FORGOTTEN HISTORY: Calcium - Caught on Camera

Chigger-Borne Scrub Typhus Showed Up as Muscle Spasms in an Unusual Case, and the Kidneys May Be to Blame

Indian pediatricians report that scrub typhus can present with tetany, with low calcium and phosphate likely lost through the kidneys. Here is why it matters.

Medical Daily · 8h ago

Surgeons Opened a 31-Year-Old's Abdomen and Found Candle-Wax Spots Left by His Pancreas Digesting His Own Fat

Surgeons checking for a perforated ulcer found white candle-wax plaques in a man's abdomen, the mark of severe hemorrhagic pancreatitis.

Medical Daily · Oct 2

Teva's Degevma Wins FDA Approval, Joining a Crowded Field of Xgeva Biosimilars for Cancer That Reaches Bone

Teva's Degevma, a biosimilar to Xgeva, won FDA approval for bone complications from cancer. Here's what patients should know about cost and safety.

Medical Daily · Oct 2

5 Common Mistakes Indians Make After a Fracture That Slow Down Bone Healing and Recovery

Stopping Movement Too Soon, or Too LateRest after a fracture is not the same as complete immobility. A 2019 study published in the Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery and Research found that patients who began supervised physiotherapy within two weeks of a stable fracture had significantly better functional outcomes at six…

Times Life · Sep 25

Cholesterol control gets personalized – a cardiologist explains how new guidelines tailor treatment to your unique risk profile

At least a quarter of Americans suffer from high levels of cholesterol or fatty acids in their bloodstream, a condition called dyslipidemia. Uncontrolled cholesterol levels increase the risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, or ASCVD: a group of diseases that result from the buildup of plaque in the blood vessels, preventing…

The Conversation · Sep 24

Why Clay Idols Dissolve at Different Rates: The Sediment and Oxygen Evidence From Immersion Sites

Clay is not one materialThe word "clay" covers a family of minerals with very different structures. Idol makers across India work primarily with two: natural river clay, which is largely kaolinite, and processed clay bodies that contain montmorillonite (the dominant mineral in what potters call "black cotton soil"). Kaolinite has…

Times Life · Sep 24

Jaw Tumors Shrank Without Jaw Surgery After Doctors Removed an Overactive Gland in the Neck

Expanding jaw lesions in three Moroccan women were brown tumors caused by parathyroid disease, and none of them needed jaw surgery.

Medical Daily · Sep 23

What Idol Immersion Puts Into a River: Plaster, Lead Paint, and the Fish Downstream

The chemistry of a submerged idolPlaster of Paris is calcium sulphate hemihydrate. When it enters water, it does not dissolve the way salt does. It absorbs water, hardens briefly, then breaks into fine particulate matter that suspends in the water column and settles into the riverbed. A study published in…

Times Life · Sep 23

Millions take calcium and vitamin D to protect their bones. The biggest review yet suggests the daily pills may not prevent the falls they fear most

A large analysis of 69 trials found little benefit from supplements. Calcium and vitamin D do not significantly prevent fractures or falls. This evidence applies to most community-dwelling adults without high risk. Exercise and home safety measures may help reduce falls more effectively. Consult a doctor before changing any supplement…

The Economic Times · Sep 21

5 Minerals RO Water Purification Removes and Whether the Deficiency Actually Matters

What RO filtration actually removesReverse osmosis works by forcing water through a semi-permeable membrane with pores small enough to block dissolved salts, heavy metals, and bacteria. That same thoroughness catches minerals the body needs. The five that disappear in measurable quantities are calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium, and fluoride. A 2019…

Times Life · Sep 20