Today: October 06, 2024
Today: October 06, 2024

Latest From The Los Angeles Post

Health

COVID-19 took a toll on heart health and doctors are still grappling with how to help

Firefighter and paramedic Mike Camilleri once had no trouble hauling heavy gear up ladders. Now battling long COVID, he gingerly steps onto a treadmill to learn how his heart handles a simple walk. “This is, like, not a tough-guy test so don’t fake it,” warned Beth Hughes, a physical therapist at Washington University in St. Louis. Somehow, a mild case of COVID-19 set off a chain reaction that eventually left Camilleri with dangerous blood pressure spikes, a heartbeat that raced with slight exertion, and episodes of intense chest pain. Doctors were stumped until Camilleri found a

COVID-19 took a toll on heart health and doctors are still grappling with how to help
Health

Montana clinic files for bankruptcy following $6 million judgment over false asbestos claims

A health clinic in a Montana town plagued by deadly asbestos contamination has filed for bankruptcy protection after a judge ordered it to pay the government almost $6 million in penalties and damages for submitting false medical claims. The federal bankruptcy filing, submitted Tuesday, will allow the Center for Asbestos Related Disease clinic in the small town of Libby to continue operating while it appeals last month’s judgment, said clinic director Tracy McNew. A seven-person jury in June found the clinic submitted 337 false claims that made patients eligible for Medicare and other benefits they shouldn’t

Montana clinic files for bankruptcy following $6 million judgment over false asbestos claims
Health

Cracking the Migraine Mystery: Why Women Get More Migraines Then Men

Migraines are more common and intense during a woman’s reproductive years. A migraine is far more than just a headache – it’s a debilitating disorder of the nervous system. People who have migraines experience severe throbbing or pulsating pain, typically on one side of the head. The pain is often accompanied by nausea, vomiting and extreme sensitivity to light or sound. An attack may last for hours or days, and to ease the suffering, some people spend time isolated in dark, quiet rooms. About 800 million people worldwide get migraine headaches; in the U.S. alone, about 39 million, or approximately

Cracking the Migraine Mystery: Why Women Get More Migraines Then Men
Health

Babies almost all try crawling to get from Point A to Point B, but CDC says it's not a useful developmental milestone

Babies are curious about their world and want to explore. Jose Luis Pelaez Inc/DigitalVision via Getty Images Infant milestones can be a source both of pride and anxiety for a new parent. Baby’s firsts – first tooth, first steps, first word – are moments of joy that many parents immediately compare with charts listing “normal” age ranges for each achievement to occur. For a pediatrician, these milestones are useful indicators of typical or atypical development. When they occur outside that normal range, it might be time to look for some underlying cause, which could enable early detection and intervention if

Babies almost all try crawling to get from Point A to Point B, but CDC says it's not a useful developmental milestone
Health

Mexico shutters 23 pharmacies at Caribbean coast resorts after US warned of dangerous pill sales

Mexico has shuttered 23 pharmacies at Caribbean coast resorts, six months after a research report warned that drug stores in Mexico were offering foreigners pills they passed off as Oxycodone, Percocet and Adderall without prescriptions, authorities said Tuesday. A four-day inspection raid targeted drugstores in Cancun, Playa del Carmen and Tulum. In March, the U.S. State Department issued a travel warning about sales of such pills, and the practice appears to be widespread. The Navy Department said Tuesday that irregular sales were found at 23 of the 55 drug stores inspected. The Navy said the pharmacies

Mexico shutters 23 pharmacies at Caribbean coast resorts after US warned of dangerous pill sales
Health

COVID-19 hospitalizations in the US are on the rise again, but not like before

Here we go again: COVID-19 hospital admissions have inched upward in the United States since early July in a small-scale echo of the three previous summers. With an updated vaccine still months away, this summer bump in new hospitalizations might be concerning, but the number of patients is far lower than before. A look at what we know: HOW BAD IS THE SPIKE? For the week ending July 29, COVID-19 hospital admissions were at 9,056. That’s an increase of about 12% from the previous week. But it’s a far cry from past peaks, like the 44,000 weekly hospital admissions in

