Diseases & Conditions Archive

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Could this diet ward off COVID?

In a 2024 study, people who reported eating plant-based diets were 39% less likely to have had COVID-19, compared with people who said they were meat eaters.

How well do you worry about your health?

It's impossible to never worry about your health — but are you worrying about the right things? Popular fears and Google and TikTok searches suggest our top concerns may bypass common health issues. So what should concern us and what can we do about it?

Colon cancer risks higher in people with diabetes

A 2023 study suggests that having diabetes may be tied to a higher risk of developing colorectal cancer than not having diabetes.

New thinking about tinnitus

Tinnitus is widely believed to be caused by hearing loss. But that theory hasn't explained the cause of the problem for people with normal hearing tests who still have tinnitus. Increasing evidence suggests that some of these people have "hidden" hearing loss: damage to the auditory nerve—which carries sound signals from the ear to the brain—that isn't picked up by conventional tests. The evidence offers hope that if perhaps one day auditory nerve fibers can be regenerated, it might help reduce the perception of tinnitus.

Why are cold symptoms worse at night?

Cold symptoms can worsen at night for several reasons. Immune cells become more active at night, creating inflammation that aggravates respiratory symptoms. Lower cortisol levels also fuel symptoms, and lying down allows mucus to pool at the back of the throat.

What is dropless cataract surgery?

Dropless cataract surgery is a new innovation. It enables eye surgeons to administer a medication into a patient's eye during surgery that eliminates the need to use expensive, inconvenient eye drops for several weeks after surgery.

Is chronic fatigue syndrome all in your brain?

A new study from the National Institutes of Health has performed more diverse and extensive biological measurements of people experiencing chronic fatigue syndrome than any previous research. Here's what they found and what it means.

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