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If you’re feeling unwell, you may turn to medicine to find relief. But how do you know it was the drug that made you feel better? Sometimes, when you expect a treatment to work, it will. This phenomenon is called the placebo effect. Scientists are looking for ways to harness this effect for medical treatments. A placebo is an inactive substance or action that resembles a drug or medical treatment…

Researchers are testing a new way to treat people with allergies. The method uses regular allergy shots plus a lab-made molecule. The molecule blocks substances involved in allergic reactions in the body. For people with cat allergies, the combination therapy gave more effective relief than allergy shots alone. When you breathe in high amounts of a substance you’re allergic to—such as pollen,…

Artificial intelligence, or AI, has been around for decades. In the past 20 years or so, it’s become a growing part of our lives. Researchers are now drawing on the power of AI to improve medicine and health care in innovative and far-reaching ways. NIH is on the cutting edge supporting these efforts. At first, computers could simply do calculations based on human input. In AI, they learn to…

Children often get bumps, bruises, sneezes, and sniffles. It doesn’t seem like they could get something as scary as cancer. But they can. Every year, more than 10,000 kids in the U.S. will get a diagnosis of cancer. Some cases are caused by changes in certain [qtip:genes|Stretches of DNA you inherit from your parents that define features, like your risk for certain diseases.] that are passed from…, Treating Childhood Cancer, Cancer isn’t just one disease. There are many different kinds. But all cancers start when some of the body’s cells begin to grow uncontrollably. Sometimes, these cells spread to other parts of the body. “Leukemias are the most common types of cancer that we see in children,” says Dr. Nita Seibel, a childhood cancer specialist at NIH. These are cancers that start in certain types of blood cells.…, Personalizing Treatment, CAR T cells are the newest, most personalized cancer treatment. To make CAR T cells, [qtip:immune system|A collection of specialized cells and organs that protect your body against invading germs and other microscopic threats.] cells called T cells are collected from the blood of a person with cancer. The T cells are then modified in the lab so they can find and kill cancer cells. Millions of…, When Less is More, Personalizing treatment can also mean adjusting the amount of therapy a child gets. That often means a lower risk of side effects. For some cancer types, researchers can predict which tumors have a low risk of coming back. Kids at low risk of relapse may now be able to get lower doses of chemotherapy or radiation therapy. They may even be able to skip some toxic treatments entirely. Reducing the…

Oral health is important at every age. A healthy mouth helps you eat and speak, and healthy teeth can give you a winning smile. If you’re caring for young children, you can help them get an early start at protecting their teeth, gums, and mouth. Newborn babies have a cute toothless smile. Even though you can’t see the baby’s teeth, they’re hiding just beneath the gums. “You can start cleaning…

The future of science depends on the young people of today. If you’re a teen who loves science, you can enter the Eye on the Future Teen Video Contest. NIH’s National Eye Institute created the contest so they could hear from the next generation of scientists. Videos can be created in three different categories. “Science in Your World” shows what science means to you and its role in your life. “…

Most of us go through each day without ever thinking about our feet. It’s only when something goes wrong that we tend to realize just how important our feet really are. “Our feet are usually covered with shoes and socks, and they’re easy to forget about, or we might take them for granted,” says Dr. David G. Armstrong, a foot doctor (podiatrist) and professor of surgery at the University of…, Pay Attention to Problems, The foot’s complexity means there’s a lot that can go wrong. “Foot problems can range from annoying to devastating,” says Dr. Crystal M. Holmes, who heads the podiatry program at Michigan Medicine. “You can have skin problems like athlete’s foot, which is caused by fungus. Or you can have warts, which is a viral infection. These generally are not serious. But certain other skin infections can…, Foot Health and Diabetes, People who have diabetes need to pay special attention to their feet. Diabetes affects about one in 10 Americans. Most people with diabetes—about 60% to 70%—develop nerve problems. These can range from mild to severe. Diabetic nerve damage, or diabetic neuropathy, can make you lose feeling in your feet, which can be dangerous. “A person with diabetic neuropathy may step on a nail and not realize…, If the Shoe Fits, No matter your age or health conditions, wearing well-fitting, supportive shoes can have a big effect on your health. But research suggests that many of us wear shoes that are the wrong size or ill-fitting. “Our foot tends to widen a bit as we get older, and it can also widen during pregnancy,” Wu says. “So if your foot size was measured at age 20, it probably won’t be the same years later.” Feet…

About 1 in 3 adults in the U.S. has high blood pressure, but many don’t realize it. High blood pressure is sometimes called a “silent killer,” because it usually has no warning signs, yet it can lead to life-threatening conditions like heart attack or stroke. The good news is that high blood pressure, or hypertension, can often be prevented or treated. Early diagnosis and simple, healthy changes…

Your eyes let you picture the world. But, for many people, that image is blurry. If the shape of your eye makes it hard to see clearly, glasses and contact lenses can help bring the world into focus. For some, surgery may also be an option. But it’s not for everyone. Researchers are looking for new ways to predict who will benefit from corrective eye surgeries. Your eyes work like a camera,…

COVID-19 vaccines have saved many lives. The original vaccines were released in late 2020. They targeted the initial strain of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Since then, different versions of the virus have evolved. So scientists created an updated booster shot. It’s called a bivalent booster because it targets two versions of the virus: the original strain and a newer one called…