COVID-19 hospitalizations in the US are on the rise again, but not like before
Health

West Virginia's capital officials reject abortion provider's proposal to start syringe service

City councilors in West Virginia’s Democrat-controlled capital city voted against a proposal from the state’s long-time abortion provider to start a syringe service program in one of the country’s most opioid-devastated areas. The 17 to 9 vote on Monday came two years after the council and the Republican-controlled state Legislature passed regulations restricting the programs, which are supported by the Centers for Disease Control as scientifically-proven methods to curb drug use and prevent the spread of infections like hepatitis c and HIV. The opposition said they feared the program would bring increased drug use and crime

West Virginia's capital officials reject abortion provider's proposal to start syringe service
Health

Prostate cancer treatment is not always the best option – a cancer researcher walks her father through his diagnosis

Many patients with less aggressive prostate cancer elect active surveillance instead of treatment. triloks/E+ via Getty Images “Me encontraron càncer en la pròstata,” my father told me. They found cancer in my prostate. As a cancer researcher who knows very well about the high incidence and decreased survival rates of prostate cancer in the Caribbean, I anguished over these words. Even though I study cancer in my day job, I struggled to take in this news. At the time, all I could muster in response was “What did the doctor say?” “The urologist wants me to see the radiation oncologist

Prostate cancer treatment is not always the best option – a cancer researcher walks her father through his diagnosis
Health

In Utah and Kansas, state courts flex power over new laws regulating abortion post-Roe

State courts in Utah and Kansas are set to hear arguments Tuesday in legal challenges to new laws on abortion as judges tussle with legislatures over how to regulate the medical procedure and its providers after the overturning of Roe v. Wade. Those and other state courts have become key venues in the fight over abortion since last year, when the U.S. Supreme Court reversed the constitutional right to abortion and made the rules governing it a matter of state laws. In Utah, the state Supreme Court is expected to weigh a lower court’s decision

In Utah and Kansas, state courts flex power over new laws regulating abortion post-Roe
Health

Attacks at US medical centers show why health care is one of the nation's most violent fields

Word spread through an Oregon hospital last month that a visitor was causing trouble in the maternity ward, and nurses were warned the man might try to abduct his partner’s newborn. Hours later, the visitor opened fire, killing a security guard and sending patients, nurses and doctors scrambling for cover. The shooting at Legacy Good Samaritan Medical Center in Portland was part of a wave of gun violence sweeping through U.S. hospitals and medical centers, which have struggled to adapt to the growing threats. Such attacks have helped make health care one of the nation’s most violent fields. Data shows

Attacks at US medical centers show why health care is one of the nation's most violent fields
Health

As clinics pivot post-Roe, battle rages over syringe service in opioid-ravaged West Virginia

Staff at Women’s Health Center of West Virginia know what it’s like to provide controversial health services that government officials have sought to ban or restrict. The Charleston clinic was the state’s only abortion provider for years until the state Legislature passed a near-total ban on the procedure last year. The clinic remained open, providing other reproductive care. Now it’s trying to open a syringe service program for drug users, which is another contentious health service that has been regulated by Republican lawmakers in the deep red state. The proposal, which is scheduled to go before

As clinics pivot post-Roe, battle rages over syringe service in opioid-ravaged West Virginia
Health

A cyberattack has disrupted hospitals and health care in several states

Hospitals and clinics in several states on Friday began the time-consuming process of recovering from a cyberattack that disrupted their computer systems, forcing some emergency rooms to shut down and ambulances to be diverted. Many primary care services at facilities run by Prospect Medical Holdings remained closed on Friday as security experts worked to determine the extent of the problem and resolve it. John Riggi, the American Hospital Association’s national advisory for cybersecurity and risk, said the recovery process can often take weeks, with hospitals in the meantime reverting to paper systems and humans to do

A cyberattack has disrupted hospitals and health care in several states
Health

Federal appeals court upholds Connecticut law that eliminated religious vaccination exemption

