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New research finds viral cause for foot callus

The following is a scenario often repeated in every podiatrist’s office, all across the nation. An individual calls the office complaining of a painful wart on the bottom of their foot. The staff duly records the individual’s complaint. The doctor notes the individual’s chief concern when our patient presents to the office. Considering the frequency with warts occur on the bottom of the feet, this diagnosis is at the very least “a good guess.” Warts are a very common condition and can certainly be painful depending on their location. A wart is a viral infection of the skin ...

Confusion continues regarding prescription foot supports

Why do so many people wear arch supports? They must serve some function since so many people use them. But what kind is best? There are a multitude of off-the-shelf products, in staggering variety, found in differing size and shape, mass and material. Is a prescription device always better? Questions abound. The answers are complex and multi-faceted, as is the topic of human stance and gait. Both of these are a product of an individual’s biomechanics, meaning how (and how well) they stand and walk. And these do vary greatly person to person, as do so many components of human health. ...

What to know about mRNA vaccines

ASHINGTON (AP) — Research shows mRNA vaccines saved millions of lives during the COVID-19 pandemic. Now scientists are using that Nobel Prize-winning technology to try to develop vaccines and treatments against a long list of diseases including cancer and cystic fibrosis. But this week, U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime vaccine critic, canceled $500 million in government-funded research projects to create new mRNA vaccines against respiratory illnesses that might trigger another health emergency. That dismays infectious disease experts who note that mRNA allows ...

What to know about mRNA vaccines

WASHINGTON (AP) — Research shows mRNA vaccines saved millions of lives during the COVID-19 pandemic. Now scientists are using that Nobel Prize-winning technology to try to develop vaccines and treatments against a long list of diseases including cancer and cystic fibrosis. But this week, U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime vaccine critic, canceled $500 million in government-funded research projects to create new mRNA vaccines against respiratory illnesses that might trigger another health emergency. That dismays infectious disease experts who note that mRNA allows ...

The confusing state of foot supports

ESCANABA — Retail footcare products are big business, available in every convenience store and pharmacy in the land. Twelve billion dollars is spent annually on these items and that’s a lot of aching feet. But how often is an over-the-counter approach truly effective? When it comes to arch supports, the answer is both surprising and very complicated. These devices are intended to go inside a shoe and should serve some function or benefit our health in some way. A walk through the aisles of most stores will reveal some version of this item, including local pharmacies, department ...

Here’s what to know about summer colds, COVID-19 and more

ation is that COVID-19 will eventually settle into a winter seasonal pattern like other coronaviruses, but the past few years have brought a late summer surge, said Dr. Dean Blumberg, chief of pediatric infectious diseases at University of California Davis Children's Hospital. Other viruses circulating this time of year include the one that causes "hand, foot and mouth" disease — which has symptoms similar to a cold, plus sores and rashes — and norovirus, sometimes called the stomach flu. Do viruses spread less in the summer? Many viruses circulate seasonally, picking up as the ...