Program lets hospital patients heal at home

A new program lets hospital patients get care in their home. The goal is to cut costs without sacrificing quality care. CBS News chief medical correspondent Dr. Jon LaPook reports.

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/video/program-lets-hospital-patients-heal-at-home/

Young coder builds app to help people with Alzheimer's

Emma Yang started coding when she was about 6 years old, and used her skills when her grandmother started showing signs of Alzheimer's. As Jim Axelrod reports, her idea has even gotten the attention of Bill Gates.

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/video/young-coder-builds-app-to-help-people-with-alzheimers/

Young coder builds app to help people with Alzheimer's

When Emma Yang's grandmother started developing Alzheimer's disease, she decided to create an app that would help jog her memory

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/young-coder-sparks-timeless-memories-for-people-with-alzheimers/

New program lets hospital patients heal at home

Instead of staying in the hospital, patients are sent to their homes for treatment following a visit to the emergency room

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/new-program-lets-hospital-patients-heal-at-home/

Did Robin Williams' suicide spur "copycat" deaths?

A new study looks at whether the actor's grim death could have spawned a rash of copycat suicides

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/did-robin-williams-suicide-spur-copycats/

WEN Case Spurs Call for Beauty Product Regs

As WEN hair care products remain on the market despite thousands of complaints, lawmakers push for new regulations on beauty products.

From: https://www.webmd.com/beauty/news/20180207/wen-case-spurs-call-for-beauty-product-regs?src=RSS_PUBLIC

"Ganja yoga" mixes mindfulness and marijuana

New trend in fitness catches on in states where pot is legal

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/ganja-yoga-states-where-pot-marijuana-legal/

Chemical found in McDonald's fries promotes hair growth in lab mice

Scientists in Japan say their research in mice could someday lead to a new method to treat hair loss -- and one of the ingredients they're using is also found in McDonald's fries.

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/video/chemical-found-in-mcdonalds-fries-promotes-hair-growth-in-lab-mice/

Heart Meds Not to Blame for Impotence, Study Says

The nearly six-year study found no link between the drugs and the development of erectile dysfunction.

From: https://www.webmd.com/infertility-and-reproduction/news/20180207/heart-meds-not-to-blame-for-impotence-study-says?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Looking to Bats for Clues to Longevity

In humans and most other animals, telomeres shorten with age, causing aging-related breakdown of cells that lead to tissue deterioration and ultimately death.

From: https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/news/20180207/looking-to-bats-for-clues-to-longevity?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Attitude About Aging May Affect Odds for Dementia

The protective link was seen even among people who carried a gene variant called APOE4, which raises the risk for dementia.

From: https://www.webmd.com/healthy-aging/news/20180207/your-attitude-about-aging-might-affect-odds-for-dementia?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Defibrillators May Do More Harm to Kidney Patients

The chances of being hospitalized for heart failure were 49 percent greater for kidney disease patients with an implanted defibrillator than for those who did not have the device, according to the study by researchers from Kaiser Permanente and the University of Washington.

From: https://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/heart-failure/news/20180207/defibrillators-may-do-more-harm-to-kidney-patients?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Herbal Drug Kratom Contains Opioids, FDA Says

Nearly all of kratom's major compounds bind to opioid receptors in the human brain, and two of the top five most prevalent compounds activate those receptors, FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said in a statement.

From: https://www.webmd.com/pain-management/news/20180207/herbal-drug-kratom-contains-opioids-fda-says?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Fewer Americans are getting herpes

A number of shifting trends in sexual behavior may explain it, experts say

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/fewer-americans-are-getting-herpes/

Opioid "alternative" kratom actually contains opioids, FDA says

FDA analysis makes it more likely that the supplement kratom, which has been linked to 44 deaths, could be banned by the federal government

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/kratom-herbal-supplement-opioid-alternative-actually-contains-opioids-fda-says/

What is Genomic Sequencing?

From: Mayo Clinic https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JUu1WqidC4

Could the Deadly 1918 Flu Pandemic Happen Again?

It's "100 percent" certain that another global flu crisis will happen, said Dr. Greg Poland, a virologist and vaccine researcher with the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.

From: https://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/news/20180207/could-the-deadly-1918-flu-pandemic-happen-again?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Do OTC Painkillers Alter Emotions, Reasoning?

The studies focused on how nonprescription painkillers might temporarily alter emotions such as empathy, or even a person's reasoning skills.

From: https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/news/20180206/do-otc-painkillers-alter-emotions-reasoning?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Mayo Clinic Minute: Heart-healthy diet for women

From: Mayo Clinic https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WyQ4y1Brlc

Vaccinations: More than just kid stuff

Follow me on Twitter @RobShmerling

This is the time of year when it’s important to think about flu vaccinations. And there’s good reason for that! The flu causes thousands of preventable hospitalizations and deaths each year.