A federal appeals court on Friday upheld a 2021 Connecticut law that eliminated the state’s longstanding religious exemption from childhood immunization requirements for schools, colleges and day care facilities. The decision comes about a year and a half after a lower court judge dismissed the lawsuit challenging the contentious law, which drew protests at the state Capitol. “This decision is a full and resounding affirmation of the constitutionality and legality of Connecticut’s vaccine requirements. Vaccines save lives — this is a fact beyond dispute,” Democratic Attorney General William Tong said in a statement. “The legislature acted responsibly and well within

Federal appeals court upholds Connecticut law that eliminated religious vaccination exemption
Health

Surge in Adult ADHD: Exploring the Sharp Rise Medication Demand

During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, social media was awash with promotions for ADHD as an explanation for people’s overwhelmed state of mind. useng/iStock via Getty Images Plus As a woman in my 30s who was constantly typing “ADHD” into my computer, something interesting happened to me in 2021. I started receiving a wave of advertisements beckoning me to get online help for ADHD, or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. One was a free, one-minute assessment to find out if I had the disorder, another an offer for a digital game that could help “rewire” my brain. Yet another ad asked me

Surge in Adult ADHD: Exploring the Sharp Rise Medication Demand
Health

Breastfeeding Olympians want it all: Top careers and motherhood

When Clarisse Agbégnénou won her sixth world judo title, confirming the reigning Olympic champion as one of the athletes to watch at next year’s Paris Games, the French star’s smallest but greatest fan was less wild about her mother’s newest gold medal than she was about her breast milk. After a peckish day of few feeds — because mum had been busy putting opponents through the wringer — 10-month-old Athéna made amends that night. “She didn’t let my boobs out of her mouth,” Agbégnénou says. “I was like, ‘Wow, okay.’ I think it was really something for

Breastfeeding Olympians want it all: Top careers and motherhood
Health

Pediatricians' group reaffirms support for gender-affirming care amid growing state restrictions

The American Academy of Pediatrics reaffirmed its support for gender-affirming medical care for transgender children on Thursday, even as the treatments face a growing push for bans and restrictions from Republican lawmakers across the U.S. The board of directors for the group, which represents 67,000 pediatricians, unanimously voted to reaffirm its 2018 position on the treatments. The board also voted to provide additional documents to support pediatricians, including clinical and technical reports, and to conduct an external review of research regarding the care. “The additional recommendations also reflect the fact that the board is concerned about restrictions to accessing evidence-based

Pediatricians' group reaffirms support for gender-affirming care amid growing state restrictions
Health

A federal appeals court just made medication abortions harder to get in Guam

People seeking medication abortions on the U.S. Territory of Guam must first have an in-person consultation with a doctor, a federal appeals court says, even though the nearest physician willing to prescribe the medication is 3,800 miles (6,100 kilometers) — an 8-hour flight — away. The ruling handed down Tuesday by a unanimous three-judge panel on the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals could make it even more difficult for pregnant people to access abortions on the remote island where 85% of residents are Catholic and about 1 in 5 live below the poverty line. The last doctor to provide

A federal appeals court just made medication abortions harder to get in Guam
Health

Babies should get new drug that prevents RSV, CDC panel says

Infants should get a new drug to protect them against a respiratory virus that sends tens of thousands of American children to the hospital each year, heath advisers recommended Thursday. An infection with RSV is a coldlike nuisance for most healthy people, but it can be life-threatening for the very young and the elderly. There are no vaccines for babies yet so the new drug, a lab-made antibody that helps the immune system fight off the virus, is expected to fill a critical need. The drug, developed by AstraZeneca and Sanofi, is expected to be ready in the fall before

Babies should get new drug that prevents RSV, CDC panel says
Health

US preterm birth and maternal mortality rates are alarmingly high, outpacing those in all other high-income countries

Maternal and infant health crises are growing worse in the U.S. LWA/Dann Tardif/Digital Vision via Getty Images Every two minutes, in about the time it takes to read a page of your favorite book or brew a cup of coffee, a woman dies during pregnancy or childbirth, according to a February 2023 report from the World Health Organization. The report reflects a shameful reality in which maternal deaths have either increased or plateaued worldwide between 2016 and 2020. On top of that, of every 10 babies born, one is preterm – and every 40 seconds, one of those babies dies.

