Health category, Page 108
Quinn on Nutrition: Nuts that are not nuts
Question: “You have helped me out in the past so I thought I’d get your opinion on this. On a recent show, a doctor was talking about which foods to eat and which to avoid. He said that you should be eating nuts, but don’t eat cashews, as they are...
Up to a third of opioid overdose deaths might be suicides, Johns Hopkins researcher concludes
Tens of thousands of people fatally overdose each year on opioids and other drugs. Sometimes medical examiners label them accidents, and sometimes they don’t know what to call them. But where humans waver, a computer program using a kind of artificial intelligence finds many are likely suicides — possibly a...
Allegheny Health Network expanding healthy food center
Since opening in 2018 at West Penn Hospital, the region’s first Healthy Food Center has provided nearly 40,000 meals to patients and their families who lack access to nutritious food items, according to Highmark Health. Allegheny Health Network will expand the effort’s reach, with the recent opening of a second...
Lyme disease vaccine for mice might help prevent human infections
HARTFORD, Conn. — Connecticut researchers are involved in a potentially important effort to break the cycle of infections among wild animals and ticks that leads to the transmission of Lyme disease to humans. The key is finding a way to give a specially developed vaccine to white-footed or deer mice,...
Excela Latrobe introduces improved surgical robotVideo
Students from Greater Latrobe and Ligonier Valley school districts joined other local residents Friday in trying out the controls of an improved surgical robot introduced during an open house at Excela Latrobe Hospital. Seventeen Excela surgeons use the robot and one like it at Excela Westmoreland Hospital to perform precision...
U.S. to screen airline passengers from China for new illness
NEW YORK — Three U.S. airports will screen passengers arriving from central China for a new virus that has sickened dozens, killed two and prompted worries about an international outbreak, health officials said Friday. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials say they will begin taking temperatures and asking about...
Allegheny Health Network cancels surgeries after gown recall
Several elective, non-emergency procedures were rescheduled at surgery centers throughout Allegheny Health Network on Thursday after the medical device manufacturer Cardinal Health recalled surgical gowns, a spokesman said. The gowns, which are part of kits containing other surgical supplies, were immediately pulled from the shelves after a nationwide “voluntary recall”...
Western Pennsylvania sets record for organ, tissue transplants in 2019
Western Pennsylvania and West Virginia set a record for organ and tissue transplants in 2019, the Center for Organ Recovery & Education (CORE) announced. CORE, a nonprofit that coordinates organ, tissue and cornea donation, facilitated 661 transplants in Western Pennsylvania and West Virginia last year — an increase from 2018...
UPMC, Pitt test out wireless eyeball implant in hopes of restoring lost sightVideo
A surgeon at UPMC Mercy hospital implanted a wireless chip designed to act like a small, artificial retina in the eye of an Ohio woman last week in the first trial of the technology in the United States. The treatment could offer a novel way to restore the sight of...
Fluoridation the subject of dental association’s annual 3rd-grade poster contest
The Pennsylvania Dental Association wants the state’s third-graders to help mark the 75th anniversary of community water fluoridation — the addition of fluoride to public drinking water. Third-grade students are invited to submit a poster built around the association’s 2020 theme: “Fluoride in Water Prevents Cavities!” After Dr. Frederick McKay...
Penn-Trafford wrestler diagnosed with MRSA, school says
A Penn-Trafford High School wrestler recently was diagnosed with MRSA, a contagious staph infection, the school district said Tuesday. The wrestler, who was not identified, is receiving medical treatment and will not return to the team until he receives a medical clearance, said Tony Aquilio, high school principal. The student...
Flu-associated deaths increase to 24, state health officials report
The number of flu-related deaths in Pennsylvania has nearly doubled in the past week, according to data released Tuesday by the state Department of Health. The department reported there had been 24 flu-associated deaths this flu season through Saturday, up from 13 as of Jan. 4. As of this point...
