Radio Health Journal
The latest in health, science, technology, and the intersection of medicine and public policy.
Experts have believed that autism affects four times as many boys as girls, but the ratio may not actually be quite that high. Doctors are learning that autism shows up differently in girls’ behavior as a result of brain differences. This leaves many girls with autism undiagnosed. Experts discuss how it appears in girls and the consequences of those …
It's a rare thing for people to lose their memory of past events. An expert discusses why doctors believe it may occur, and a woman to whom it happened recounts her experience.
Tickling is a unique application of the sense of touch that surprisingly has developmental and cultural importance. Experts discuss the science and sociology of tickling.
About two-thirds of people with dementia in the United States are women, and researchers are discovering it’s not just because they live longer. Reproductive history also plays a role. Scientists are focusing on the role of estrogen as a potential protective factor against Alzheimer’s disease. Several who are involved in this research explain.
The second most common form of dementia is virtually unknown to most people. However, Lewy body dementia affects 1.4 million Americans, with symptoms commonly misdiagnosed as Alzheimer's disease. Additional symptoms such as hallucinations and uncontrollable shaking make diagnosis and caregiving more difficult, and treatments for Alzheimer's or psychosis can …
If dementia is recognized early, medication and coping strategies are very beneficial. However, dementia is often undiagnosed and untreated until it is far along. A newly developed online test can help assess if someone has mild cognitive impairment, a precursor to dementia.
High blood pressure links to dementia, then osteoporosis genetic screening tests, and finally, is friendship timeless?
Electroconvulsive therapy still has a stigma, with the reputation of being a painful, disturbing procedure that wipes out memories and, if movies are to be believed, even creates zombies. Experts explain the reality—that ECT is a quiet procedure that provokes a short brain seizure, releasing huge amounts of neurotransmitters to reset the brain in what is the …
After criminal convictions, many people with substance use disorder are placed on probation with the condition they remain completely drug free. They are often jailed when they relapse, setting back recovery and removing them from treatment that helps keep them clean. Is that fair, when relapse is a common symptom of their disease (and many others)?
New recommendations for earlier colorectal cancer screenings, low rates of folic acid consumption by pregnant women, exercise may not improve prevent cognitive impairment, and more evidence that drinking soda leads to weight gain.
Researchers may have found the cause of polycystic ovary syndrome, another study showing the impact on brain health from tackle football, and researchers at UCLA may have found an antidote to hangovers.
A look at the top medical headlines for the week of March 25, 2018.
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