Health News Headlines
The fight against Ebola continues
U.S. scientists in pursuit of testing Ebola vaccines are having difficulties gathering samples of the virus, which would allow them to study the mutations. President Obama asked Congress to create a multi billion dollar emergency fund to fight the disease in West Africa and the U.S. And the World Bank pledged nearly a half-billion more dollars to support the economies in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, as they deal with Ebola.
Want to prevent future kidney stones?
Drink lots of water and cut back on foods with oxalate—nuts, spinach, chocolate, tea and cola, according to new recommendations published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. Drug therapies are, however, most effective in breaking up solid materials which accumulate in the kidney and become a “stone”.
Studies show that if you've had one kidney stone, you're 50 percent more likely to have a second within five years,
What's Chagas?
At this week’s meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, the chatter was about a new disease that’s being compared in seriousness to HIV and AIDS. It’s called Chagas and is caused by a parasite that is most often found in Latin America. But now, a number of cases have been identified in Texas causing scientists to wonder about a possible outbreak. Chagas is spread by a blood sucking bug that can contaminate the body through broken skin, and then damage the heart and other organs.
Bariatric surgery can lead to change in taste
According to research from Stanford University, the majority of patients who underwent bariatric surgery reported a change in sense of flavor. Those with a more intense tasting sense maintained the same weight, while those who found less pleasure in the taste of foods, lost weight.