U.S. drinking more now than just before Prohibition
NEW YORK — Americans are drinking more now than when Prohibition was enacted. What’s more, it’s been rising for two decades, and it’s not clear when it will fall again. That’s the picture painted by federal health statistics, which show a rise in per-person consumption and increases in emergency room...
Binge drinking linked to heart damage, study finds
A study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association indicates there may be a link between binge drinking and heavy alcohol consumption and heart damage. Reuters reported that researchers analyzed data from nearly 3,000 adults from northwest Russia. They found that heavy drinking was associated with increased levels...
What really works for dry winter skin, according to dermatologists
Your skin doesn’t like winter. The combination of cold air outside and heated air inside often leads to dry, itchy, scaly skin. There’s plenty of advice on the web about what to do and plenty of heavily marketed products that claim they’ll solve this seasonal problem, often at a hefty...
Health Happenings: Week of Jan. 13
Classes/programs • Unplug and Recharge is held between noon-12:45 p.m. Tuesdays in January at Excela Square at Frick; Wednesdays at Westmoreland Hospital and Thursdays at Latrobe Hospital. The sessions use exercise and yoga techniques. Details: excelahealth.org Meetings • Tour of the Family Additions Maternity Center is planned 2 p.m. Sunday...
Drinking deaths double in 2 decades with faster rate for women
WASHINGTON — Deaths from boozing and bingeing more than doubled in the past two decades, as alcohol consumption per person rose 8%, with sharp increases in the rate for women and the middle-aged. Men were three-quarters of the total but fatalities for women rose at a faster rate: 85% versus...
Mayo Clinic research solves deadly Amish medical mystery
Research led by Mayo Clinic has solved a 2-decade-old mystery about why so many otherwise healthy children and young people in Amish communities have been dying from sudden unexplained cardiac deaths. Examining the DNA of four Amish siblings who suffered cardiac deaths while playing or exercising, researchers found they all...
Walmart offering flu shots at Western Pa. wellness clinics
Walmart announced Friday that low-cost flu shots will be available at wellness clinics in its stores on Saturday. The “Walmart Wellness Day” will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at all Walmart stores in Western Pennsylvania. The cash price for shots will start around $39, spokesman Keegan Gibson...
Allegheny County reports first flu death of season
A 90-year-old Allegheny County woman with underlying medical conditions has died from flu complications, the county Health Department reported Wednesday. The woman is the county’s first flu fatality of the season, according to Dr. Kristen Mertz, an epidemiologist with the health department. The department said it could not release additional...
Red Cross blood donors can qualify to win Super Bowl trip
With a post-holiday, critical need for donations, the American Red Cross is asking donors to begin the new year by giving blood or platelets. As a sign of appreciation and a special incentive, those who donate blood or platelets through Jan. 19 will be entered in a chance to win...
Person under 50 among new Pennsylvania flu deaths, health department reports
Pennsylvania’s influenza epidemic claimed four more lives in the past week, including the first fatal case of the season involving a person younger than 50, according to data released Tuesday by the Pennsylvania Department of Health. The number of laboratory-confirmed cases and flu-related hospitalizations surged over the past week, data...
Health Happenings: Week of Jan. 6
Blood drives • American Red Cross will host these blood drives: —Noon-5 p.m. today , Westmoreland Manor, 2480 South Grande Blvd., Hempfield — Noon-6:30 p.m. Monday, Charter Oak Church, 449 Fry Farm Road, Unity Appointments: 800-733-2767 or redcrossblood.org; walk-ins welcome • Vitalant (formerly Central Blood Bank) will host a blood...
Dry January or Dry-ish January? Both can have health benefits
The holiday parties are over, the New Year’s resolutions are in and many likely revolve around a healthier 2020. For those who may have been over-served during December’s festivities, or are just looking for a challenge, that could include cutting out the glass of wine with dinner or the cocktails...
How to read the new nutrition facts label
The Food and Drug Administration has updated the nutrition facts label on packaged foods and beverages to reflect new scientific information, including the link between diet and chronic diseases. Manufacturers with $10 million or more in annual sales were required to switch to the new label by Jan. 1. Angie...
