was wondering if this is some type of fungus or virus?
Many kids are exposed to at least 4 hours of TV every dayâeven if they aren’t watching. Researchers did the study using phone interviews. They talked to 1,454 families. Each had at least one child between the ages of 8 months and 8 years. Children in the study were exposed to 4 hours of TV a day. Younger children were exposed to even more. So were African-American children and low-income children. Parents may think that having the TV on in the background is okay, even if they know that a lot of TV watching isn’t good. Experts recommend no TV for kids under 2. They say that older kids should have no more than 2 hours a day of TV, computer and video game time. The background TV study was published in the journal Pediatrics. USA Today wrote about it October 1.
I’ve been taking temazepam nightly for three months. My doctor is afraid I’ll become dependent. Do you have any suggestions?