But what about other vaccinations? Do you think of them as something for kids? You aren’t alone. And it’s true, a number of vaccinations are recommended for young children as well as preteens and teenagers. These vaccinations have provided an enormous benefit to public health by preventing diseases that were common and sometimes deadly in the past, including polio, rubella, and whooping cough.

But there are several vaccinations recommended for healthy adults as well. And over time, these recommendations change. Here is a quick rundown.

Vaccinations for adults

According to the CDC, adults should consider receiving vaccinations to prevent

• influenza (during the fall and winter)
• tetanus
• a certain type of bacterial pneumonia (called pneumococcal pneumonia)
• shingles

In addition, adults should have vaccinations to prevent a number of infections if they were not received during childhood. Examples include the MMR vaccine (for measles, mumps, and rubella), HPV (human papilloma virus), chickenpox, and hepatitis.

Additional or earlier vaccinations may be recommended if you have certain medical problems, such as having an immune system weakened by illness or medications.

New recommendations

Mumps

In recent years, cases of mumps have spiked in the US. In 2015, there were about 1,300 cases reported. In 2016, the number jumped to more than 6,300. And as of November 2017, more than 4,600 cases were diagnosed. College campuses have been particularly prone to outbreaks. Mumps threatened to disrupt graduation at Harvard University in 2016, and recently Syracuse University, the University of Missouri, SUNY New Paltz, and Tufts University have reported outbreaks. We haven’t seen numbers like this since routine measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) immunizations began in the 1970s.

Although mumps is usually more of an annoyance than a serious illness, in some cases it may cause hearing loss, encephalitis (inflammation of the brain), and even death.

The rise in cases of mumps is not necessarily due to people not getting recommended vaccinations. The fact is, protection provided by vaccinations tends to wane over time. As a result, an expert panel has recommended that those at high risk for mumps get a booster shot. This includes anyone who has been in contact with someone who developed mumps. Others at higher than average risk include young adults ages 17 to 21 who spend time in close quarters, such as college students, church groups, and sports teams.

Shingles

Shingles is a re-activation of chickenpox, so anyone who had chickenpox in the past is at risk. Many who don’t recall having chickenpox have been exposed to the virus that causes it and are at risk as well.

Symptoms of shingles include an itchy, burning rash over a patch of skin lasting up to 10 days. Complications include vision loss (if the skin near the eye is affected), pneumonia, and chronic pain in the area of the rash (called post-herpetic neuralgia). Shingles tends to occur in older adults, affecting an estimated one in three people over a lifetime.

Since 1995 a vaccination has been available for chickenpox, so the incidence of shingles should fall dramatically in future generations. But in 2006, a vaccine was approved to prevent shingles for those who already had chickenpox. More than 20 million people have received this vaccine.

In October 2017, a new and more effective shingles vaccine called Shingrix was approved, leading an expert panel to recommend that people over age 50 get this new shingles vaccine even if they’ve already had the old one. As a next step, the CDC will review this recommendation and issue its own guidelines. Health insurance coverage for this new vaccine may vary, so it’s worth checking on that before getting it.

How to keep track of your vaccinations

It can be hard to remember which vaccinations you’ve had and when. Your primary care doctor should keep a running list in your medical record. But it’s a good idea to keep your own list. Each time you get a vaccination, put it in your smartphone or keep an updated record on your computer. There are apps and programs that can make it easy, but I just enter each vaccination I receive in my cellphone’s Contacts list under “Health Information.”

Keep in mind that no matter how hard you try to follow recommendations regarding adult vaccinations, the recommendations may change over time. So, at your routine checkups, ask your doctor if you should receive any vaccinations. It might be the most important thing you can do for your health.

The post Vaccinations: More than just kid stuff appeared first on Harvard Health Blog.

From: Robert H. Shmerling, MD https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/vaccinations-for-adults-2018020713223

Fewer Americans Are Getting Herpes

Roughly 12 percent of adults were infected with genital herpes (HSV-2) in 2015-2016, down from 18 percent in 1999-2000, a new government report found.

From: https://www.webmd.com/sexual-conditions/news/20180207/fewer-americans-are-getting-herpes?src=RSS_PUBLIC

ADA persuades CDC to revise handpiece infection control recommendations

Responding to an urgent request from the ADA, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has revised its guidelines regarding infection control for newer types of handpieces, agreeing that dentists can follow manufacturers' recommendations for reprocessing handpieces that cannot be autoclaved.

From: By David Burger
https://www.ada.org/en/publications/ada-news/2018-archive/february/ada-persuades-cdc-to-revise-handpiece-infection-control-recommendations

Chemical in McDonald's fries may promote hair growth

Japanese researchers' finding may be promising, but downing more fries won't do the trick if you're bald

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/chemical-in-mcdonalds-fries-promotes-hair-growth/