As the U.S. population ages, increasing numbers of people are taking care of elderly relatives. The Bureau of Labor Statistics has released a new study that reports that, in the past three months, 39.8 million Americans have provided unpaid care to someone over 65 because of a condition related to…
The New York Times has reported that long-time use of prescription antacid drugs can result in certain illnesses, including severe anemia, bone fracture and infections. The medications can be especially dangerous for older patients, who are urged to used them as briefly as possible. The Times cited the example of…
Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) have been receiving a lot of attention lately because of the large number of such injuries suffered by soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the risk of concussions in sports like football and hockey. But many TBI incidents are caused by car accidents or car-pedestrian accidents.…
The United States Preventive Services Task Force has issued a draft statement recommending that healthy women should not take low doses of calcium or vitamin D supplements to prevent bone fractures. The group is an independent panel of experts in prevention and primary care and was appointed by the federal…
The Supreme Court decision upholding the federal Affordable Care Act is good news for residents in Illinois who do not have heath insurance. Nearly 5,000 Illinois residents died between 2005 and 2010 because they didn’t have insurance, according to a report issued by Families USA. Illinois ranked sixth among all…
Most doctors recommend that their patients see a primary care physician once a year to check blood pressure, respiratory rate, cholesterol levels, liver function and other systems. Those things are routine, but the reason doctors ask patients to see them regularly is for preventative medicine. The costs of medical care…
The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported that the average American now lives to 77 years of age. That number has been on the rise for the last several decades. As Americans live longer, there has been an increase in the number of nursing homes opening in…
The American Society of Clinical Oncology announced during its Chicago meeting that a drug has the potential of attacking tumors without some of the usual side effects. The results, although not yet certain, point to prolonging the lives of breast cancer victims. The treatment in clinical trials validates the method…
The journal of Science Translational Medicine published an article describing the surgical procedure developed at Northwestern Memorial Hospital regarding organ transplantation. The article, co-authored by Dr. Joseph Leventhal, a surgeon at Northwestern, said the new organ transplant procedure would help eliminate the need for numerous medications that individuals must take…
It was not long ago that Yaz and Yasmin ranked as one of the leading birth control pills on the market. They were able to corner a large share of the market in large part due to a successful ad campaign marketed towards women under 35 and promises to decrease…