Latest science news in Health & Medicine
New obesity guidelines shift focus to root causes rather than weight loss
New Canadian guidelines for treatment of obesity call for a shift in focus to the root causes rather than weight loss alone, which means doctors working with patients to understand underlying issues...
Doubt cast on wisdom of targeting 'bad' cholesterol to curb heart disease risk
Setting targets for 'bad' (LDL) cholesterol levels to ward off heart disease and death in those at risk might seem intuitive, but decades of research have failed to show any...
Some asthma drug can boost sprint and strength performance in athletes
A type of asthma drug, known as ß2-agonists, can boost sprint and strength performance in athletes who don't have the respiratory condition, finds a review and pooled data analysis of...
Blood-thinner with no bleeding side-effects is here
Scientists have developed a synthetic blood-thinner that, unlike all others, doesn't cause bleeding side-effects. The highly potent, highly selective, and highly stable molecule can suppress thrombosis while letting blood clot...
Blood test could diagnose baby brain damage just hours after birth
An early blood test could detect which babies deprived of oxygen at birth are at risk of serious neurodisabilities like cerebral palsy and epilepsy.
Breastfeeding safe after mom has anesthesia, experts say
It's perfectly safe to breastfeed after a mom receives anesthesia, new British medical guidelines say.
Study: Obesity puts older African-Americans at higher risk for severe COVID-19
Elevated body mass index, a measure that identifies people who are overweight or obese, raises the risk for severe COVID-19 and admission to intensive care units among African-Americans, according to...
UB40 singer Duncan Campbell recovering after suffering stroke
Duncan Campbell, the current lead singer for UB40, was hospitalized after suffering from a stroke, the band said on Twitter.
Biodiversity loss could be making us sick – here's why
By 2050, 70% of the world's population is expected to live in towns and cities. Urban living brings many benefits, but city dwellers worldwide are seeing a rapid increase in...
Malignant cancer diagnosed in a dinosaur for the first time
New research has led to the discovery and diagnosis of an aggressive malignant bone cancer -- an osteosarcoma -- for the first time ever in a dinosaur. No malignant cancers...
After harsh privacy report, N.W.T. health authority reviewing how it stores patient files
The Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authority says it’s reviewing how it stores personal documents in the wake of a privacy commissioner’s report into a records breach in Fort...
Child care has been safe during the pandemic. That could be a good sign for schools
Hundreds of thousands of essential workers have kept their kids in child care during the pandemic and, so far, these centers haven't been big disease spreaders.
Child care has been safe during the pandemic. That could be a good sign for schools
Hundreds of thousands of essential workers have kept their kids in child care during the pandemic and, so far, these centers haven't been big disease spreaders.
Consumer behavior has shifted significantly during pandemic, survey reveals
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about an increase in telework and online commerce, and a significant decrease in the number of personal trips people are making. Understanding the effects of...
U.S. sees fewer than 50,000 new COVID-19 cases for 2nd day
For the second day in a row, researchers say new COVID-19 cases in the United States have numbered under 50,000.
FDA grants emergency use for heart pump in COVID-19 cases
The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday granted emergency use authorization for a U.S.-made heart pump to treat COVID-19 patients who suffer heart and lung failure.
November election in U.S. can be held safely, experts say
With the 2020 presidential election just three months away, new research suggests an election can be held safely if stringent steps are taken to lower COVID-19 infection risk.
'Uprooting, no matter how small a plant you are, is a trauma': older women renters are struggling
Older women renters are struggling in an insecure and unaffordable rental housing market. A combination of high rents and low incomes leaves many living in substandard housing and unable to...
Royals wish Meghan Markle a happy 39th birthday
Meghan Markle received birthday wishes from Prince William and Kate Middleton, Queen Elizabeth II, and Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall.
Excessive exercise responsible for three-quarters of heatstroke cases in dogs, study shows
The most common cause of potentially-fatal heatstroke in dogs is being exercised by their owners, the largest study of its kind has found.
Government-sanctioned safe supply not enough to get some off fentanyl-laced street drugs
Nearly 2,000 people in B.C. have been prescribed hydromorphone, a synthetic opioid, under the province's safe-supply program, but fatal overdoses continue to rise and reached a historic high in June,...
Coronavirus surge slowing in California, but don't expect a repeat of reopening fever
Epidemiologists and other public health experts said the only way to prevent more surges is to learn from past failure.
Coronavirus surge slowing in California, but don't expect a repeat of reopening fever
Epidemiologists and other public health experts said the only way to prevent more surges is to learn from past failure.
U.S. sees fewer than 50,000 new COVID-19 cases for 2nd straight day
For the second day in a row, researchers say new COVID-19 cases in the United States have amounted to fewer than 50,000.
Around the world, countries thought to have contained the coronavirus face new waves of infection
Fresh outbreaks from Australia to Spain underscore the relentlessness of the coronavirus as infections top 18 million worldwide.
Letters to the Editor: My fellow evangelicals, we don't have to risk death by COVID-19 to follow God
Not all evangelicals insist on packing the pews in defiance of COVID-19 restrictions.
Letters to the Editor: We need to read more about the people dying from COVID-19
The L.A. Times' section on the lives lost from COVID-19 put faces on the numbers we read about each day. That's important and moving.
Cutting the risks of premature birth
Infants born early, before 37 weeks of pregnancy, have a higher risk of dying in childhood and often suffer from lifelong health problems. But two novel devices could help cut...