Month: February 2022

Every year, over 800,000 Americans suffer from heart attacks—and if you've ever experienced severe chest pain, you're probably all too familiar with the fear of such a possibility. However, experts say that the vast majority of the time, chest pain is caused by something other than life threatening heart issues. In fact, a 2016 study published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine found that just six percent of patients who arrived in the emergency with chest pain were later diagnosed with a heart attack. Many of their diagnoses were ultimately found to be of non-cardiac origin, caused by acid reflux, other gastrointestinal problems, lung conditions, stress, anxiety, and more. Of course, you should never dismiss or downplay chest pain if it bears the hallmark sign...

She had spent the previous six months at a private treatment center receiving care for bipolar disorder and depression. Chloe had improved and was set to move to transitional housing when she suddenly became combative and threatened to harm staff and kill herself. Police had taken her to the emergency room at Cedars-Sinai Marina del Rey Hospital before a planned transfer to a mental hospital. Story continues below advertisement Chloe, Mitchell recalled, was “mumbling about Rosa Parks” when they met. She managed to tell the doctor that she hadn’t used drugs or alcohol, but was otherwise incoherent. “We get a lot of psychiatric patients, and they’re just waiting for placement,” Mitchell said. But something indefinable — Mitchell characterized it as “maybe gut instinct” honed by nearly t...

Long before Alzheimer's disease is diagnosed, once-trusty proteins start to knot together in the brain in a process that may be hastened by poor sleep. Now, scientists have uncovered a possible mechanism linking disruptions in circadian rhythms and the build-up of proteins associated with Alzheimer's disease, by studying the rhythmic operation of immune cells and finding the molecular 'timers' that control them.   Circadian rhythms are the daily rhythms of bodily functions which are tied to our natural body clock, respond to light exposure, and govern our sleep-wake cycles. Poor sleep habits can throw circadian rhythms out of whack (aging and stress also don't help) and patchy sleep would mean less time for immune cells to cleanse the brain of waste products that build up throughout ...

Dr. Lambert pointed out that some patients with long Covid are also diagnosed with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (or POTS), a disorder that affects blood flow. In people who have POTS, “the nervous system can’t regulate the things that it’s supposed to automatically control, like heart rate, blood pressure, sweating and body temperature,” she said. Yet “those are all things that when you’re exercising need to be regulated properly.” The Coronavirus Pandemic: Key Things to Know Card 1 of 4 Covid boosters. Data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed that booster shots against the coronavirus lose much of their potency after about four months, adding to evidence suggesting that some Americans may need a fourth dose. Vaccines for young children. The Fo...