US preterm birth and maternal mortality rates are alarmingly high, outpacing those in all other high-income countries
Health

Alabama researcher will succeed Fauci in infectious disease post

A research scientist at the University of Alabama at Birmingham was named Wednesday to succeed Dr. Anthony Fauci as the nation’s top infectious disease expert. Dr. Jeanne Marrazzo will become director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in the fall. She will oversee the agency’s $6.3 billion budget, its research and its response to infectious disease outbreaks. Fauci, 82, retired from a five-decade career in December. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he became a household name as he gave updates at daily White House press conferences and in frequent media interviews. Since Fauci’s retirement, Dr.

Alabama researcher will succeed Fauci in infectious disease post
Health

Anchorage homeless face cold and bears. A plan to offer one-way airfare out reveals a bigger crisis

Shawn Steik and his wife were forced from a long-term motel room onto the streets of Anchorage after their rent shot up to $800 a month. Now they live in a tent encampment by a train depot, and as an Alaska winter looms they are growing desperate and fearful of what lies ahead. A proposal last week by Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson to buy one-way plane tickets out of Alaska’s biggest city for its homeless residents gave Steik a much-needed glimmer of hope. He would move to the relative warmth of Seattle. “I heard it’s probably

Anchorage homeless face cold and bears. A plan to offer one-way airfare out reveals a bigger crisis
Health

Brain fog and other long COVID symptoms affect millions. New treatment studies bring hope

The National Institutes of Health is beginning a handful of studies to test possible treatments for long COVID, an anxiously awaited step in U.S. efforts against the mysterious condition that afflicts millions. Monday’s announcement from the NIH’s $1.15 billion RECOVER project comes amid frustration from patients who’ve struggled for months or even years with sometimes-disabling health problems — with no proven treatments and only a smattering of rigorous studies to test potential ones. “This is a year or two late and smaller in scope than one would hope but nevertheless it’s a step in the right direction,”

Brain fog and other long COVID symptoms affect millions. New treatment studies bring hope
Health

Alabama health care providers sue over threat of prosecution for abortion help

Abortion rights advocates in Alabama — where abortion is almost entirely illegal — filed lawsuits Monday against the state’s attorney general seeking to prevent him from prosecuting people who help patients travel outside the state to end pregnancies. The groups say Attorney General Steve Marshall has made statements suggesting that anti-conspiracy laws could be used to prosecute those who assist with appointments or finances. The two lawsuits seek a legal ruling clarifying that the state can’t use the statute for these prosecutions. One lawsuit was filed by the Yellowhammer Fund, a group that stopped providing financial

Alabama health care providers sue over threat of prosecution for abortion help
Health

Jill Biden says exercise including spin classes and jogging helps her find 'inner strength'

Spin classes when she’s on the road. Biking near her Delaware beach home. Jogging on the White House driveway. Jill Biden says exercise helps her find her “inner strength.” She gets out of bed at 5:45 a.m. most mornings to fit exercise into her schedule. The first lady also takes barre classes and rides a Peloton bike. Early morning workouts are when the 72-year-old can focus on herself, she says in the cover story for the upcoming September issue of Women’s Health magazine. “I need to be with myself and find inner strength so I can be

Jill Biden says exercise including spin classes and jogging helps her find 'inner strength'
Health

Global AIDS program targeted in abortion battle gets new home in State Department bureau

The State Department launched a new bureau Tuesday aimed at making the battle against global outbreaks a lasting priority of U.S. foreign policy, even as one of its key elements – a widely acclaimed HIV program – has become caught up in the political battle over abortion. The bureau is to include the 20-year-old initiative known as the President’s Emergency Program for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR. The program is relatively unknown to Americans but has succeeded beyond most early expectations in addressing the AIDS crisis and is credited with saving up to 25 million lives worldwide. The

Global AIDS program targeted in abortion battle gets new home in State Department bureau

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