Women's Health

Reports of Zika-related birth defects are coming in at shockingly low rates in Puerto Rico. While that might be something to cheer, one former US government official is saying there could be a nefarious reason for the low numbers. Last July, the Puerto Rico Department of Heal ...more

Obstetric tetanus in an unvaccinated Amish woman after a home birth has emphasized the need for preventative healthcare. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that on July 11, 2016, the state and local health departments in Kentucky learned of the 30-ye ...more

A baby with severe Zika-related birth defects was born in San Diego County this week, prompting officials to urge pregnant women to avoid disease hotspots. The infant's mother contracted the disease during a trip to a foreign country where the virus is widespread. The birth m ...more

We all know you are what you eat—or so the expression goes—but it's good to remember that what you are (at least intestinally) is mainly bacteria. A new study has shown that what you eat, and how your gut microbiome reacts to that food, might be a key player in your risk of de ...more

Gonorrhea infections reached a peak in 1975, then decreased until 2009, when infection rate started rising and has increased each year since. With the rise of antibiotic resistance, those numbers are only going to get worse — unless we find new treatments against the bacteria. ...more

We encourage everyone (especially breast owners) to please watch. Intently. The UK's Channel 4's fantastic program Embarrassing Bodies is serving up lifesaving health advice. This segment does not sacrifice any details (nipple shots, etc.) to accommodate conventional prudes or ...more

Osteoarthritis can affect every gender and at any age but it commonly occurs in women than in men. In America there are approximately 27 million Americans aged over 25 who live with osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis commonly occurs after the age of 45. Men who are under the age ...more

If you live with pets, you know where their tongue has been, yet you let them kiss and lick you all they want without even thinking twice about it. I've heard people say that a dog's mouth is very clean, and that their saliva, delivered by licking, can help heal wounds, but is ...more

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) just reported some upsettingly high numbers of human papillomavirus (HPV) in adults. In data retrieved from 2013–2014, 22.7% of US adults in the 18–59 range were found to have the types of high-risk genital HPV that cause ce ...more

Even as health authorities describe the symptoms of Zika infection in the general population as mild, a new surveillance study finds serious side effects are more common, and serious, than previously thought. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) notes that man ...more

The rate of preterm birth has been increasing in the United States for unknown reasons, causing increased health risks for infants born too soon. But researchers may have found a signal that could help doctors plan ahead for, or even prevent, early birth with a simple swab of ...more

The next time you're feeling tired and stressed out, pull down on your earlobes firmly for a few seconds, or apply firm pressure to the indentation on your nose bridge between your eyebrows using your thumb for several minutes while breathing deeply. Sometimes a little acupres ...more

Mobile phones are not only essential for work and communication, they're quickly becoming an integral asset to our health. Your iPhone can store valuable data about fitness, nutrition, heart health, and so much more. And since iOS 11.3, your iPhone can even import a list of al ...more

Breastfeeding is the ultimate in farm-to-table dining. It is sustenance prepared just for the baby and delivered with a very personal touch. Along with bonding, breastfeeding provides powerful protection to infants and young children in the form of beneficial bacteria, hormone ...more

Potbellies don't have to happen as we age, according to two studies done on twins published online in the International Journal of Obesity. The studies, led by senior author Ana Valdes, from the University of Nottingham in the UK, found that weight gain and belly fat were not ...more

Phase 2 of a Zika vaccine trial began in the United States this week, along with Central and South America. The vaccine was developed by expert scientists at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), which is part of the National Institutes of Health, ...more

Maternal infection with genital herpes, or other pathogens, during early pregnancy could increase risk of autism, or other neurodevelopmental disorders, says a new study. Scientists looking for an association between maternal infections and risk of autism studied blood plasma ...more

Despite the availability of a vaccine against it, almost 50% of men aged 18-59 in the US are infected with the human papillomavirus (HPV). Why? A new study published in JAMA Oncology by at a team of researchers at the Womack Army Medical Center (WAMC) in Fort Bragg discusses ...more

Findings from a mouse study suggest that the Zika virus infection may have serious reproductive consequences for men. Zika is a mosquito-borne virus that often produces no symptoms in men or women. Those who do have symptoms usually experience a minor rash, low-grade fever, p ...more

An essential oil is a concentrated hydrophobic liquid containing volatile aroma compounds from plants. Commonly used for aromatherapy purposes, essential oils can also be used to remove sticker gunk, make your room smell nice while vacuuming, concoct DIY toothpaste, deter rode ...more

