health lab Articles

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Health Lab

Young man’s debilitating back pain a thing of the past

Piotrowski consulted with a spectrum of doctors, physical therapists and chiropractors, each with a different recommendation for how to treat a herniated disc in the lower portion of his spine until he found one at Michigan Medicine recommending lumbar microdiscectomy, a procedure that involves small incisions to remove portions of the herniated disc and ease pressure on the spinal cord nerves.
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Health Lab

The ‘tripledemic’ surge

Focusing on the ‘tripledemic’ of RSV, flu and COVID-19 infections that occurred last year, their results underscore the importance of all types of hospital emergency departments being prepared to care for sick children, especially when health systems become strained.
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Health Lab

Brain tumor and car crash survivor aspires to be example for others living with disabilities

A car accident at age 20 left Sahar Mashhour in the intensive care unit for three months. Almost six years later, Mashhour is still pursuing her passions proving that her disability doesn’t limit her ability, but instead helps her see life through a different lens.
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Health Lab

Medication found safe and effective for preventing bleeding in infants with hemophilia A

Infants with hemophilia A who received monoclonal antibody emicizumab experienced few bleeding events and no serious complications, a study suggests.
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Health Lab

Surgery patients now less likely to get opioids – but decline has slowed

Opioid painkillers prescribed by surgeons have gone down in recent years but the decline has slowed since the pandemic
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Health Lab

‘Tis the season to get vaccinated: How to stay healthy through the holidays

Winter surges in infectious diseases can ruin holidays, but vaccination against COVID-19, flu, RSV, whooping cough and pneumonia can help.
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Health Lab

Millions of kids in the U.S. have poor health care coverage

Inadequate health coverage is a particular problem for commercially insured children, according to a Michigan Medicine and Columbia study. The research shows that coverage gaps are affecting publicly insured children as well.
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Health Lab

Both virtual and in-person nutrition visits help to lower cholesterol

The use of telehealth remains high, with over 20% of American adults taking appointments online. These visits include video calls with registered dietitian nutritionists, who have a critical role in helping patients take on lifestyle changes through medical nutrition therapy. With a focus on the changing digital landscape, researchers at Michigan Medicine found that telemedicine patients with hyperlipidemia — an excess of cholesterol or fats in the blood — experienced similar positive health benefits compared to those who had in-person visits.
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Health Lab

Study links gene network and pancreatic beta cell defects to type 2 diabetes

Teams from Vanderbilt University Medical Center and the University of Michigan design a comprehensive study that integrates multiple analytic approaches that has linked a regulatory gene network and functional defects in insulin-producing pancreatic beta cells to type 2 diabetes.
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Health Lab

1 in 8 older adults use cannabis products, suggesting need to screen for risks

The Michigan Medicine finding suggest a need for more education and screening of older adults for cannabis-related risks.
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Health Lab

Real-time opioid overdose data improves safety response from community

To improve coordinated community response to opioid overdoses, University of Michigan researchers are placing near-real time data in the hands of public health and safety officers. The Michigan System for Opioid Overdose Surveillance, was created in 2016 in response to the opioid crisis through a partnership between the University of Michigan Injury Prevention Center and the Michigan High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas.
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Health Lab

Clinical smart watch finds success at identifying atrial fibrillation

A Michigan Medicine research team developed a prescription wristwatch that continuously monitors the wearer’s heart rhythm and uses a unique algorithm to detect atrial fibrillation. The clinical-grade device, called the Verily Study Watch, proved very accurate at identifying atrial fibrillation in participants.
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Health Lab

This gross mixture has big benefits for the study of bacteria

Michigan Medicine researchers have found that growing bacteria on agar mixed with organs is an efficient and effective way to study infectious pathogens.
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Health Lab

Why new patient paperwork isn’t just busy work

While it’s easy to overlook doctor's office questionnaires, that paperwork actually serves a vital role in better understanding how to treat you. Called patient reported outcomes, this information gives medical specialists insight into how treatments truly impact you as a patient.
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Health Lab

An innovative pharmacy service for pain management

An innovative service at Michigan Medicine offers pain management support for patients and care teams