St. John’s wort has been used to treat a variety of mental health conditions including depression. Here, we discuss three things to know about using St. John’s wort for depression. St. John’s wort, Hypericum perforatum, is a flowering plant native to Europe that has been used for centuries to treat a variety of mental health

With the arrival of spring, many people experience spring allergies. Here, we discuss the top four ways to deal with spring allergies.   With the arrival of spring, many people experience spring allergies, also called as hay fever or allergic rhinitis. Spring allergies often occur when the body reacts to certain tree pollen. Other common

Researchers investigated whether evening exercise actually has a negative impact on sleep and appetite.  Specifically, the researchers studied the effect of evening high-intensity interval exercise (HIIE) on these bodily functions. It is a common belief that exercising before bedtime disrupts one’s sleep and should be avoided.  Disrupted sleep also affects one’s appetite and caloric intake. 

Reading Time: 2 minutes A study from the USA compared using different types of electrodes in the brain for the selection of patients undergoing epilepsy surgery. Medications do not work in one-third of all individuals with epilepsy. These patients continue to be at risk from epileptic episodes, accidental injuries, and sudden death. Epilepsy surgery has

Reading Time: 3 minutes Antibiotic resistance is one of the causes of the increased rates of death and disease from bacterial infections across the globe. Researchers conducted an analysis of the bacterial diversity and antibiotic resistance patterns of ecosystems in different indoor environments. Antibiotic resistance is the ability of bacteria to survive when exposed to

Reading Time: 2 minutes A recent study examined the health outcome of patients who switched from newer, more expensive insulin analogues to lower-cost human insulin medications. The cost of diabetes medications has increased drastically over the past 20 years, especially with newer innovator insulin analogues being introduced into the market. Newer insulin-like medications are more

Reading Time: 2 minutes A retrospective study published by the Mayo Clinic confirms the efficiency of influenza vaccinations during hospitalization. The influenza vaccine is recommended for everyone above the age of six months. Currently, the CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) recommends that if a patient is hospitalized, then that person is to receive

Reading Time: 2 minutes Researchers recently studied whether type 1 diabetes in children affected their scores on standardized mathematics and reading tests. Type 1 diabetes in children, often known as juvenile diabetes, is an autoimmune disease that occurs when the pancreas stops making insulin. Insulin is the hormone that controls the body’s blood sugar levels.

Reading Time: 2 minutes Researchers compared brain imaging in smoking and drinking to investigate why people become addicted to nicotine or alcohol.   According to the recent World Health Organization (WHO) statistics, the use of cigarettes and alcohol is widespread, with estimates of over 1.1 billion smokers worldwide and 2.3 billion people who are current

Reading Time: 2 minutes A recent study explored the differences in risk-management behaviours between women of various races who are at high risk of developing breast cancer. Managing several medical conditions is largely influenced by personal, social, genetic, environmental, and psychological determinants of health. These factors vary by race, leading to racial disparities that are

Reading Time: 3 minutes A recent study investigated tongue microbial populations as a potential tool for the early detection of pancreatic cancer.   Pancreatic cancer is among the deadliest cancer types. This disease causes hundreds of thousands of deaths every year, ranking seventh for the number of fatalities from cancer. Pancreatic cancer occurs more often

Reading Time: 2 minutes A New York-based surgeon has pioneered a new technique in an attempt to restore nerve function to children paralyzed from acute flaccid myelitis.   Acute flaccid myelitis has similarities to the more familiar condition of polio. It is caused by a virus that can rapidly cause damage in the spinal cord

Reading Time: 3 minutes New research suggests that protein shakes might be more effective for building muscle mass when taken at certain times of the day. Building lean muscle mass has many benefits at any age. It increases overall strength, looks great, increases resting metabolic rate, improves bone density, prevents injury, and helps prevent muscle

