Health category, Page 125
Health Happenings – Apr. 30, 2019
Blood drives — 8:30 a.m.-2 p.m. today, Triangle Tech, 222 E. Pittsburgh St., Greensburg — 12:30-5 p.m. May 7, Ascension Church, 621 Division St., Jeannette Appointments: 800-733-2767 or redcrossblood.org; walk-ins welcome Classes/programs • Excela Health fitness classes for the mind, body and spirit at Westmoreland Hospital, 532 W. Pittsburgh St.,...
U.S. measles cases top 700, with many illnesses among kids
NEW YORK — Measles continues to spread in the United States, with more 704 cases reported so far this year in 22 states. U.S. health officials on Monday updated the national tally. It has already eclipsed the total for any full year since 1994, when 963 cases were reported. The...
Alzheimer’s care takes toll on patients, families and societyVideo
Alzheimer’s disease is sometimes referred to as a “silent killer,” as it eventually robs patients of the ability to communicate and interact with others and with the outside world. Here are facts for 2019 from the Alzheimer’s Association, about the (sometimes silent) costs of the disease on patients, their loved...
‘Alzheimer’s Stories’ choral work offers hope through music
Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive, incurable brain disorder that slowly robs the sufferer of memory and cognitive functions, eventually claiming the ability to carry out even simple tasks. Yet, it’s been noted that music can sometimes evoke responses from Alzheimer’s patients when nothing else can. “Musical memories are often preserved...
Pittsburgh-area doctors sound alarm about deadly fungal superbug
A deadly fungus that is outsmarting major antifungal medications is slowly spreading across the United States, prompting infectious-disease doctors in Western Pennsylvania to prepare for its eventual arrival. The fungus, called Candida auris, has been confirmed in New York and New Jersey, but no cases have been reported in Pennsylvania,...
State laws highlight war over drug pricing
WASHINGTON — Recent laws in several states that protect drugmakers’ contributions toward patients’ prescription copays are highlighting an escalating battle in the larger war on drug pricing. In the past month, Arizona, Virginia and West Virginia became the first states to enact laws restricting insurance companies from excluding most drug...
Record 250 herpes cases reported per day near Coachella Festival
Music fans apparently caught more than some great tunes at a California music festival this month. The annual Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival draws about 250,000 people to the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, across two weekends in April. In addition to the impacts that any large event...
Men’s beards are dirtier than dogs’ fur, study says
Talk about a romantic mood killer. Before you go in close for a kiss with that hirsute dude, you might want to look at a new study out of Zurich, Switzerland, that found men’s beards contain more bacteria than a dog’s fur. The Hirslanden Clinic looked at the “bacterial load...
Food poisoning remains persistent problem, U.S. report finds
NEW YORK — As recent illnesses tied to raw turkey , ground beef , cut melon and romaine lettuce suggest, U.S. food poisoning cases don’t appear to be going away anytime soon. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a report Thursday that the frequency of several types...
Bloodsucking ‘kissing bugs’ are on the march
It’s like “Sleeping Beauty” with a dose of nightmare fuel: A flat-bodied, six-legged insect moves toward you as you slumber, bound for the blood that surges around your eyes and lips. It crawls on your face. And the poop it leaves behind can be deadly. The triatomine bug, also known...
Patients can review doctors in new Allegheny Health Network system
Allegheny Health Network patients can now find out online what people like — or don’t like — about their doctor. AHN announced Thursday it has implemented a new verified star rating system and comment section for all physicians where patients can give feedback to help others decide who might be...
Planet Fitness offering free gym to teens during summer
If your Planet Fitness gym seems a little more crowded this summer, this might be why. The fitness chain announced that it is offering teens ages 15-18 free access to its clubs during the summer. The Teen Summer Challenge kicks off May 15 and goes until Sept. 1. During that...
U.S. measles cases hit highest mark in 25 yearsVideo
NEW YORK — Measles in the United States has climbed to its highest level in 25 years, closing in on 700 cases this year in a resurgence largely attributed to misinformation that is turning parents against vaccines. “This is alarming,” said Dr. William Schaffner, a Vanderbilt University vaccine expert. Not...
