Category Health & Wellness

Doctor’s compassion may help cure colds faster

July 8, 2009

Some cold medicines will shave a day off your suffering from the common cold, but they often produce unpleasant side effects. A new study shows, for the first time, that the doctor's empathy may be an even better way to speed recovery.

Major study links malaria mosquitoes to Amazon deforestation

June 25, 2009

In one of the most field-intensive efforts to explore the connection between malaria and tropical deforestation, a team led by Jonathan Patz, a specialist in the link between environment and health at the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies at UW–Madison, has established a strong correlation between the extent of forest destruction and the incidence of the Amazon's most dangerous malaria vector, the mosquito Anopheles darlingi.

From the waiting room to the birthing room

June 17, 2009

Years ago, dads-to-be nervously paced the floor of hospital waiting rooms as they waited to hear that their child had been born. But during those countless hours of waiting, many wrote down their feelings in journals known as "father's books" or "stork room jottings." Frequently left in waiting rooms in the 1940s and '50s, the journals provided an outlet for the apprehensive, often exasperated men.

The healing game: How Nintendo’s Wii is making the hard work of physical therapy into child’s play

June 10, 2009

Pediatric physical therapists at American Family Children's Hospital have been introducing Wii video gaming techology into their patients' therapy programs with notable success.

Special protein helps maintain an efficient brain

May 18, 2009

The instruction manual for maintaining an efficient brain may soon include a section on synaptotagmin-IV (Syt-IV), a protein known to influence learning and memory, thanks to a study by University of Wisconsin–Madison researchers.

Early Alzheimer’s diagnosis offers large social, fiscal benefits

May 18, 2009

Early diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer's disease could save millions or even billions of dollars while simultaneously improving care, according to new work by University of Wisconsin–Madison researchers.

UW-Madison cancels early summer Mexico programs

May 8, 2009

Based on the recommendations of the university’s International Emergency Response Committee, Chancellor Biddy Martin is instructing campus units to cancel student programs in Mexico that are scheduled  to depart before June 1.

Building a health community through the Wisconsin Idea

April 30, 2009

On campus, there is a lot of focus on the Wisconsin Idea — the principle that education can bring people together and improve lives outside…

Researchers explore the broad-reaching effects of a pandemic in Wisconsin

April 28, 2009

If a pandemic hit Madison, canceling a football game at the University of Wisconsin–Madison's Camp Randall would protect thousands from exposure to illness. However, the economic cost would be substantial for stadium workers and employees at nearby restaurants and businesses if widespread, prolonged illness forced officials to call off an entire season of Badger football.

As ticks expand, new areas may become prone to Lyme disease

April 27, 2009

Last summer, after returning home from a walk in Madison's Dudgeon-Monroe neighborhood, Susan Paskewitz was astonished to find a deer tick crawling up her dog's hind leg. It was the first time Paskewitz, a University of Wisconsin–Madison entomologist, had collected a tick in the city. Within the month, she learned of two other such cases.

Sleep: Spring cleaning for the brain?

April 2, 2009

If you've ever been sleep-deprived, you know the feeling that your brain is full of wool.

Researcher uses GPS to find asthma causes

April 2, 2009

David Van Sickle is looking for a few pioneering asthmatics. He wants to attach a GPS device to their inhalers before they boldly go out into a spring world filled with allergens.

HealthDay writer named biomedical writer in residence

March 25, 2009

HealthDay writer Amanda Gardner has already made the transition many other journalists now face — from writing for the print media to the virtual world. Gardner will be the School of Medicine and Public Health’s biomedical writer in residence the week of March 30.

UW School of Medicine and Public Health sets school record for residency placement

March 20, 2009

With a record-high rate of graduating medical students matching into their desired residency on March 19, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health leaders are cheering another highlight: More students are choosing to stay in the state for their residency training and about 40 percent plan to pursue a residency in primary care – where physicians nationwide are badly needed.

Predicting the future spread of infectious-disease vectors

January 27, 2009

As global warming raises concerns about potential spread of infectious diseases, a team of researchers has demonstrated a way to predict the expanding range of human disease vectors in a changing world.

Patient-derived induced stem cells retain disease traits

December 22, 2008

When neurons started dying in Clive Svendsen's lab dishes, he couldn't have been more pleased. The dying cells - the same type lost in patients with the devastating neurological disease spinal muscular atrophy - confirmed that the University of Wisconsin–Madison stem cell biologist had recreated the hallmarks of a genetic disorder in the lab, using stem cells derived from a patient.

Record 122,000 callers seek help from Quit Line to stop smoking

December 17, 2008

University of Wisconsin and state health officials announce a record-breaking 39,000 calls to the state’s Tobacco Quit Line in 2008 and celebrated the Quit Line fielding 122,000 calls in its seven-year history. Smokers are encouraged to call 1-800-QUIT-NOW to get the support they need in quitting in the year ahead.

Genetic change extends mouse life, points to possible treatment for ALS

December 9, 2008

There are many ways to die, but amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, must be one of the worst. By the time a patient notices muscle weakness, the neurons that control the muscles have already begun dying, in an untreatable process that brings death within two to five years.

Survey will help officials understand, control Lyme disease

November 19, 2008

This Saturday, as hunters seek white-tailed deer in Wisconsin's forested areas, a research team led by University of Wisconsin–Madison entomologist Susan Paskewitz will be conducting a hunt of its own.

UW-Madison continues to address gastroenteritis outbreak

November 14, 2008

The University of Wisconsin–Madison continues to monitor reported cases of gastroenteritis among students and provide information to help limit the spread of disease, following the first cases of suspected norovirus that were seen at University Health Services on Nov. 7.