What’s Up With Hiccups? (2020)
Hiccups are annoying and uncomfortable, and doctors don’t know why we (and most other species) get them. An expert explains what we know about what hiccups are and why most home remedies actually work.
Culture and the Arts Sub-categories:
- Holidays (18)
- Performing Arts (7)
- Pop Culture (7)
- Religion (10)
- Sports and Recreation (53)
- Travel (18)
Medical Notes: Week of November 29, 2020
Two Covid vaccines showing a better than 90-percent effectiveness rate now have the data to seek emergency approval from the FDA. Then, a study shows that signs of concussion can be detected in a person's saliva. And finally, a new study finds that deflating soccer balls just a little could cut concussion injuries in the sport.
Where Can We Gather? The Zoom Thanksgiving
Getting together with family and friends over the holidays will be different this year due to Covid-19 precautions for families and governmental restrictions on restaurants and bars. Experts discuss how to keep gatherings safe and the consequences if we don’t.
Music Therapy
Some people are finding relief from mental health issues through music therapy, a combination of psychotherapy and music-making
Perfect Pitch
New research shows perfect pitch is teachable to adults as well. Experts discuss the implications on all forms of learning.
Lisfranc Injuries: Not Just a Sprained Foot or Ankle
People who injure their foot often think they have a mere sprained foot or ankle when they actually have an injury that is potentially much more severe and disabling if not treated.
Covid and Choirs
Scientists have discovered that singing is an exceptionally effective way to spread viruses through the aerosolized particles it expels, which may travel much farther than the six foot safety zone many people follow. This means choruses and choirs may not get back to “normal” after the Covid-19 pandemic until much later than most activities, and only with …
Medical Notes: Week of May 31, 2020
A newly developed smartphone app is remarkably effective at predicting if a person is infected with Covid-19. Then biomarkers for ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease can be found in a person’s teeth in the first decade of life. Then, a study shows that changing the way physical therapy is done can improve strength by an additional 30 percent. And finally, The labels …
Medical Notes: Week of March 1, 2020
A study showing that a molecular switch governing chronic inflammation can be turned off. Then, a study that shows that few of us are taking advantage of the great outdoors. And finally, doctors are reporting a strange, rare side effect of the active ingredient in Viagra—intensely blue-tinted vision.
Music and Medicine
Pre-medical students have typically majored in science, but some medical schools are finding that liberal arts and even music majors with no science background can do well. Some admissions officers and doctors believe they may even have advantages, given the importance of communications in the doctor-patient relationship. A musician-turned-med student, an …
Smoldering Concussions
Doctors are realizing that concussions can smolder in the brain for years with symptoms that are missed, making diagnosis at the time of occurrence all the more important. Yet a new study shows that protocols affecting the most vulnerable—young athletes—often are not followed. Experts explain why, and what people should do when they receive any blow to the …
Broken Heart Syndrome
When a person suffers a severe emotional shock, they may suffer what looks like a heart attack but is actually what doctors call “stress cardiomyopathy.” Most patients recover but the condition can be fatal, confirming that it is possible to die of a broken heart. An expert explains.
