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1 week ago | 
westnewsmagazine.com | Lisa Russell
A social media trend called mouth taping – which involves placing tape over the mouth during sleep to stop “mouth breathing”– is growing in popularity on channels like TikTok. But the practice carries serious health risks, especially for people with sleep-disordered breathing and obstructive sleep apnea, according to a study recently published in the journal PLOS One.
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1 week ago | 
westnewsmagazine.com | Lisa Russell
Last year, we reported on recent studies investigating the potentially hazardous ingredients present in many tattoo inks. Now, new research from Europe has found that once under the skin, those inks could raise the long-term risk of certain cancers. Using data from Danish twins, scientists found that twins with tattoos are diagnosed with skin and lymphoma cancers more often than their non-tattooed siblings.
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1 week ago | 
westnewsmagazine.com | Lisa Russell
Along with aging, several factors are known to increase older adults’ risk of developing dementia. These include genetics, family history and conditions like high blood pressure and heart disease. Another risk factor which has emerged in recent research is viral infection – specifically shingles, caused when the chicken pox virus, which has remained dormant in the body for decades, reactivates in nerve cells.
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2 weeks ago | 
westnewsmagazine.com | Lisa Russell
The 2024-25 flu season, the worst the U.S. has experienced in well over a decade, is finally behind us, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimating that between 47 million and 82 million Americans got the illness. At the same time, fewer of us were vaccinated against the flu than before the COVID-19 pandemic, which may have contributed to the high number of cases.
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2 weeks ago | 
westnewsmagazine.com | Lisa Russell
There are now more living Americans who have survived cancer than ever before … more than 18 million as of 2022, according to American Cancer Society (ACS) statistics. A recently published long-term study from the ACS shows that those who make better nutrition and lifestyle choices after their cancer treatment have much better odds of becoming one of those survivors. “A cancer diagnosis often motivates people to think about how they can live healthier lives.
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2 weeks ago | 
westnewsmagazine.com | Lisa Russell
Lazy summer days often mean hours spent lounging in pools or lakes … and watching our fingers “prune up” after a certain amount of time in the water. But did you know those wrinkles always form in the exact same pattern? Associate Professor Guy German of Binghamton University in New York has actually conducted scientific research on the subject. His first study’s findings contradicted the belief that these skin wrinkles are created by water-induced swelling of the hands and fingers.
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2 weeks ago | 
westnewsmagazine.com | Lisa Russell
Basking in the hot summer sun may actually speed up the aging process in older adults, according to a new study. The research shows links between exposure to extreme heat and accelerated biological aging, raising concerns about how extended heat waves – which are becoming increasingly common in many areas – and an overall warming climate could affect long-term health. Biological age is a measure of how well the body functions at the molecular and cellular levels.
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2 weeks ago | 
midriversnewsmagazine.com | Lisa Russell
New mothers who give birth at Mercy hospitals throughout the Midwest now have the option to donate their placentas, which can be used in a number of ways to help others heal. Through Mercy’s Beginnings and Blessings program, moms can choose to donate their birth tissue for research and for medical uses, particularly in the treatment of serious wounds and burns.
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2 weeks ago | 
westnewsmagazine.com | Lisa Russell
On May 16, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced its approval of the first blood test to aid in diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease. The test detects amyloid plaques – a hallmark of Alzheimer’s – through a simple blood draw, making it less invasive and easier for patients to access than other diagnostic tools.
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1 month ago | 
westnewsmagazine.com | Lisa Russell
No matter what your age, your heart may be older than you are – sometimes by decades – according to scientists in the U.K. They have developed what they say is a revolutionary new way of measuring the heart’s “true age” using MRI technology. The scientists call their cutting-edge technique a game changer, adding that it could potentially transform how heart disease is diagnosed by catching problems early on, before they become life-threatening.
