Health

More news - Breaking news MultiPlan, a key player in the health insurance industry credited with helping major insurers save billions through minimized medical reimbursements, is currently going through a tumultuous period of increased regulatory and financial scrutiny. The New York-based company, which influences more than 100,000 health plans covering more than 60 million people, has come under fire for practices that could leave patients with large medical bills. Recent investigations have shed a harsh light on MultiPlan’s marketing tactics, which often result in insurers paying health care providers significantly less than they are charged. This strategy, while financially advantageous for insurers and MultiPlan, often leaves patients having to make up the difference...

More news - Recent news The World Health Organization (WHO) has stepped up its response to the mpox outbreak by declaring it a global health emergency. The declaration came on Wednesday, marking the second such declaration in the past three years as the virus rapidly spreads to multiple African nations. Currently, the Democratic Republic of the Congo is experiencing the most severe impact of the outbreak, with a reported count of 15,600 cases and 537 deaths. The current outbreak has surpassed the severity of the 2022 episode, during which a similar emergency was declared. Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, was renamed in 2022 following concerns about the connotations of the original name. Health officials have since adopted the new name to avoid stigma and improve public...

More news - News 24 hours Three research papers exploring MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD have been retracted by the journal Psychopharmacology. This follows the recent rejection of MDMA for this use by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The retracted studies, written by researchers affiliated with Lykos Therapeutics, the company behind the rejected treatment application, were found to involve unethical conduct at one of the research sites. Lykos, however, maintains that the retracted research was not part of their submission to the FDA. This development adds another layer of complexity to the ongoing debate over MDMA-assisted therapy. While some research suggests its potential in treating PTSD, ethical concerns and regulatory hurdles persist. The recent retraction r...

Related media - Breaking news A recent pilot study found that drinking a beverage containing erythritol (an artificial sweetener used to boost the content of stevia and monk fruit and to sweeten low-carb ketogenic products) more than doubled the risk of blood clots in 10 healthy individuals. Blood clots can break off from blood vessels and travel to the heart, triggering a heart attack, or the brain, causing a stroke. Previous research has linked erythritol to an increased risk of stroke, heart attack, and death. Dr. Stanley Hazen, lead author of the study and director of the Cardiovascular Diagnostic and Prevention Center at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute, noted that "remarkably, in all subjects, all measures of platelet (blood clotting) response were increase...

More news - Recent news Early detection of cancer is critical to saving lives and mitigating the financial burden associated with treating this disease, health officials say. Understanding the mechanisms underlying this diagnosis becomes increasingly crucial as the incidence of cancer shifts to younger age groups, as highlighted in a report released in January by the American Cancer Society. The report, published in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, reveals a troubling trend: While the general population in the United States is aging, individuals under age 50 are experiencing an increase in overall cancer incidence from 1995 to 2020. This contrasts with older age groups, underscoring the urgent need for early cancer detection methods. Dr. William Dahut, Chief Scientist of t...

More news - Latest news In a groundbreaking initiative, infants with peanut allergies across Australian hospitals will now have access to a life-changing treatment program aimed at building tolerance to this common allergy. The pioneering program, the first of its kind in the world, is a collaboration between the National Centre of Excellence in Allergy (NACE) and the Murdoch Children's Research Institute (MCRI). Known as the ADAPT OIT Program, it is tailored for infants under 12 months who have been diagnosed with a peanut allergy and are under the care of allergy specialists at ten children’s hospitals in five states in Australia. The treatment, provided free of charge to eligible candidates, involves a carefully planned daily dose of peanut powder taken at home for a period...