Most people might not guess that pills (or creams, patches, and inhalers, for that matter) have a big impact on the environment — but they do.

Climate change is leading to noticeable effects on the environment, as well as to consequences for our health, such as rising rates of asthma and new patterns of infectious diseases. The key driver of climate change is greenhouse gas emissions. Our health care system plays a large role, contributing close to 10% of our nation’s greenhouse gases. The US is also responsible for more than 25% of the world’s total health care emissions.

Within our health care system, pharmaceutical drugs and chemicals are the largest line-item contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, pharmaceutical waste throughout the global supply chain can lead to environmental and animal toxicities, and in the case of antibiotic residues, to antimicrobial resistance (aka “superbugs”). In … Read the rest

There is growing interest in the human body’s microbiome and its connection to chronic disease. A new study examines that connection, along with how the foods we eat influence the composition of our microbiome.

Microbiome protects host and plays role in disease risk

The microbiome consists of the genes of tiny organisms (bacteria, viruses, and other microbes) found in the gastrointestinal tract, primarily in the small and large intestine. The normal gut flora — another term for the microbiome — protects its human host. For the microbiome to flourish, the right balance must exist, with the healthy species dominating the less healthy.

Scientists do not fully understand how the microbiome factors into the risk of developing chronic diseases, such as heart disease, obesity, and type 2 diabetes. Many factors, including differences between individuals and individual diets, have made this a difficult area to investigate.

Study investigates relationships between diet, microbiome,

Did the print on that label suddenly shrink? If you’re in your 40s or beyond, you may have asked yourself that question as you struggled to read something that you used to be able to see clearly with no problem.

Blame your aging eyes. Much like our joints, our eyes undergo age-related changes. While eye problems can affect people of any age, some conditions become more common after age 40.

Getting older? Three common eye conditions

Presbyopia. The lens of the eye gets stiffer with age, which makes it harder to focus on objects nearby — hence your label-reading struggles. Many people find satisfaction with inexpensive reading glasses, but once you need them, it’s time for a midlife vision check-up.

Cataracts. Another common condition that can crop up as you age is cataracts, a clouding of the lens of your eye that can impair vision. Cataracts affect about half of … Read the rest

Doctors told you that your COVID-19 virus infection cleared months ago. However, even though you no longer struggle to breathe, and your oxygen levels have returned to normal, something doesn’t feel right. In addition to constant headaches, you find yourself struggling with seemingly easy tasks. The fatigue you experience makes moving from the bed to the kitchen feel like an accomplishment. But most troubling for you is a feeling of dread, a nervousness so severe you can feel your heart pounding. Constant worries now keep you from sleeping at night.

What are the mental health effects of COVID-19?

We are still learning about the long-term effects of COVID-19 on the brain. Data from Wuhan suggest that the virus may invade the brain, with more than one-third of infected patients developing neurologic symptoms. In addition to brain infection, we know that the pandemic has resulted in worsening mental health outcomes due … Read the rest

Breast cancer remains the most common cancer among women. In the last two decades, the treatment of breast cancers has become personalized. This has been possible due to the subtyping of breast cancers. Breast cancers have been subtyped based on the receptors on the breast cancer cell. The most clinically significant receptors — those that have targeted therapies — are the estrogen and progesterone receptors and the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2). Cancers that have the estrogen and progesterone receptors are termed hormone receptor (HR)-positive cancers.

The development of hormone therapy for HR-positive breast cancers means that some women, for whom the risks of chemotherapy outweigh the benefits, may be able to forego chemotherapy. The development of genomic assays, tests that analyze genes expressed in cancer, have provided a way to help doctors and women decide who will obtain the most benefit from chemotherapy.

How does genomic testing

Like the rest of the country, I awoke on Wednesday, March 17 to the horrific news of a mass shooting in Atlanta that killed eight people. Six were Asian women, ranging in age from 44 to 74. I immediately went numb. Lulu Wang, the Chinese American filmmaker and director of The Farewell, gave voice to my pain on social media: “I know these women. The ones working themselves to the bone to send their kids to school, to send money back home.”

The fact is, I’ve been in a state of numbness for much of the past year. On top of the unprecedented strains that COVID-19 has placed on all of us, Asian Americans like me have had to confront skyrocketing rates of discrimination, verbal assaults, and physical violence. We have been punched, shoved, stabbed, spat at, told that the pandemic is our fault, we brought it this country, … Read the rest

Did you know that antidepressant medications are often prescribed for people without depression?

It’s true. Antidepressants are frequently prescribed for chronic pain, especially pain related to nerve disease (called neuropathic pain), chronic low back or neck pain, and certain types of arthritis.

In fact, some guidelines for the treatment of chronic low back pain and osteoarthritis (the most common type of arthritis) include antidepressants. One antidepressant in particular, duloxetine (Cymbalta), is FDA-approved for these conditions.

Just how antidepressants reduce pain is not well understood. One possibility is they affect chemicals in the brain involved in pain perception, a mechanism that differs from how they fight depression.

Not usually the first choice for pain relief

For people with chronic low back or neck pain or osteoarthritis of the hip or knee, an antidepressant medication is not usually the first treatment recommended. Other approaches, such as physical therapy, exercise, losing excess weight, … Read the rest