Cholesterol-lowering statin drugs don’t just lower the risk of heart attacks. They may also help some cancer patients live longer. Researchers writing in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology tracked adherence to statins in more than 38,000 Australian women with newly diagnosed breast cancer, colorectal cancer or melanoma, three commonly diagnosed cancers. Average adherence to …
Listen to Soundscapes from Home
Welcome. I wrote a few weeks ago about the sounds of pigeons undertaking their vigorous morning drills, their wings slapping against my windows. It’s easy, when we’re caught up in a day’s worth of doing and getting done, to ignore the soundtrack that’s always accompanying us, whether furnished by nature or by civilization. So many …
Científicos advierten que se espera demasiado de una vacuna para COVID
SOBRE NOTICIAS EN ESPAÑOL Noticias en español es una sección de Kaiser Health News que contiene traducciones de artículos de gran interés para la comunidad hispanohablante, y contenido original enfocado en la población hispana que vive en los Estados Unidos. Use Nuestro Contenido Este contenido puede usarse de manera gratuita (detalles). La Casa Blanca y …
S.T.D. Rates Are Falling, Data Show. That May Not Be Good News.
For the first time in years, rates of chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis, which had been on track in 2020 to hit record highs in the United States, have taken an abrupt downturn. This should be good news. The coronavirus pandemic has certainly kept more people away from bars, night clubs and large parties, reducing opportunities …
For Each Critically Ill COVID Patient, a Family Is Suffering, Too
The weeks of fear and uncertainty that Pam and Paul Alexander suffered as their adult daughter struggled against COVID-19 etched itself into the very roots of their hair, leaving behind bald patches by the time she left the hospital in early May. Tisha Holt had been transferred by ambulance from a smaller hospital outside Nashville, …
Readers and Tweeters Shed Light on Vaccine Trials and Bias in Health Care
Letters to the Editor is a periodic feature. We welcome all comments and will publish a selection. We edit for length and clarity and require full names. On the ‘Subject’ of Vaccine Trial Participants In the piece about the AstraZeneca vaccine trial subject who suffered severe spinal cord inflammation, that person was repeatedly referred to as a …
Scientists Warn Americans Are Expecting Too Much From a Vaccine
This story also ran on NBC News. This story can be republished for free (details). The White House and many Americans have pinned their hopes for defeating the COVID-19 pandemic on a vaccine being developed at “warp speed.” But some scientific experts warn they’re all expecting too much, too soon. “Everyone thinks COVID-19 will go …
Living in Noisy Neighborhoods May Raise Your Dementia Risk
Long-term exposure to noise may be linked to an increased risk for Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. Researchers did periodic interviews with 5,227 people 65 and older participating in a study on aging. They assessed them with standard tests of orientation, memory and language, and tracked average daytime noise levels in their neighborhoods …
As Anxieties Rise, Californians Buy Hundreds of Thousands More Guns
Use Our Content This story can be republished for free (details). Handgun sales in California have risen to unprecedented levels during the COVID-19 pandemic, and experts say first-time buyers are driving the trend. The FBI conducted 462,000 background checks related to handgun purchases in California from March through September, an increase of 209,000, or 83%, …
How to Run a Race in a Time of Surging Coronavirus
Competitive runners could soon face a familiar 2020 dilemma, as some race directors tiptoe forward with plans for in-person events, even as coronavirus cases climb again nationwide. Runners registered for these races, including me, must now decide whether we feel comfortable racing in-person and, if so, how we can best protect ourselves and the runners …
A Lullaby by Any Other Name Would Sound as Sweet
Babies love lullabies, and a new study suggests they don’t much care what culture the songs come from, what language they are sung in, or even who sings them. The study, led by Constance M. Bainbridge, a doctoral student at the University of California, Los Angeles, and Mila Bertolo, a researcher at Harvard, enrolled 144 …
Chrissy Teigen Shares Essay About Pregnancy Loss
After nearly a month of silence following the loss of her third child, the model and cookbook author Chrissy Teigen shared the story of her pregnancy complications and grief on Tuesday in a personal essay she posted on the website Medium. She and her husband, John Legend, had been quietly mourning the loss of their …
Tiny Love Stories: ‘Do I Always Tilt My Head Like That?’
