Millions of people take a low-dose aspirin daily to improve heart health. Millions more take omega-3 fatty acid supplements for the same reason. As it turns out, new research detailed in the February 21 issue of the journal Chemistry & Biology explains, for the first time, how aspirin and omega-3 fatty acids work together to head off inflammation that is an underlying factor in heart disease, arthritis and inflammatory lung disease.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is an ailment that occurs following the witnessing or experiencing of what is perceived to be or was a life threatening event. Generally, people think of PTSD as having occurred after natural disasters, personal assaults, military combat, serious accidents and terrorist incidents. However, the traumatic experiences of PTSD can pertain to any experience that involves the threat of serious injury or death either to a person or someone close to them. 

Unless you live in Massachusetts or Hawaii, you are not currently required by law to offer your employees health insurance benefits. In 1974, Hawaii was the first state to pass a law that required employers to provide health insurance to all full-time employees. In 2007, Massachusetts passed a law that employers with more than 10 employees are required to offer pre-tax health plans to employees. In 2010 as part of the development of Obamacare, national legislation was passed to require employers with 50 or more full-time employees to offer health coverage. This requirement will go into effect in 2014. Even if you're not yet required to cover your employees, there are convincing reasons that you'll want to provide insurance for your employees.

A jury in Colorado recently awarded Wayne Watson $7.2 million as a result of his popcorn lung lawsuit. Known to the medical community as bronchiolitis obliterans, this rare condition causes sufferers to deal with fatigue, shortness of breath, a dry cough and wheezing. Popcorn lung has been directly linked to inhaling the chemical diacetyl. Popcorn manufacturers have stopped using diacetyl, but it was in microwave popcorn for decades before recently being removed. 

Scientists have discovered a system that drains waste products from the brain. The finding may reveal new ways to treat neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer’s disease.

Are you taking the proper precautions in filing you worker's compensation claim?

As more people learn about the option of sedation dentistry, the practice is becoming incredibly popular, particularly as more and more employers are offering dental insurance. People who once would rather endure a tax audit than go to the dentist (and that’s a tough one!) are now receiving recommended bi-annual check-ups. In general, sedation dentistry is a terrific solution that allows many people who would otherwise neglect their oral health flash their pearly whites with pride. While the majority of dentists that practice sedation are properly trained and follow protocols to the letter, there may be others who are simply not practicing sedation in a safe manner.

Scientists have known for decades that cancer cells use more glucose than healthy cells, feeding the growth of some types of tumors. Now, a team that includes researchers from the National Institutes of Health's new National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) has identified compounds that delay the formation of tumors in mice, by targeting a key enzyme that governs how cancer cells use glucose and its metabolites.

“Smart Bomb” Breast Cancer Drugs Show Promise

CHICAGO, June 10, 2012—At the 48th annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology in Chicago, Kim Blackwell, M.D. and her team of researchers told the American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting that they successfully unleashed the first “smart bomb” on breast cancer. Using an experimental drug to deliver a “toxic payload” to cancer cells while leaving healthy tissue untouched, researchers arrested development of women’s tumors and markedly improved their survival rates.

Children and young adults scanned multiple times by computed tomography (CT), a commonly used diagnostic tool, have a small increased risk of leukemia and brain tumors in the decade following their first scan. These findings are from a study of more than 175,000 children and young adults that was led by researchers at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health, and at the Institute of Health and Society, Newcastle University, England.

You need medical and dental insurance. You do not need vision insurance.

When your doctor prescribes medication, it usually will alleviate the problem that brought you to the doctor’s office in the first place. What many people don’t realize is that drugs commonly have side effects. One common example of this is antihistamines; they relieve your allergy symptoms, but they often make you sleepy.

Just because you’re getting older, doesn't mean you have to resign yourself to a rocking chair and figure out what the heck shuffleboard is. While there are numerous laws, committees and resources concerning teen driving, senior driving issues aren't given the same weight. According to a study conducted by the Department of Vascular and Renal Diseases at Malmo University Hospital in Sweden, reflexes tend to diminish with age. The problem is that there is no specific age at which one becomes incapable of driving. It's often something decided on an individual basis, not an easy task when you're just not ready to give up your "right" to drive.

The physiological, emotional and psychological stress associated with spaceflight can result in decreased immunity that reactivates the virus that causes shingles, a disease punctuated by painful skin lesions. NASA has developed a technology that can detect immune changes early enough to begin treatment before painful lesions appear in astronauts and people here on Earth. This early detection and treatment will reduce the duration of the disease and the incidence of long-term consequences. 

The greatest things always seem to happen to me. By "greatest," I mean the kind of really offbeat stuff that just doesn’t seem to happen to a lot of other people. Stuff that makes for such good stories that it almost sounds fabricated.

Two weeks ago, I received a certified letter with the familiar logo of my Doctor’s office on the envelope. I opened it to find out that I was being fired. I was kindly informed that I should never again return to the office as a patient. Here is the letter I received, with the printed name scratched out to protect the guilty.