The two “freezing” episodes that Sen. Mitch McConnell experienced recently weren’t strokes or seizures, the Capitol physician said in a new letter released Tuesday. “My examination of you following your August 30, 2023, brief episode included several medical evaluations: brain MRI imaging, EEG study and consultations with several neurologists for a comprehensive neurology assessment. There is no evidence that you have a seizure disorder or that you experienced a stroke, TIA [transient ischemic attack] or movement disorder such as Parkinson’s disease. There are no changes recommended in treatment protocols as you continue recovery from your March 2023 fall,” wrote Dr. Brian Monahan. Monahan had already cleared McConnell for work after the Senate Republican Leader froze for the second time in a month during a briefing last Wednesday in Kentucky. Monahan said in that earlier statement that he had talked with McConnell and his neurology team, and that McConnell can continue his work schedule. McConnell, 81, was injured in March when he fell at a dinner event at a Washington, D.C. hotel. The senator had a concussion and a broken rib. On two separate occasions since then, McConnell has frozen while speaking publicly, including for about 30 seconds on Wednesday, the Associated Press reported. He was “momentarily lightheaded,” McConnell’s office told the AP. “Occasional lightheadedness is not uncommon in concussion recovery and can also be expected…  read on >  read on >

You might think you know what a normal body temperature is, but there is no such thing. Analyzing the age-old belief that 98.6 Fahrenheit is normal human temperature, scientists at Stanford Medicine found that your temperature is personal. It also depends on age, sex, height and weight, and changes throughout the day. “Most people, including many doctors, still think that everyone’s normal temperature is 98.6 F. In fact, what’s normal depends on the person and the situation, and it’s rarely as high as 98.6 F,” said senior study author, Dr. Julie Parsonnet, a professor of medicine. The normal temperature of a tall, underweight 80-year-old man in the morning could be a degree lower than the afternoon temperature of a 20-year-old woman who is obese, she explained in a Stanford news release. Past research at Stanford found that Americans’ average body temperature has dropped from 98.6 F by about 0.05 F every decade since the 19th century. This is likely due to better health and living conditions that reduce inflammation. Today, a so-called normal body temperature is nearer to 97.9 F, the researchers noted. The idea of 98.6 F comes from a German study published in the 1860s. But even then, researchers noted that men and the elderly had lower temperatures than women and young adults. Temperatures in that study were also higher in the afternoon.…  read on >  read on >

A stressful or traumatic childhood experience — anything from parents divorcing to a sibling’s drug problem — may have long-term effects on a woman’s sexual health. These adverse childhood experiences may be linked to sexual inactivity and dysfunction in women later in life, a recent study reports. Health care providers should screen their patients with sexual dysfunction for adverse childhood experiences, researchers recommend. Doctors should offer these women treatment that could include a referral for counseling. “This research adds to the literature exploring sexual function in women,” said senior author Dr. Ekta Kapoor, assistant director of the Mayo Clinic Center for Women’s Health in Rochester, Minn. “Sexual dysfunction has a significant impact on a woman’s quality of life. Based on these findings, we encourage health care providers to screen for adverse childhood experiences in women with sexual dysfunction and offer multidisciplinary treatment including referral for counseling as needed. If the consequences of childhood adversity are not adequately addressed, other interventions to improve sexual function may not be successful,” Kapoor said. The study included more than 1,500 women, aged 40 to 65, who visited the Menopause and Women’s Sexual Health Clinic at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota between 2015 and 2016. The women had concerns related to menopause and sexual health. Before their visit, they were asked to complete a survey that included questions about any…  read on >  read on >