Reading Time: 2 minutes Researchers have recently tried to answer the question of why more people with alcohol-related liver disease are having transplants than in previous years. Doctors have noticed a trend over the past 15 years of more people having transplants for alcohol-related liver disease. This begs the questions as to why. Are there

Reading Time: 2 minutes In a study published in Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, researchers studied the influence and interplay of genetic traits and alcohol abuse and cravings. Problem drinking, known medically as alcohol use disorder (AUD), affects about 75 million people worldwide. About 16 million people in the USA suffer from AUD, where it

Reading Time: 2 minutes A recent study looked into older patients’ experiences with delirium after surgery, and whether surgical anesthesia administration monitored by brain activity caused this complication. Older patients appear to be more susceptible to delirium as they recover from surgery. Delirium is a state of altered consciousness. As well as having negative effects

Reading Time: 2 minutes As discussed in a recent study, researchers are taking the initial steps towards developing a test to screen for reduced blood flow to the heart.   Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is an umbrella term for symptoms arising from reduced or blocked blood supply to the heart. The most common conditions under

Reading Time: 3 minutes A recent study in The BMJ compared the effectiveness and safety of a new herpes zoster vaccine with its older alternative. The Varicella zoster virus (VZV) is the cause of chickenpox and shingles in humans. Chickenpox most commonly affects children and causes the typical itchy blisters that allow the virus to

Reading Time: 2 minutes A recent study published in Nature Neuroscience examined the role of the TREM2 gene in the causes of Alzheimer’s disease and how this gene may be used for the development of treatments.   Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia and affects approximately 70% of individuals with dementia. It

Reading Time: 2 minutes A study by scientists at the National University of Singapore determined the importance of overall diet quality on the risk of type 2 diabetes. Several modified diets have been tried in the Western world, which has proved to be effective in reducing the risks of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.

Reading Time: 3 minutes Although the use of costly topical pain relief creams has been increasing over the years,  a recent clinical trial evaluated how well they actually relieve pain compared to placebo cream.   People use pain relief creams for a variety of conditions, including flair ups from arthritis, gout, muscle pain, bursitis, and

Reading Time: 4 minutes Researchers study the role of epigenetic regulation of genes in the development of age-related macular degeneration that is the leading cause of blindness in adults aged above 50 years.   Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of severe vision impairment in older adults. It is estimated that approximately 2

A recent Cell Reports study by UK and US researchers examined how weight loss surgery changes the body’s response to food. Bariatric surgery is a form of surgery performed on the stomach and intestines to promote weight loss. The surgery is widely used to treat obesity and has also been shown to improve symptoms of

Researchers from the UK conducted a large study of women on different types of hormone replacement therapy to see if it increased the risk of blood clots. Hormone replacement therapy is prescribed for women going through menopause to help relieve some of the effects of this process, including night sweats, hot flashes, and mood swings.

Researchers in the USA investigated how genetic testing can help in the diagnosis and management of chronic kidney disease in some patients.   The kidneys have many functions including blood filtration, maintaining fluid balance, blood pressure control, red blood cell production, and keeping bones healthy by vitamin D metabolism. In people with chronic kidney disease,

A study by Barker and colleagues compared physical activity in chronic disease patients and healthy individuals. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that individuals exercise at least 150 minutes per week to maintain a healthy lifestyle. These recommendations are based on several studies that have shown that physical inactivity can increase the risk of developing

A new study used computer models to compare the effectiveness of personalized treatment and surgery for kidney cancer in patients at risk of worsening kidney disease. Kidney cancer is the third most common cancer of the urinary tract. It is among the 10 most common cancers in men and women. It usually affects people over

As antibiotic resistance is becoming more prominent, a recent study investigated the prevalence of inappropriate antibiotic prescriptions in the US. Antibiotics are used to kill bacteria. However, some commonly used antibiotics can cause some bacteria to become resistant, making it harder to treat their associated illnesses.  These resistant bacteria can survive and increase in number,