Behold, a topic both repulsive and utterly irresistable at the same time. Jackpot. Kate Somerville is truly one of the Los Angeles gurus of skin health. She owns a local medispa and an eponymous skin care line. (And hint: Jessica Alba depends on her). Jackpot. This is a to ...more

New serious results appeared regarding the early puberty "precocious puberty" and its impact on the health of young girls. New studies in Cambridge university regarding the shows that early puberty is associated with increased risk for diabetes, Cardiovascular disease, breast ...more

Nice people finish first—or is it last? Though you may have been told throughout your life that being kind pays off, there are some obvious advantages to getting mean. So whether you're driving towards a goal at work, or need to attack a task in your personal life, acting like ...more

It's easy to take the food we eat for granted, but the truth is, there are a lot of bizarre, wonderful, and just plain weird things about what we eat and drink, the effects it has on our bodies, and vice-versa. Read on to learn how bugs provide food dye, the Japanese grow squa ...more

Adidas' new app All Day isn't going to be your average fitness app. Oh no, the company had the "versatile athlete" in mind when it came to creating the well-rounded program that not only encompasses fitness, but also provides nutrition plans, encourages a balanced mindset, and ...more

Roughly five million years ago, humans split off from chimpanzees, who had in turn split off from gorillas five million years earlier. There is much more diversity in chimp DNA than in human DNA, so probably a small band of human ancestors wandered off from a much larger grou ...more

MyFitnessPal has become extremely popular thanks to features that help users keep themselves accountable and stay motivated as they eat healthier and lose weight. While the application does a great job of reminding you to log the food you eat in order to keep track of your cal ...more

There aren't many people who will believe that a prosthetic zipper face or gunshot wound to the eye (disgusting as they are) are real, but greyscale from Game of Thrones? That'll really unsettle people for awhile because it totally looks like an actual, honest-to-God infection ...more

CyberTimez and the Wounded Warrior Program, using the Vuzix M300 monocular smartglasses, are teaming up to help supply veterans with little to no sight. The overarching goal here is helping these injured service members to find a new level of independence in a sight driven wor ...more

Results of an early-stage clinical trial of an HIV vaccine could mean a hoped-for breakthrough in the battle against AIDS. It was in 1981 that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) first reported on a rare lung infection in a young, healthy man who was gay. In ...more

Yogurt is more than an excellent source of protein, calcium, and gut-healthy probiotic bacteria. A protein isolated from probiotic lactobacillus bacteria in yogurt is capable of inhibiting drug-resistant bacteria. Rachelle Allen-McFarlane, a doctoral candidate at Howard Unive ...more

Antibiotic-resistant infections that usually occur only in hospital settings are spreading in communities, increasing hospital stays—and danger—for young children. In a study published in the Journal of the Pediatric infectious Diseases Society, researchers from the School of ...more

Antibiotic use in infants has been associated with a host of childhood conditions later in life. Yet when an infection is suspected in a newborn, usually a sample of their blood is drawn to check for the presence of bacteria and 5 to 8 percent of them receive antibiotics while ...more

You're all kale-d out, you've had it up to here with golden milk, and you're on the prowl for the next superfood. Well, get ready for some unicellular goodness: the next superfood is an algae named Spirulina, also known as Blue Majik. (Kudos to the marketing exec that came up ...more

If you've ever listened to your loved ones sing in the shower or watched a few minutes of American Idol, you would think that the majority of the population is tone deaf. In reality, only about 4 percent of the world's population suffers from tone deafness, or the inability to ...more

Apple's latest update, iOS 14.2, is finally here. As the name implies, it's the second major update to hit iPhones since Apple released iOS 14 in the fall. The update brings at least 13 new features and changes to all compatible iPhones, including over 100 new emoji and eight ...more

A recent study offers information that might help combat a deadly virus that affects an estimated 300,000 people each year in West Africa. In late June of this year, the World Health Organization reported an outbreak of Lassa fever with 501 confirmed cases and 104 deaths. The ...more

Crusty, itchy, red eyes? There is a decent chance you could have conjunctivitis, or pink eye, an infection of the thin lining around the eye and the eyelid, caused by bacteria, an allergen, virus, or even your contact lenses. Whatever the cause — you call up your doctor to get ...more

We might think of Zika as a mosquito-borne virus that effects developing fetuses, but, it also can be passed through sex by either a man or a woman, just like herpes and other STD viruses. New research has shown that vaginal bacteria can inhibit sexually transmitted Zika virus ...more

Sex makes the world go 'round, and when it does, so does gonorrhea. Finally some good news on the growing menace of drug-resistant gonorrhea — a large, long-term study shows a vaccine may work in reducing the incidence of an increasingly dangerous infection. The announcement ...more

