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5 simple ways to improve gut health
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Practical tips and simple exercises to prevent neck pain
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Dyslexia: Tools and supports for this learning disability
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Chickpeas: Easy ways to eat more of this nutritious legume
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Do products that claim to stop snoring actually work?
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Flowers, chocolates, organ donation — are you in?
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Chair yoga: Benefits of a mind-body practice without the risk of falling
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Need a prescription for an ED medication? What to know about BlueChew, hims, Roman, and other online ED medication retailers
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Low-carb foods: Nutritious choices for creating a sustainable diet that's lower in carbohydrates
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Pilates: A good option for older adults?
Medical Devices & Technology Archive
Articles
Is it time for a CPAP checkup?
Use of a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) system to treat sleep apnea must be monitored regularly by a doctor. This might require numerous doctor visits initially, and then annual visits afterward to make sure the therapy is still working effectively. The clinician needs to review data collected by the machine, gather information from the patient, and determine if new health conditions, including weight gain or other sleep issues, require adjustments to the CPAP machine settings.
What's the best self-fitting strategy for over-the-counter hearing aids?
A small randomized trial in 2024 found that both self-adjustment and in-situ audiometry were effective strategies to match self-fitting hearing aids to personal hearing needs. However, self-adjustment devices had the best satisfaction rates and consistent use.
What you should know about recalls of cardiac devices
Implanted heart devices include pacemakers and implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs), which monitor and correct abnormal heart rhythms. While very reliable, they are not perfect, and recalls of these devices affect thousands of people each year, according to a 2024 study. Testing the effectiveness and safety of cardiac devices is far more complicated than testing drugs. But efforts are under way to improve postmarket tracking of device complications by using electronic health records, Medicare databases, and registries developed in partnership with device manufacturers.
Device of the month: Smart ring
Smart rings can do many of the same things a smart watch can, including heart rate monitoring, blood oxygen level measurement, and activity and sleep tracking.
Tracking your afib with a smart watch? Avoid this pitfall
People with atrial fibrillation (afib) who own a smart watch capable of detecting the heart rhythm disorder may use it to track the frequency and duration of their bouts of afib. The information might help inform their physician's advice. However, afib notifications may cause people to become anxious and preoccupied with tracking their condition. For them, disabling the notifications may be a good idea.
Fixing a leaky tricuspid valve
In 2024, the FDA approved two catheter-based devices for treating a leaky tricuspid valve. Both relieve symptoms and improve quality of life for people with moderate to severe tricuspid regurgitation, which affects about 4% of people ages 75 and older. One device is a modification of a system to treat mitral valve regurgitation that works by bringing the valve leaflets together at the areas of most severe leakage. The other device delivers a new valve made of cow heart tissue, which is commonly used in surgical valve replacements.
What is a leadless pacemaker?
Leadless pacemakers, which are no bigger than a multivitamin pill, are far less prone to complications that traditional pacemakers, which have long leads (wires). These wires may become infected, dislodged, frayed, or broken. Scar tissue or blood clots can form around the leads, which may hinder blood flow and cause pain and swelling. Thanks to recent advances, most people who need pacemakers may now be candidates for leadless devices. However, doctors have less experience with what happens with leadless pacemakers over the long term—and they cost two to three times as much as a traditional pacemaker.
Device of the month: Mobile ECG device
Mobile ECG devices are small, handheld devices that people can use to record a simple ECG at home. They are designed to detect heart rhythm disorders such as atrial fibrillation.
Should I use a continuous glucose monitor?
Some people with diabetes use a device that continuously monitors the level of blood sugar. The monitor sends the information wirelessly to another device, such as a smartphone, so the person can easily see the blood sugar level. As of 2024, there is no solid evidence that these monitors can help people who do not have diabetes. However, the monitors may one day prove to be useful in people with diabetes risk factors, such as obesity, prediabetes, or a family history of diabetes.
Web-based app helps people accurately assess need for statin
Using a Web-based app, most people can correctly assess their need for a cholesterol-lowering statin and take the drug appropriately with good results, according to a 2024 study. If approved, the app could facilitate statin use without a doctor's prescription.
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5 simple ways to improve gut health

Practical tips and simple exercises to prevent neck pain

Dyslexia: Tools and supports for this learning disability
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Chickpeas: Easy ways to eat more of this nutritious legume

Do products that claim to stop snoring actually work?

Flowers, chocolates, organ donation — are you in?

Chair yoga: Benefits of a mind-body practice without the risk of falling

Need a prescription for an ED medication? What to know about BlueChew, hims, Roman, and other online ED medication retailers

Low-carb foods: Nutritious choices for creating a sustainable diet that's lower in carbohydrates

Pilates: A good option for older adults?
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