Common Symptoms and the Difficulty of Diagnosis

“Leaky gut syndrome” is said to have symptoms including bloating, gas, cramps, food sensitivities, and aches and pains. But it’s something of a medical mystery. “From an MD’s standpoint, it’s a very gray area,” says gastroenterologist Donald Kirby, MD, director of the Center for Human Nutrition at the Cleveland Clinic. “Physicians don’t know enough about…

Dogs Feel Grief When Canine Companion Dies

After one dog died, behavior changes were common among the surviving dogs, the team found, with only about 13% of owners seeing no changes in habits. For example, attention-seeking shot up among two-thirds of surviving dogs, while 57% started to play less often. Overall activity levels dropped among 46% of dogs, with roughly a…

As Russia Invades Ukraine, Tips to Manage ‘Headline Anxiety’

Feb. 24, 2022 — Turn to any news channel, news site, or social media platform, and you’re bound to see continuous updates on the situation in Ukraine, the individual and public health toll from the COVID-19 pandemic, ongoing political and racial divisiveness in the United States, and more. So how can someone who wants to…

Investigate Gender Transition Procedures as ‘Child Abuse’

Feb. 23, 2022 Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has ordered state agencies to investigate reports of gender-transition procedures on children as child abuse, which could result in the criminal prosecution of teachers, doctors, and parents of trans children who don’t report the procedures. Abbott sent a letter to the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services…

Biden Administration Stalls on Marijuana Law Reform

Feb. 23, 2022 Reform of federal marijuana laws has stalled despite President Biden’s campaign promise to decriminalize the drug and polls showing that a majority of Americans supports the idea. The inaction rankles supporters of looser marijuana laws because the idea has support from some Republicans and Democrats. “If someone like myself and a progressive…

Gluten-Free Diet May Reduce Cancer Risk in Celiac Disease

Sept. 14, 2021 — Overall cancer risk is slightly increased in patients older than 40 within their first year of a celiac disease diagnosis, but the risk drops within a year of diagnosis, shows a Swedish study of 47,000 people with celiac disease. “Celiac disease is associated with an increased risk of types of cancer,…

Pediatric ER Visits Rise for Firearms Injuries, Drug Poisonings During Pandemic

Feb. 22, 2022 Pediatric emergency room visits dropped overall during the COVID-19 pandemic but went up sharply in certain categories, such as firearms injuries and drug poisonings, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says. Among adolescents aged 12-17, ER visits went up for self-harm and eating disorders. The impact of the pandemic on…

CDC Not Publishing Large Amounts of COVID-19 Data

Feb. 22, 2022 The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has only published a fraction of the data it collected about the COVID-19 pandemic, The New York Times reported, citing several people familiar with the data. The CDC published information about the effectiveness of boosters for people under 65 two weeks ago but didn’t…

Booster Effectiveness Wanes After 4 Months, Study Shows

Feb. 14, 2022 Booster shots of the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines lost some effectiveness after four months but still did a good job of keeping people out of the hospital during the Omicron surge, a study shows. During the time when the Omicron variant dominated, the vaccines provided 87% effectiveness against emergency room visits…

U.S. Suspends Avocado Imports From Mexico

Feb. 14, 2022 The United States has suspended avocado imports from Mexico because a U.S. plant safety inspector in Mexico was threatened, The Associated Press reported. The suspension started Saturday after the inspector was threatened in Michoacán, the only Mexican state authorized to export avocados to the United States.  “U.S. health authorities … made the…