The common cold is most often spread by direct contact with the respiratory secretions of someone who is infected, usually through hand-to-hand contact or touching contaminated surfaces. Washing hands frequently and avoiding people who are sick are the best ways to prevent catching or spreading a cold.
Eating more plant-based protein (especially when it replaces red or processed meat) may lower the risk of death from heart disease and cancer.
For older people, intensive blood pressure control may help preserve their brain function in addition to lowering their risk of heart attack and stroke.
Whole grains and seeds contain many healthful nutrients. Eating them has been linked to a wide range of health benefits, including lowering blood pressure, blood sugar, and blood cholesterol and reducing chronic inflammation.
Drugs that discourage blood clots (commonly called blood thinners) don’t actually make the blood less viscous. The two main types of these drugs, anticoagulants and antiplatelet drugs, interfere with different blood components involved in clot formation. Anticoagulants treat blood clots in the legs and lungs and are also prescribed to people with atrial fibrillation. Antiplatelet drugs are used to prevent heart attacks and strokes and to treat people who receive stents.
Heart palpitations are defined as an awareness of a strong, rapid, or irregular heartbeat. They are among the most common reasons people consult general internists and cardiologists. Most brief rhythm disruptions are harmless, such as those caused by an earlier-than-usual contraction of the heart’s upper chambers (atria) or lower chambers (ventricles). These are often perceived as either a skipped beat or a pounding or flip-flopping sensation. A fluttering sensation in the chest may suggest an unusually fast heart rate, which can result from an electrical misfire in the upper part of the heart and may require treatment.
Providing genetic testing for all women diagnosed with breast cancer is not only cost-effective, but could save numerous lives, according to a new study.
Replacing just one sugary drink each day with water may reduce your risk of diabetes, according to a new study.
Hormone therapy is linked to a higher risk of breast cancer. A new study shows that risk is higher with both estrogen-only hormone therapy and progesterone-estrogen combination therapy. In addition, women who take hormones for a longer time have a higher risk of developing breast cancer. If a woman opts to take hormone therapy, it should be for as short a period as possible to manage symptoms.
As reported online Oct. 2, 2019, by Molecular Cell, a Harvard team was able to use the gene editing tool CRISPR to kill certain viruses, including the influenza virus, in a laboratory dish.