Here are the latest reports from The Washington Posts ‘To Your Health’.
Uterine cancer risk higher for women with ‘breast cancer gene’ mutation
Women with a mutation in the BRCA1 gene, which is already linked to breast and ovarian cancers, also face a higher risk of a deadly type of uterine cancer, according to a new study. Lead author Noah Kauff, director of Clinical Cancer Genetics at the Duke Cancer Institute, said the study was the first […]
Nation’s psychiatric bed count falls to record low
The number of psychiatric beds in state hospitals has dropped to a historic low, and nearly half of the beds that are available are filled with patients from the criminal justice system. Both statistics, reported in a new national study, reflect the sweeping changes that have taken place in the half-century since the United States […]
Unregulated stem-cell clinics are proliferating across the United States
For years, American “stem-cell tourists” have flocked to unregulated clinics in Mexico, the Caribbean and China in search of everything from heart treatments to facelifts. But now, these kinds of clinics are popping up across the United States. According to a new study, at least 351 companies with 570 clinics are marketing unapproved treatments for conditions […]
First-of-its-kind CDC study finds clues about why only some survive Ebola virus
The most terrifying aspect of Ebola may not be how it kills but how many. In the outbreak in West Africa that peaked in 2014, about half of people infected with the virus survived. Scientists have been mystified about what distinguishes the lucky ones from the less fortunate. Now, for the first time, a study by […]
New study shows chronic fatigue isn’t just in your head. It may have to do with your gut.
Chronic fatigue syndrome, perhaps more than any other disease, has a bad rap. It makes you debilitatingly tired from normal tasks but no amount of rest can help. There’s no blood test or other easily read biomarkers, so many doctors are reluctant to diagnose the condition no matter how bad things get. Scientists have finally shed some […]
Americans were more worried about Ebola than they are about Zika
The global spread of the Zika virus and its links to severe birth defects have yet to worry most Americans, and few are taking measures to limit their exposure to the mosquito-borne disease, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll. Two-thirds of Americans say they are “not too” or “not at all” worried about […]
FDA raises questions about ‘data gaps’ regarding safety, effectiveness of hand sanitizer
The colorful gels have become the front lines in our fight against germs. Antiseptic hand sanitizers in greens, blues and reds are now ubiquitous in schools, workplaces and hospitals. They are must-haves in moms’ pocketbooks. And they have been distributed in West Africa to fight Ebola and in South Korea against Middle East Respiratory Syndrome. Although these products were […]
The world’s smartest computer will help treat 10,000 veterans with cancer
IBM’s supercomputer Watson, known for its “Jeopardy” prowess, is teaming up with the Department of Veterans Affairs in a bid to revolutionize cancer care for veterans. Under the IBM-VA partnership, Watson technology will be provided free for two years to the VA’s precision-oncology program. The artificial intelligence system will analyze genomic information, pinpoint cancer-causing mutations and help […]
A deadly, drug-resistant yeast infection is spreading around the world
U.S. health officials are warning hundreds of thousands of clinicians in hospitals around the country to be on the lookout for an emerging and highly drug-resistant type of yeast that is causing potentially fatal infections in hospitalized patients around the world. Most people are familiar with the garden variety kind of yeast infections that people […]
The days of the dreaded annual pelvic exam for women may be numbered
There’s great news for women who dread that annual pelvic exam (i.e. basically everyone). On Tuesday, a panel made up of medical experts that advise the government said that there’s not enough evidence to support doing them for women who are healthy and not pregnant. The conclusion, issued as a draft recommendation by the U.S. Preventive Services […]
Zika infections last much longer during pregnancy, monkey study shows
New research on monkeys found some good news that could have implications for humans: One infection with the Zika virus protects against future infections. But along with good news were some troubling findings. Researchers at the University of Wisconsin at Madison and Duke University found the virus persisted in the blood of pregnant monkeys for […]
Boston subway study finds no plague or anthrax — but plenty of other lifeforms
If you’ve ever lived in a dense city with a busy subway like New York, Washington or San Francisco (or all three like I have) you probably know enough to be scared of the creatures that inhabit the rumbling underground world. I’m not talking about the smelly guy who stands just a little too close or the chatty […]
More than 5,000 U.S. water systems violated lead-testing rules last year
If you think Flint, Mich., is the only place in the United States threatened by lead-contaminated water, think again. The beleaguered city continues to grapple with the fallout of a drinking-water crisis that exposed its residents — including 9,000 children 6 and younger — to a toxic substance that can cause learning disabilities, behavioral problems and other serious health […]
Dear Tiger Mom, your perfectionist parenting style may be detrimental to your child
Even if you were horrified at the idea of hovering over your child as Amy Chua did in her polarizing 2011 bestseller “The Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother,” I’m betting there was a part of you that looked at her perfect children with at least a tinge of envy. As portrayed in the book, Chua’s magic formula of no playdates, […]
Supreme Court rules against Texas and for science in abortion case
Few issues have left Americans as deeply splintered as abortion. The debate encompasses countless philosophical, religious and legal questions about when life begins, the rights of an unborn fetus and the legal authority of a woman to choose what to do with her body. But in the Texas legislature in 2011, when measures were enacted that imposed new regulations on where, […]
New data show blood lead levels spiked in children in Flint, Mich.