UN: No screen time for babies; only 1 hour for kids under 5
LONDON — The World Health Organization has issued its first-ever guidance for how much screen time that children under five should get: not very much. The U.N. health agency said Wednesday that children under 1 should not have any screen time while those under five should not spend more than...
Americans getting more inactive, computers partly to blame
Americans are becoming increasingly sedentary, spending almost a third of their waking hours sitting down, and computer use is partly to blame, a new study found. Over almost a decade, average daily sitting time increased by roughly an hour, to about eight hours for U.S. teens and almost 61⁄2 hours...
Pennsylvania Congressman John Joyce takes back claims of tuberculosis-infected migrants crossing border
U.S. Rep. John Joyce, a Blair County Republican, is walking back his assertion that 12 cases of drug-resistant tuberculosis were being treated last week among migrants who had crossed the Mexican border and sought asylum in Yuma, Ariz. The freshman Congressman’s about-face came after a spokesman for the Yuma County...
UPMC joins clinical trial for leukemia treatment
UPMC Hillman Cancer Center is joining a collaborative clinical trial for acute myeloid leukemia to explore new ways of treating patients. The Beat AML Master Clinical Trial, led by the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, will use genetic testing to determine the best course of treatment for the cancer. It affects...
Study: Ewing sarcoma rate not higher than expected in Canon-McMillan School District
The Pennsylvania Department of Health on Monday attempted to allay concerns about the incidence of a rare cancer in Washington County and the Canon-McMillan School District. A health department spokesman said a new study of a group of Ewing sarcoma cases in and around the district found the rates were...
It’s Alexa versus Big Pharma in Penn State research labs
Could Alexa replace Big Pharma when it comes to pain control? In a news release touting their ongoing programs in information sciences, researchers at Penn State said they believe they can deliver pain control through guided mindfulness practices via Amazon’s Alexa. “In particular with opioid addiction, there has been quite...
Allegheny Health Network CEO vows to expand amid Pittsburgh health care war
The challenges were many when Cynthia Hundorfean accepted the job as Allegheny Health Network’s CEO in 2016. For one, the hospital system reported a loss of $17.8 million in the first three months of 2016 and other losses in years prior. The other challenge was gaining respect in an industry...
Gift ideas for women undergoing cancer treatmentVideo
Lisa Lurie gets asked the same question all the time. “People want to know what would make a great gift for somebody undergoing surgery, treatment or in recovery?” says Lurie of Squirrel Hill, a breast cancer survivor and co-founder of Cancer Be Glammed, a company that helps women diagnosed with...
Health Happenings – Apr. 23, 2019
Blood drives — 1:30-7 p.m. today , St. Bruno Church, 1707 S. Poplar St., Greensburg — 8:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday , St. James, Route 982, Youngstown — 8:30 a.m.-2 p.m. April 30, Triangle Tech, 222 E. Pittsburgh St., Greensburg Appointments: 800-733-2767 or redcrossblood.org; walk-ins welcome. Meetings • Grief Without the...
Here’s what to know the superbug spreading in the U.S.Video
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is alerting health care facilities to monitor for Candida auris, a drug-resistant fungus that is difficult to diagnose and treat, and often spreads in hospitals, nursing homes and other health-care environments. Here’s what you need to know about it. What is Candida...
Worried about your fruits and vegetables? Here’s how to wash them
A recent column on the Environmental Working Group’s list of fruits and vegetables with the most and least pesticides generated some reader comments. Most wondered if washing eliminates any pesticides residue. While the EWG said washing doesn’t remove the fruit and produce from their list, it’s still recommended to wash...
U.S. measles cases surge as officials scramble to stop near-record outbreak
The United States is on track to surpass the record number of measles cases in a single year since the disease was declared eliminated in 2000, according to figures reported Monday. For the fourth week in a row, health officials have added dozens of new cases to the year’s list...
