A Loma Linda University research team, led by Lee Berk, DrPH, MPH, has confirmed brain health benefits from the consumption of dark chocolate (cocoa). The team’s initial studies have shown that absorbed cocoa flavonoids penetrate and accumulate in the brain regions associated with learning and memory. Shared properties of nerves and these cocoa flavonoids sequence…

(StatePoint) It’s that time of year again: The Medicare Annual Election Period (AEP) begins October 15 and runs through December 7. Medicare is a critical source of health care for millions of Americans, and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) sets this time for people to select and make changes to their plans…

The end of the “hormone therapy era” appears to have been greatly exaggerated. More than a decade ago, the “Women’s Health Initiative,” published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, advised menopausal women to stop their hormone replacement therapy due to a reported increase in breast cancer, strokes and heart attacks. In the years…

Early physical therapy for recent-onset low back pain resulted in statistically significant improvement in disability compared to usual care, but the improvement was modest and did not achieve a difference considered clinically important at the individual patient level, according to a study in the October 13 issue of JAMA. Lifetime prevalence of low back pain…

(StatePoint) For years, bottled water has been a go-to for clean drinking. Many believe it tastes better than tap water and assume it’s safer to drink. But at-home filtered water is another alternative, and while it gets less attention, there are many reasons why it could be the best option available. 1. You’ll Drink More…

Boo! Did we scare you? Every year kids start to get excited at least a month before Halloween. But kids with food allergies also get a bit nervous. They worry they might accidentally eat something they shouldn’t, and suffer a severe allergic reaction. “Every year Halloween is a bigger celebration,” said allergist Jana Tuck, MD,…

A newly released study provided good news for at least some breast cancer patients who dread the effects of chemotherapy treatment. The study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, concluded that a genetic test may be able to determine whether women with early stage breast cancer can skip chemotherapy and instead rely on…

Two decades after a UCSF researcher proposed that reducing nicotine in cigarettes as a national regulatory policy might facilitate quitting, a new study he co-authored has added to a body of evidence that indicates that doing just that may accomplish this goal. The study follows 2009 legislation that allows the Food and Drug Administration to…