Category: healthday

Another Health Threat: Drug-Resistant Mold Infections

British researchers are warning of one more rising health danger: a drug-resistant mold found in the environment that infects certain people’s lungs. Aspergillus fumigatus can cause a fungal lung infection called aspergillosis in people with lung conditions or weakened immune systems. Aspergillosis, which affects 10 to 20 million people worldwide, is usually treated with antifungal drugs, but…


Urinary Tract Infections

How Do I Know If I Have a Urinary Tract Infection? A urinary tract infection (UTI) isn’t difficult to recognize: You’ll feel a pressing need to empty your bladder every few minutes, though little or no urine may come out, and you’ll feel a burning sensation when you do urinate. You may also have discomfort…


Prostate Cancer

What Is the Prostate, and How Common Is the Cancer? It’s a walnut-size gland that lies at the base of the bladder and surrounds the urethra. In the United States prostate cancer is one of the two most frequently diagnosed cancers in men (the other is skin cancer). The American Cancer Society (ACS) estimates that…


Diet and PMS

How can my diet affect my premenstrual symptoms? What you eat and drink can have a big influence on both the physical and emotional symptoms you may have each month during the week or two leading up to your period. Most experts recommend that women with premenstrual syndrome start by avoiding caffeine and alcohol, which…


Volunteer Work: It’s Good for Your Health

When Bebe Fitzgerald began working as a volunteer for the Audubon Society at age 53, it was something of a lark. But the resident of Billings, Montana, kept volunteering for three decades until her death at age 83. On one of her last birding trips, she admitted that she couldn’t spot birds quite as easily…


Foot Care for Seniors

How can seniors take care of their feet? Foot problems are especially common in older people, for a variety of reasons. Feet lose cushioning as they age, and the skin and nails can grow dry and brittle. Many seniors have poor circulation, and this can slow the healing of foot sores. Finding comfortable shoes that…


‘Good’ Cholesterol in Brain May Help Keep Alzheimer’s at Bay

Higher levels of “good” cholesterol in the fluid surrounding your brain and spinal cord may help protect you from Alzheimer’s disease, a new study suggests. “This study represents the first time that small HDL particles in the brain have been counted,” said study co-author Dr. Hussein Yassine. He is an associate professor of medicine and…


Exercise Is Powerful Medicine for Depression

By now, most people have heard that exercise is good for their health. A new review suggests it can it also make a difference in major depressive disorder. Researchers analyzed 15 existing studies with data on exercise and depression, finding an association between physical activity and depression risk. The investigators estimated that almost 12% of cases of…


In Long Run, Antidepressants Don’t Improve Quality of Life: Study

Millions of Americans take antidepressants to combat low moods. But a large, new study suggests that these medications over time may do little to improve overall quality of life. “We found the change in health-related quality of life to be comparable or similar between patients that used antidepressant medications and those who did not use…


How Does Exercise Guard Against Dementia? Study Reveals Clues

Exercise may help safeguard your brain as you age, and a new study suggests how this might happen. Previous research has shown that physical activity helps protect brain cells. This paper indicates it may do that through lower levels of insulin and body fat. “These results may help us to understand how physical activity affects…