Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome

For several months during the summer of 2022, my dog Scout vomited at 3 a.m. nearly every day. If you have a dog, you know the sound. And each time, she gobbled up her mess before I could get to it, making diagnosis of the cause difficult. The vet and I eventually settled on my hydrangeas as the source of the problem – but keeping Scout away from them didn't work. She started to seem tired all the time – highly concerning in a typically hyper yellow Lab puppy. Then one day Scout vomited up a hairball – but not just any hairball. In dogs, hair normally passes easily through the digestive system, but this hairball was wrapped around a brillo pad that was too big to move through. Once this foreign object was removed, the overnight vomiting ended. Scout still needed treatment, though, for a different and surprising reason: The object had inhibited a step in her body's absorption of vitamin B12. B12 is an essential nutrient involved in proper functioning of blood cells, ne...

By Reuters Fact Check 8 Min Read While it remains true that there is no cure for the common cold, social media users are sharing a misleading message that the common cold is itself a "cure" for built-up toxins and debris. The common cold is the body's response to infection by a variety of common viruses, and there is no evidence that cold symptoms have a detoxifying effect, experts told Reuters. Social media users are sharing the message that the reason no one has found a cure for the common cold is that colds are not an illness but rather "your body's way of naturally detoxing all the debris, toxins, plastics and chemicals…" Examples can be seen (here) and (here) COLDS ARE CAUSED BY VIRUSES Contrary to social media claims, The Mayo Clinic defines the common cold as a viral infection of the upper respiratory tract (your nose and throat). It's usually harmless and lasts about seven days (here). The cold typically originates from exposure to another sick p...

Chronic liver disease and liver cancer are surging in the United States, but no group is more affected than Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI). Though only 6% of the U.S. population, people of Asian descent account for 60% of liver cancer cases in the nation.  In response to these statistics, Columbia surgeon Tomoaki Kato, MD, decided to personally tackle liver disease by creating the Columbia Liver Asian Outreach Office, a branch of the Asian Liver Health Initiative of NewYork-Presbyterian. The outreach office, based in Flushing, Queens, serves a diverse population of Asian patients and sets a standard for culturally responsive care.   We spoke with Kato to find out more.   Why does liver disease affect many Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders?  Nearly half of liver cancer cases are caused by chronic infection with the hepatitis B virus, a type of liver infection that is usually asymptomatic. The virus has been ...

Research in the past decade has increasingly revealed an association between disorders of the gastrointestinal [GI] tract, particularly gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and psychiatric disorders. 1-7 Most recently, a research team from the Cleveland Clinic found that patients with GERD have an increased likelihood for depression, anxiety, eating disorder, bipolar disorder, and autism. Lead study author, Khaled Alsabbagh Alchirazi, MD, a clinical associate at the Department of Hospital Medicine at Cleveland Clinic and clinical assistant professor of medicine at Cleveland Clinic's Lerner College of Medicine, presented the findings, "Epidemiology and Risk of Psychiatric Disorders Among Patients with Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease" at the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) 2022 Annual Meeting, held from October 21 to 26, 2022, in Charlotte, North Carolina, and virtually. 8 Dr Alsabbagh Alchirazi and team conducted a population...

Staphylococcus aureus ( S. aureus or staph) is a bacterium that lives on the skin. Staph causes millions of skin and soft tissue infections yearly, including lip infections. The bacteria enter through a cut or wound around the lips and infect the surrounding tissue. Staph can also travel to other organs via the bloodstream. Although most staph infections are treatable, they can be deadly if not handled quickly. This article will discuss the symptoms, causes, diagnosis, and treatment for staph infections on the lip. V_Sot / Getty Images Staph Infection Symptoms Staph infections can cause mild to severe side effects. Common symptoms of a lip staph infection include: Redness Swelling Tenderness Warmth Drainage Ulceration Fever/shaking chills If the staph infection travels to the bladder, it can cause pain, frequency, and urgency of urination. If the bacteria infect the joints or bones, it can cause pain. Coughing and shortness o...

Asthma + Lung UK is calling for lung health to become an urgent priority after a damning report, released ahead of World COPD Day tomorrow, reveals that almost a quarter of people surveyed with the deadly lung disease chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), waited more than five years for a diagnosis, whilst one in eight waited more than a decade.  Delays of this length can result in people with COPD, an incurable condition which causes severe breathlessness and affects around 1.4 million people in the UK, losing lung function. This leads to extreme breathlessness and difficulties performing everyday tasks like walking to the shops, housework, and socializing. Late diagnosis means people are living with a poorer quality of life and are much more likely to have life-threatening flare-ups of the disease. Asthma + Lung UK, which has published its findings in its latest report,  Delayed Diagnosis and Unequal Care: The reality for people w...

Share on Pinterest A new study shows that diastolic blood pressure may lead to neuroticism, which is associated with anxiety and mood disorders. VISUALSPECTRUM/Stocksy Blood pressure is a crucial component of health, with high blood pressure linked to an increased risk for serious physical health conditions. How blood pressure might impact other areas of well-being, such as mental and psychosocial health, is not fully understood. A new study shows that diastolic blood pressure may contribute to neuroticism. People with this personality type are more prone to anxiety and the development of other mood disorders. Blood pressure management may help in managing neuroticism-induced mood disorders. The relationship between physical and mental health is an area of continuous study. One area of interest is how high blood pressure may impact mental health outcomes like anxiety and depression. A new study recently published in General Psychiatry found that diastolic blood pressure may have a ca...

Why talk and behaviour-based interventions that don't use any drugs, as well as genetic therapy and bacterial toxins, are promising new weapons in our fight against pain Health 16 November 2022 By Steph...

THE WOODLANDS, TX – Houston Methodist The Woodlands Hospital has announced the opening of the first and sixth floors in the patient care building, Healing Tower — part of a $250 million expansion project. The master-planned campus expansion comes less than five years after the hospital's initial opening and is in direct response to the significantly increased health care needs of a rapidly growing population in Montgomery County. PHOTO: Houston Methodist The Woodlands Hospital is the only health care provider in The Woodlands offering patients and visitors access to all buildings on campus through a climate-controlled skybridge system. The new 106-bed patient care tower is equipped with cutting-edge technology to continue providing comprehensive care to the growing community. "This new patient care tower intentionally combines innovation and advanced technology to enhance safety and deliver an unparalleled Houston Methodist experience...