Health and Fitness

Skin-involved chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) had a significant association with long-term impairment of patient-reported outcomes (PROs), which also had a prognostic association with mortality, a multicenter prospective study showed. Patients with sclerotic cGVHD had significantly worse scores on a validated quality-of-life (QOL) instrument compared with those who had epidermal-type cGVHD. Patients with combination GVHD subtypes …

PROs for Cutaneous Chronic GVHD After Transplant Tied to Disease Severity, Mortality Read More »

Adults ages 65 and older should receive an additional dose of the 2023-2024 COVID-19 vaccine this spring, according to CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). Eleven members of the committee voted in favor of the recommendation, one member voted no, and one abstained from voting. Shortly after the meeting, CDC Director Mandy Cohen, MD, …

Older Adults Should Get Another COVID Booster, CDC Advisors Say Read More »

Fast-food wrappers and other grease-proofing materials containing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) will no longer be sold for use in food packaging in the U.S., the FDA announced on Wednesday. According to the agency, this means that major sources of dietary exposure to PFAS — such as microwave popcorn bags, take-out paperboard containers, and pet …

FDA Announces End to ‘Forever Chemicals’ in U.S. Food Packaging Read More »

The CDC has issued new guidance — its first since 1988 — on identifying and responding to clusters of suicide, as tens of thousands of lives are lost to suicide each year in the U.S. Though suicide clusters are rare, they “can have unique characteristics and challenges,” and “are often highly publicized and can have …

CDC Issues New Guidance on Identifying, Responding to Suicide Clusters Read More »

So suddenly, it seems like you need to pee all the time. You can’t get through the night without it, at least once. Or you just find yourself in the bathroom constantly, even though you don’t think you’ve been going overboard with the fluids. There’s no regulation amount a person should pee, but if think …

The Top Reasons You Feel Like You’re Peeing All the Time Read More »

So you had a whole day without a single itchy peep from your feet. And when you get into bed at night, all of a sudden your feet start itching. You scratch the spot and go back to resting. But the itch isn’t done. So you repeat. Repeat. Get frustrated. Toss. Turn. Repeat. Why is …

Here’s Why Your Feet Get Annoyingly Itchy at Night Read More »

The classic picture of someone with alcohol use disorder is someone who always drinks too much and whose life is falling apart because of it. But it doesn’t always look like it from the outside. Some people seem to be just fine even though they misuse alcohol. You may hear them called “functional” or “high-functioning” alcoholics. …

Is Anyone Really a ‘High-Functioning Alcoholic’? Read More »

Feb. 27, 2024 – When you message your health care provider about an appointment, a prescription refill, or to answer a question, is artificial intelligence or a person actually answering? In some cases, it’s hard to tell.  AI may be involved in your health care now without you realizing it. For example, many patients message …

Do Patients Know When AI Is Assisting in Health Care? Read More »

Many women get breast cancer. But the disease is deadliest for non-Hispanic Black women. And when it comes to metastatic breast cancer, women of color are less likely to get timely treatment that follows national guidelines.  According to Grace Suh, MD, medical director at Northwestern Medicine Cancer Center Delnor, lack of access to health education …

Breast Cancer and Best Practices: Factors That May Affect Care Read More »

Breast cancer is a common diagnosis for women of all races. But there are differences along racial lines when it comes to early detection, treatment, and survival rates. The disease is deadliest for non-Hispanic Black women. They’re more likely than women of other races or ethnicities to get diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer (cancer that …

Metastatic Breast Cancer: Raise Your Voice Read More »