Embracing a New Life and Love When I lifted the baby girl to my chest, it was love, overwhelming and instant. Then came the Spider-Man light-up shoes. The short haircut. The six-pack of superhero undies from the boys section. The tantrums over having to wear a top at the pool. The revelation that a different …
Some Covid Survivors Have Antibodies That Attack the Body, not Virus
Some survivors of Covid-19 carry worrying signs that their immune system has turned on the body, reminiscent of potentially debilitating diseases like lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, a new study has found. At some point, the body’s defense system in these patients shifted into attacking itself, rather than the virus, the study suggests. The patients are …
Savvy Patient Fought for the Price She Was Quoted − And Didn’t Give Up
This story also ran on NPR. This story can be republished for free (details). When Tiffany Qiu heard how much her surgery was going to cost her, she was sure the hospital’s financial department had made a mistake. Qiu, who already knew from a breast cancer scare earlier that year that her plan required a …
‘No Mercy’ Chapter 5: In Rural America, Cancer Care Is Often Far From Home
Can’t see the audio player? Click here to listen. Sixty-five-year-old Karen Endicott-Coyan is living with a blood cancer. Her chemotherapy takes less than 30 minutes. Before the hospital closed, it was just a short drive into the small town of Fort Scott, Kansas, for her to get treatment. But these days getting to chemo means a …
Telemedicine or In-Person Visit? Pros and Cons
About Asking Never Hurts A series of columns addressing the challenges consumers face in California’s health care landscape. Send questions to bwolfson@kff.org. As COVID-19 took hold in March, U.S. doctors limited in-person appointments — and many patients avoided them — for fear of infection. The result was a huge increase in the volume of remote medical …
For People With Visual Impairments, Truly Secret Ballots Are Elusive
Norma Crosby remembers when she relied on blind faith to cast her vote. The 64-year-old Texan was born virtually without sight, a side effect of her mother catching rubella while pregnant with her. Friends and relatives stood beside her and filled out her ballot at polling precincts for more than half of her voting life. …
If Trump Wins, Don’t Hold Your Breath Waiting for That ACA Replacement Plan
About HealthBent KHN’s chief Washington correspondent, Julie Rovner, who has covered health care for more than 30 years, offers insight and analysis of policies and politics in her regular HealthBent columns. Send questions to jrovner@kff.org. This story also ran on The BMJ. This story can be republished for free (details). If President Donald Trump wins reelection …
The Healing Power of Singing
I was facing some shadows in my life. Could singing with others help me reclaim my voice and calm my fast-beating heart?
This Addiction Treatment Works. Why Is It So Underused?
PHILADELPHIA — Steven Kelty had been addicted to crack cocaine for 32 years when he tried a different kind of treatment last year, one so basic in concept that he was skeptical. He would come to a clinic twice a week to provide a urine sample, and if it was free of drugs, he would …
This Addiction Treatment Works. Why Is It So Underused?
PHILADELPHIA — Steven Kelty had been addicted to crack cocaine for 32 years when he tried a different kind of treatment last year, one so basic in concept that he was skeptical. He would come to a clinic twice a week to provide a urine sample, and if it was free of drugs, he would …
Forget Halloween. Children Are Frightening Year-Round.
Some parents don’t need spooky stories or horror movies. The real terror already lives within the walls of their homes. To be clear, I’m talking about little children. Kids can be incredibly eerie. They seem innocent but sometimes appear highly sophisticated. And when they communicate, it’s often in such a simple, uninhibited way that many …
Trick-or-Treating This Year? Here’s How
First, the official guidance: According to Dr. Tanya Altmann, a spokesperson for the American Academy of Pediatrics, “As long as your family is staying six feet apart from other families, you’re outdoors and you’re not touching commonly touched surfaces, it can be OK to go door-to-door in your neighborhood.” However, the C.D.C. has different guidelines. …
Verily’s COVID Testing Program Halted in San Francisco and Oakland
OAKLAND, Calif. — Amid fanfare in March, California officials celebrated the launch of a multimillion-dollar contract with Verily — Google’s health-focused sister company — that they said would vastly expand COVID testing among the state’s impoverished and underserved communities. But seven months later, San Francisco and Alameda counties — two of the state’s most populous …