A new medical development is going to change the way many of us look at getting the flu vaccine. A painless flu vaccine skin patch is making needles and vials a thing of the past. Researchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University have shown that a flu v ...more

Bone loss and belly fat may no longer be certain fates of menopause, thanks to new research from an international team of scientists. Researcher Mone Zaidi from Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sina and colleagues describe the discovery of an antibody that reduced fat and in ...more

It looks like all the unregulated fun and games we were having promoting products on Instagram is about to get, well ... regulated. According to a new report by Mediakix, 93% of celebrities on Instagram are not in compliance with the Federal Trade Commission when it comes to p ...more

US blood banks have assured the American public that they have the tools to prevent a Zika contamination, despite the rapid spread of the disease. If a recipient receives a transfusion that is contaminated with the virus, they could become infected. However, thanks to genetic ...more

After a brief reprieve, Zika fear is back with a vengeance as the US mosquito population booms. And we're just now seeing the true impact of this devastating virus, as babies of mothers infected with the virus are being born. About 10% of pregnant women confirmed as having be ...more

Officials in Colorado are concerned as 61 cases of the mumps were reported so far this year, a significant increase in the prevalence of the contagious disease in the state. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) state that the number is more than th ...more

There could be a fresh outbreak of the Zika virus in the Americas as the weather heats up and the mosquito population blooms. Last year in February, the disease was declared a "public health emergency of international concern" by the World Health Organization, and the United ...more

Hospitals are places we go to get well, and we don't expect to get sick or sicker there. But a study from researchers at the Cleveland Clinic, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, and Cleveland VA Medical Center in Ohio found that hospital floors in patient room ...more

Even if your cat drives you a little nuts, don't worry, because a new study says that cats pose no risk to your mental health. Media reports in the last couple of years placed emphasis on the danger of your cat to your future mental health, and that of your children. No kiddi ...more

The pathogen referred to as a "nightmare bacteria" is quietly adapting and spreading faster than anticipated. If you are not yet familiar with carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE), it is quickly becoming a household term for severe antibiotic-resistant infections. Ma ...more

Using mathematical modeling, researchers suggest weather and warming created the "perfect storm" that drove the Zika outbreak in 2016. Carried by mosquitoes, Zika is a Flavivirus first identified in Uganda in 1947 by scientists conducting research on yellow fever. Zika forest ...more

I'm sure I'm not the only one on here that has googled "Why am I always tired?"... and I'm definitely not alone when I say that all of the advice I've found so far is useless: Go to bed early. (Wow, you think?) Don't skip meals. (Real talk: if I skip meals, it's under extreme ...more

Whether you call 'em soda, pop, fizz, or coke, carbonated soft drinks are among the least healthy beverages out there, yet they're consumed by millions of Americans every day. For those of you worried about your health, there are diet and zero-calorie options available, but ar ...more

If we were to assign a theme for the 2019 edition of the Next Reality 30 (NR30), it might be something along the lines of, "What have you done for me lately?" Many of the top names in the industry from the 2018 edition remain the same, but their positions have shuffled. The p ...more

Blowing dust and fungal spores are creating a public health problem that could be just a slice of what's to come with climate change. Spurring regional expansion of ticks, and mosquitoes, warming temperatures are also rising ocean temperatures that stir up atmospheric turbule ...more

Bacteria, viruses and other germs sometimes set off the immune system to overreact, producing a severe condition called sepsis. Sepsis is so dangerous that it is the leading cause of death of children across the world, killing a million kids every year, mostly in developing co ...more

Malaria is a massive worldwide health problem. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that 212 million cases of malaria occurred worldwide in 2015 and 429,000 of the infected people died. Once infected, the parasite multiplies in human red blood cells until i ...more

The community of bacteria that lives in our gut has a lot to tell us. It can give clues to what we eat, the environment we live in, and diseases and disorders we may have. Now, scientists have linked these bacterial species to how we feel. A new research study found an associa ...more

Killing more than 29,000 people each year, infection with Clostridium difficile (C. diff or CDI) is the most common healthcare-associated infection in the US. In a disturbing development, new research reveals recurring cases of the infection are soaring. C. diff is a bacteriu ...more

Montezuma's revenge, the runs, the trots, or just diarrhea — everyone gets it sooner or later. What exactly is diarrhea good for, if anything? The basic description of diarrhea is loose, watery, stools. It can be explosive, frequent, acute, or chronic — but the bottom line is ...more