The Medical Minute: The Importance of Wellness Visits
Penn State HealthThe annual check-up of the past is undergoing a total transformation, so if you haven’t had a wellness visit in a while, it might be time to check it out.
The annual check-up of the past is undergoing a total transformation, so if you haven’t had a wellness visit in a while, it might be time to check it out.
Every minute, someone comes into a hospital emergency department in the United States with sepsis, a life-threatening over-response to infection that damages tissues and organs. The CDC recently declared sepsis a medical emergency.
Psoriasis is a much-misunderstood disease, often kept under wraps by sufferers who want to hide their skin lesions. This week, Dr. Sara Ferguson, a dermatologist at Penn State Medical Group in State College, separates fact from myth about psoriasis and the various treatment options.
One expert says the more you get your child involved in the menu planning, shopping and preparation of his or her lunch, the more likely it will be eaten and enjoyed.
Women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) who receive frozen embryos during in vitro fertilization have safer and more successful pregnancies than those who get fresh embryos, according to the results of a recent collaboration between Penn State College of Medicine and Chinese researchers.
The list of substances that can mean the difference between winning and not winning is long, and includes everything from testosterone and anabolic steroids to red-cell boosters. But their effect on the body can be detrimental -- and even deadly.
More children are coming to hospital emergency departments this summer for drownings or near-drownings, including at Penn State Children’s Hospital, where staff members say they have seen more cases recently than they can recall in several years.
Getting a second opinion for a medical condition isn’t quite the same as cheating on your hairstylist. In fact, when it comes to complex or serious, life-threatening conditions, most doctors encourage second opinions.
As common as it is, not all children who develop tics receive an official diagnosis, and many outgrow it. When one demonstrates both motor and vocal tics for more than a year, they are diagnosed with Tourette syndrome. A new intervention is finding success in helping them control their condition.
Joint aches and pains are among the most common complaints doctors hear. When it comes to the knees in particular, there are a few things you can do to prevent problems.
Hot temperatures and high humidity can put nearly anyone at risk for dehydration and heat stroke, but children are especially vulnerable.
When women feel a lump in their breast, they usually seek medical attention within a few weeks. Yet men who notice something abnormal in a testicle typically don't see a doctor for two to three months.
Although neurofibromatosis (NF) is not commonly discussed, it affects more than 2 million people worldwide.
Change can be hard for many people. For kids – who often thrive on routine and predictability – the transition from school year to summer and into a new academic year can bring uncertainty that can trigger anxiety and behavioral problems.
When it comes to healthy eating, the villains are constantly changing.
Millions of adults and children across the U.S. identify as cancer survivors. Beating cancer can transform someone’s life and lead to a new sense of gratitude – but it can also usher in a range of physical and emotional challenges.
Osteoporosis is on the rise as 75 million Baby Boomers approach their golden years. Yet many patients and physicians are not aware of what they can do to prevent, slow down and treat the condition, which happens when holes develop in bone, creating a risk of fractures from falls.
The malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum hijacks an immune system process to invade red blood cells, according to a study led by researchers at Penn State College of Medicine. Understanding how malaria invades the cells could lead to a more effective vaccine.
More than 3,100 people were killed in 2014 as a result of distracted driving, according to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration. Although distractions come in many forms, texting is the most dangerous because it takes eyes, hands and minds away from the task at hand.
Why people on immunosuppressant drugs for autoimmune conditions have a higher incidence of an often-fatal brain disease may be linked to a mutation in a common virus, according to researchers at Penn State College of Medicine.
Just as most people know there is no such thing as safe smoking, there is also no such thing as safe sunbathing or tanning. Exposure to UVA and UVB rays can cause more than just a sunburn or tan – it can lead to everything from wrinkles to skin cancer.
While women who are pregnant, breastfeeding or may become pregnant are often excluded from clinical trials for type 2 diabetes drugs, the exclusion is not based on the risk of fetal harm, according to Penn State College of Medicine researchers.
They’re bite sized, brightly colored and look like candy to many children – and they were responsible for nearly 3,000 calls to poison control centers in the first three months of this year. Rates of poisoning from laundry and dishwasher detergent packets are steadily increasing – namely among those ages 5 and under – often resulting in serious injury.
With the growing number of patients who self-inject medications at home, the number of needles that need to be disposed of is growing, as well. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommends that these items be placed in an approved container and be taken to a facility with the ability to properly destroy them. Unfortunately, these services are not always available.
Older adults who met twice-weekly strength training guidelines had lower odds of dying in a new analysis by researchers at Penn State College of Medicine, Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and Columbia University.