The ill-fated decision two years ago to switch drinking water sources in Flint, Mich., resulted in a sudden spike in the number of young children with elevated blood lead levels, according to data released Friday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Public health officials have long known that the city’s water crisis left nearly 9,000 […]
You have one week to tell the government what to do about cancer
Have an idea about how to make progress against cancer? The federal government wants to know, but the suggestion box closes next Friday. For months, the National Cancer Institute has been gathering research ideas from the public and experts around the country via a special portal, CancerResearchIdeas.cancer.gov. The suggestions are being funneled to seven working […]
‘Brain-eating amoeba’ blamed in teen’s death following church trip
Lauren Seitz, who died of brain-eating amoeba after visiting Whitewater Center, graduated H.S. less than a month ago pic.twitter.com/vZplDF6wyI — Liz Foster (@lizfosterWSOC9) June 22, 2016 It’s referred to as the “brain-eating amoeba.” Naegleria fowleri resides in warm freshwater, hot springs and poorly maintained swimming pools. When the single-celled organism enters a person’s body through the […]
Flu nose spray doesn’t work for children; use shots instead, federal expert panel says
The nasal spray version of the annual flu vaccine failed to protect children last year for the third year in a row and should not be used this coming flu season, federal experts say. The decision represents a change from previous recommendations and could affect pediatricians and other vaccine providers for children who may […]
Google aims to stop terrifying you with its responses when you search medical symptoms
Even if you’re not a hypochondriac by nature, jumping on Google to do some research when you have a mysterious headache or cough has been enough to make you one. For years both patients and doctors have complained about how hard it is to distinguish between real advice and the random ramblings of a complete quack. Google has […]
Federal panel approves first test of CRISPR editing in humans
A National Institutes of Health advisory panel on Tuesday approved the first human use of the gene-editing technology CRISPR, for a study designed to target three types of cancer and funded by tech billionaire Sean Parker’s new cancer institute. The experiment, proposed by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania, would use CRISPR-Cas9 technology to modify […]
Eliminating blood test could safely increase number of donor hearts for transplants, study shows
Elevated levels of the biomarker troponin do not mean an otherwise usable heart is unsuitable for transplantation.
Scientists announce important Zika milestone: First vaccine ready for human trials
Since the World Health Organization declared Zika a public health emergency in February, teams of scientists from all over the world have been attacking the virus from many different angles. They have made advances in understanding the structure of the virus, the historical path of the mosquitoes that carry it and the risk to babies still in the […]
‘We had no hope’: The amazing story of the baby born with his brain outside his skull
Right on schedule, Sierra Yoder went into labor. It was Halloween night, and she was wearing an orange T-shirt with a pumpkin covering her belly. It was embellished with her new son’s name and his expected birth date: “Bentley. Due 10/31/15.” Yoder and her husband, Dustin Yoder, hopped into the car and headed for the hospital — but […]
CDC director: Puerto Rico could see hundreds of Zika-infected babies with microcephaly
The number of people infected with Zika in Puerto Rico is rising at an alarming rate, putting pregnant women at even greater risk of their babies suffering severe birth defects, a top U.S. public health official said Friday. The latest data show that the most accurate, real-time indicator of Zika infection suggests that thousands of […]
Why I decided to speak out about mental illness in front of over 6,000 people
On Thursday afternoon, I had the privilege of sitting down with representatives of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and doing a live Facebook chat about advances in mental illness. It’s a subject that’s both professionally and personally important to me. My focus as a member of the health, science and environment team is […]
CDC: 6 pregnancies in Zika-infected women resulted in birth defects
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