Lots of children and adolescents have the condition known as ADHD, or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. What should parents know? A number of treatments exist to help with functioning, including medications approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Typically, ADHD begins between ages 3 and 6, according to the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health. It can continue into adulthood. People can experience one of three types of ADHD. They are predominantly inattentive, with trouble focusing, following instructions and finishing tasks; predominantly hyperactive/impulsive, with behavior of being “constantly on the go,” talking excessively and interrupting others; and a combination of those symptoms. An increasing number of children are being diagnosed with ADHD. About 10% of children aged 3 to 17, about 6 million kids, have been diagnosed with ADHD as of 2019, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Boys, at 13%, are more likely than girls, at 6%, to be diagnosed with ADHD. “Boys are also more likely to have the hyperactive-impulsive type. This type of ADHD is easier to spot than the quieter child who is inattentive,” said child psychiatrist Dr. Tiffany Farchione, who reviews ADHD drugs at the FDA. Untreated ADHD can have serious consequences, the FDA warns, including falling behind in school, having difficulties with friendships and experiencing conflicts with parents. Children with untreated ADHD also have more emergency…  read on >  read on >

FRIDAY, Sept. 1, 2023 (HealthDay News) – After Sen. Republican Leader Mitch McConnell froze for the second time during a Wednesday briefing in Kentucky, Congress’ attending physician has cleared him to continue working. Dr. Brian Monahan said in a statement that he had talked with McConnell and his neurology team, and that McConnell can continue his work schedule. McConnell, 81, was injured in March when he fell at a dinner event at a Washington hotel. The senator had a concussion and a broken rib. On two separate occasions since then, McConnell has frozen while speaking publicly, including for about 30 seconds on Wednesday, the Associated Press reported. He was “momentarily lightheaded,” McConnell’s office told the AP. “Occasional lightheadedness is not uncommon in concussion recovery and can also be expected as a result of dehydration,” Monahan noted. McConnell has revealed little about his health, but was known to have called his deputies in leadership after the Wednesday incident, the AP reported. His health has visibly declined in recent months. Some Republican senators have concerns about McConnell’s health and whether he will run for reelection in 2026, the AP reported. Most Republican senators have been publicly supportive of McConnell. The U.S. Senate is not in session at the moment, but it will reconvene soon. More information The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on…  read on >  read on >

For women, keeping a stable weight after the age of 60 may boost their odds of reaching the advanced ages of 90, 95 or even 100. Older women with a more stable weight were 1.2 to 2 times more likely to live that long than those who lost 5% or more of their weight, the study showed. Women who unintentionally lost weight were 51% less likely to survive to the age of 90. Gaining 5% or more weight, compared to stable weight, was also not associated with exceptional longevity. “It is very common for older women in the United States to experience overweight or obesity with a body mass index range of 25 to 35. Our findings support stable weight as a goal for longevity in older women,” said first study author Aladdin Shadyab, an associate professor at the Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science at the University of California, San Diego. “If aging women find themselves losing weight when they are not trying to lose weight, this could be a warning sign of ill health and a predictor of decreased longevity,” Shadyab said in a university news release. For the study, the researchers used data from more than 54,000 women who enrolled in the Women’s Health Initiative. Throughout the follow-up period, more than 30,000 women, or 56% of the participants,…  read on >  read on >

If you are in your 90s, is hip replacement surgery too dangerous for you? That depends, new research shows: While elderly patients have more complications and higher death rates after such a procedure, the surgery can be “appropriately considered.” That’s because the risks for total hip replacement depend not just on patients’ age, but also on their overall health and fitness. Dr. Vincent Leopold and his colleagues of the Charité-University Hospital in Berlin analyzed the characteristics and outcomes of more than 263,000 patients over 60 who had hip replacement surgery between 2012 and 2021. Of this large group, 1,859 patients were in their 90s. The analysis focused on how patient age and health status affected the risks of complications and death associated with hip replacement surgery. Nonagenarians did have overall higher complication and death rates, compared with younger age groups. The study found major complications for nearly 20% of patients in their 90s, compared with 10.7% for patients in their 80s, 6.2% in those in their 70s and 3.7% for those in their 60s. Among these major complications were acute kidney failure, delirium and blood-clotting abnormalities. The rate of minor complications also increased with age, up to 62.7% for nonagenarians. Patients in their 90s also had the highest death rate, at 26.5%. This compared to 11.8% for patients in their 80s, 6% in their 70s…  read on >  read on >