Dr. Leslie R. Walker-Harding, chief of the Division of Adolescent Medicine at Seattle Children’s Hospital, has been named chair of the Department of Pediatrics and pediatrician-in-chief at Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, and medical director of Penn State Children’s Hospital.
What do you do when you’re out in public and you witness what you believe to be child abuse? In many situations, the standard suggestions are easier said than done, according to Dr. Lori Frasier.
People with asthma have telltale molecules circulating in their blood, say researchers at Penn State College of Medicine. The discovery could lead to the first diagnostic blood test for asthma, as well as more targeted treatments.
A signaling molecule called interferon gamma could hold the key to understanding how harmful autoantibodies form in lupus patients. The finding could lead to new treatments for the chronic autoimmune disease, said researchers at Penn State College of Medicine.
A medicine used in breast cancer treatment is now considered the best option for treating the most common cause of infertility.
Most spring allergy sufferers know to start taking precautions before the trees burst into bloom each year. This year, however, a string of unusually warm days tricked the trees into blooming earlier than normal.
Whether an aneurysm appears as a ballooning and weakened artery in the brain or in the body’s biggest blood vessel, the aorta, the results can be serious – even deadly. Yet not all aneurysms are created equal.
Earlier today, fourth-year medical students across the country discovered where they will spend their residencies in an annual tradition known as Match Day. For 136 students at Penn State College of Medicine, their Match Day event at the Hershey Country Club included a countdown to the moment when they ripped open the envelopes that held their futures.
When actor Will Smith plays a forensic pathologist who discovers neurological deterioration similar to Alzheimer’s disease in the brain of a former NFL football player, the world pays attention.
More people may be living to 100 and beyond than ever before, but the real challenge is how to become one of them yourself, and how to care for an aging population.
March is colorectal cancer awareness month – a great time to test your knowledge about the disease, and how it can be prevented and treated.
Abuse of prescription pain killers has become an epidemic in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Even more concerning is that those going through withdrawal may turn to heroin as an inexpensive, easy-to-access substitute.
Omega-3 fatty acids may lower the risk of breast cancer in postmenopausal obese women, according to researchers. The protection likely comes from the fatty acids' anti-inflammatory effects, said Dr. Andrea Manni, professor and division chief of endocrinology, diabetes and metabolism, Penn State College of Medicine.
It can be stressful when your doctor sends you for further evaluation after an office visit. Fears may be heightened when it's a heart stress test.
Penn State College of Medicine’s Dr. Jennifer Kraschnewski, assistant professor of medicine and public health sciences, has received $2.2 million in funding from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) to participate in a new diabetes research network and study the effectiveness of obesity counseling.
When having a heart attack, most people will experience some kind of chest pain or pressure that worsens. But it's the uncommon symptoms that confuse people and often lead to delayed treatment and increased injury -- especially in women.
Physicians use different definitions of "reasonable medical certainty" when testifying as expert witnesses in child abuse cases. The variability is troubling because it could result in flawed rulings, according to researchers at Penn State College of Medicine.
If you hadn’t heard of the Zika virus, chances are that has changed with recent reports of outbreaks of the mosquito-borne illness in Latin America, and possible cases in the United States.
When snowflakes begin to fall, kids of all ages – from toddlers to teens – get excited about sledding down hills covered in the white stuff. But it’s important for parents to teach their children important safety measures to prevent injury while having fun.
Penn State Hershey Medical Center today celebrated the opening of its new Pediatric Emergency Department – a space designed to match the high level of emergency medical care that the hospital has long provided to children across the region.
Most people know that high blood pressure and cholesterol are risk factors for heart disease. But what they often don’t think about is starting prevention in childhood.
Inside your bones, a spongy substance called marrow produces the red and white blood cells and platelets you need to stay alive and healthy. When blood cancers and certain genetic conditions damage this marrow, it prevents these blood-making factories from functioning effectively.
As healthy resolutions fill gyms and outdoor paths, two sports medicine doctors at Penn State Hershey Medical Center remind those who work out to do it safely – whether exercising indoors or out.
Understanding how tiny molecular motors called myosins use energy to fuel biological tasks like contracting muscles could lead to therapies for muscle diseases and cancers, say a team of researchers led by Penn State College of Medicine scientists.
Chocolate cupcakes made with black beans. Tuna salad mixed without mayo. Mashed cauliflower instead of potatoes. They may sound strange, but healthy swaps such as these are becoming more common not only in restaurants and cookbooks, but also in Food Services at Penn State Hershey Medical Center.