Author: Healthcare Propulsion Staff

Across 87 randomized trials, researchers examined how different amounts of whole grains affected cholesterol, blood pressure, blood glucose, body weight and inflammation, revealing a complex dose-response pattern. Study: Whole-grain consumption and cardiometabolic risk: a meta-analysis of randomized trials. Image Credit: Ulada / Shutterstock A recent meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials published in the European Heart Journal found that higher whole-grain intake was associated with improvements in several cardiometabolic risk factors in adults, though many individual changes were small and clinically irrelevant. Dose-response analyses identified clinically relevant effects for some outcomes at specific intake levels. Background Cardiometabolic diseases include disorders like…

From cold plunges to cryotherapy, researchers are probing how intense cold affects brain and stress pathways as the practice gains traction for mental well-being. Review: Is cold exposure a viable lifestyle intervention for mental health? Reviewing evidence and mechanisms. Image Credit: shulers / Shutterstock A review article published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry provides an in-depth overview of the evidence on cold exposure and mental health, focusing on potential mechanisms underlying the reported effects. Background Cold exposure as a potential mental health remedy has gained significant popularity in recent years, partly due to widespread endorsements on social media platforms, in wellness…

Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA) is a leading health technology company focused on improving people’s health and well-being through meaningful innovation. Philips’ patient- and people-centric innovation leverages advanced technology and deep clinical and consumer insights to deliver personal health solutions for consumers and professional health solutions for healthcare providers and their patients in the hospital and the home.Headquartered in the Netherlands, the company is a leader in image-guided therapy, diagnostic imaging, ultrasound, monitoring, enterprise informatics and personal health. Philips generated 2025 sales of approximately EUR 18 billion and employs approximately 63,700 employees with sales and services in more than…

The BBC understands that the drug companies Daiichi Sankyo and AstraZeneca have not substantially lowered their prices since the drug was first rejected.The reason NICE has reversed its decision is largely because of a trade deal with the USA, where the UK government agreed to spend 25% more on medicines.As part of this, NICE has increased how much the NHS will pay for every extra year of good quality life a medication can give.This is known as a QALY (Quality-Adjusted Life Year) – and the upper threshold per QALY has gone from £30,000 to £35,000.At the end of August, NICE…

Q2 Healthcare Technology for Providers Earnings: Evolent Health (NYSE:EVH) Impresses Looking back on healthcare technology for providers stocks’ Q2 earnings, we examine this quarter’s best and worst performers, including Evolent Health (NYSE:EVH) and its peers. The healthcare technology sector provides software and data analytics to help hospitals and clinics streamline operations and improve patient outcomes, often through value-based care models. Future growth is expected as providers prioritize digital transformation to manage rising costs and patient demands. Tailwinds include the adoption of AI-driven tools and government incentives for digitization. There are challenges as well, including long sales cycles and slow adoption…

BLUFFTON, Sc. (WTOC) – For National Rehabilitation Awareness Week, Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of Bluffton showed Morning Break advance technology to help patients regain their independence. Director of Therapy Operations Meg Foster showed Morning Break Host Camille Syed how to use a touch screen device helping stroke patient track visual progress. Foster also demonstrated the B.U.R.T. robotic machine, which was made to help stroke patients build their mobility. See how they work with the video above. “We’re actually certified in three programs, Parkinson’s, stroke, and hip fracture,” Foster said. “So when patients come here, they get three hours of therapy…

An analysis of more than 60,000 respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) sequences from around the world found that viral variants associated with resistance to current RSV prevention tools remain rare, according to a study published Sept. 16 in Nature. The findings support the continued effectiveness of preventive antibodies and vaccines used to protect infants and other vulnerable populations from severe RSV infections, while providing new insights that could help guide the development of future prevention strategies. It’s so incredible as a pediatrician, and as a mom, that we now have these prevention tools for RSV. We know these tools work…

From emotional responses to mystical experiences, researchers are examining how music interacts with psychedelics, therapists, and treatment settings in ways that challenge conventional approaches to studying psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy. Study: A complex intervention perspective on psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy: the role of music. Image Credit: SsCreativeStudio / Shutterstock Recently, researchers conducted a narrative review of the existing literature to examine the role of music in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy (PAP) and published the review in NPJ Mental Health Research. Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy: Promise and Complexity A substantial proportion of patients with chronic and potentially severe mental disorders, such as treatment-resistant depression, do not achieve substantial symptom…

Researchers created a new technique that accurately and rapidly matches X-rays captured during surgery with a patient’s preoperative 3D medical scan. This method could make it easier for clinicians to precisely pilot minimally invasive surgical tools, leading to faster and safer procedures. Clinicians perform many minimally invasive surgeries using real-time X-rays to help them steer devices like catheters and endoscopes through tiny incisions. But since X-rays are flat images, it can be challenging to determine exactly where surgical tools are located and oriented within the patient’s body, increasing the risk of complications. To help localize surgical devices, clinicians may manually…

UC San Francisco researchers are weighing in on one of the biggest challenges in psychedelic science, arguing that clinical trials need more convincing placebo treatments to better measure the drugs’ true effects. The debate hinges on “masking,” the clinical trial gold standard that keeps patients and researchers from knowing who receives the active drug or a placebo. Because psychedelics produce such distinctive effects, participants can almost always tell whether they got the real thing. That makes it hard to separate a drug’s effects from the power of expectation, including the disappointment patients feel when they realize they did not receive…