My mom is 70 years old. She has a (non-smoking) cough that only goes away after she eats. Every time she starts coughing, she knows that she is hungry and must eat to make the coughing stop. Why is this happening?
I recently had a blood test. I was told everything is normal except for a high level of iron in my blood. What are the risks of a high iron level? How can I lower my iron level?
Because of the rapid pace of brain development in preschoolers, particular care must be used when prescribing them medications for psychiatric conditions or disorders. Psychotherapy should be attempted before prescribing any medication.
The recommended two shots against mumps don’t always prevent the disease, a study suggests. In 2006, nearly 6,600 people became sick with mumps. Most cases were in eight Midwestern states. Most were college students. The study checked on their vaccination history. Of those who knew their history, 84% had had two shots. Experts said they didn’t expect immunity to fade so quickly, the Associated Press reported April 10. The study was done by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state health departments. It was published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
A study found that a medication called topiramate helped heavy drinkers reduce their dependence on alcohol.
Older people with macular degeneration are more likely to experience depression, but those who received problem-solving therapy to help them adapt to and cope with their condition were less likely to develop depression.
A review of studies on chronic fatigue syndrome found that cognitive behavioral therapy may be an effective treatment for the disorder.
People suffering from anorexia nervosa fight the body’s instinctive urge to eat. Challenges to treatment include permanent changes in the brain due to prolonged starvation, and providing treatment in a manner that is sympathetic rather than punitive.
Some people metabolize certain psychiatric medications too quickly, while others do so too slowly. Factors that can affect this include ethnicity, medical history, other medications being taken, diet, and lifestyle.
Drugs for two common conditions may increase the risk of fragile bones and fractures, new studies report. One study looked at the diabetes drugs pioglitazone and rosiglitazone. People who used one of these drugs for at least a year were more than twice as likely to break a bone. The fractures occurred with low impact, such as a simple fall. The other study included young women who took phenytoin, a drug for epilepsy. They lost bone density eight times as fast as other young women. Reuters Health reported on the diabetes drugs April 29. The study was in the Archives of Internal Medicine. HealthDay News wrote about the epilepsy drugs April 28. The study was in the journal Neurology.