Genetic Testing Before Pregnancy Should Be as Common as Taking Folic Acid

Very few pre-pregnancy checklists include carrier screening as an important health item.

The very first time I had to tell a patient that she was at 25 percent risk of having a baby with cystic fibrosis, she was already 16 weeks pregnant. Only a few months prior, I had graduated and passed my board exam for genetic counseling. This was a "textbook case," as the saying goes. I reviewed the numbers with her and her husband: Odds were in their favor that this pregnancy would not be affected with cystic fibrosis. This couple wanted to know – they needed to know – with more certainty about what to expect. They were older first-time parents, and they agreed that they did not have the financial or emotional means to raise a child with a chronic health issue.

Read more: Genetic Testing Before Pregnancy Should Be as Common as Taking Folic Acid

Carrier screening should be universally offered in the preconception period, one expert argues.

Source: msn.com/en-us/health/medical

Does Going to the Hospital Make You Sicker?

During a hospital stay, people usually hope to have a medical condition treated effectively so they can recover fully, go home and stay home. But it's not uncommon for a hospitalization to lead to a new health problem that's serious enough to require hospital readmission within 30 days.

The phenomenon, dubbed "post-hospital syndrome" by Dr. Harlan Krumholz, a cardiologist and professor of medicine at the Yale School of Medicine, is roughly defined as an acquired, transient period of increased risk for illness after a hospital stay, one that leads to re-hospitalization.

Read more: Does Going to the Hospital Make You Sicker?

You could find yourself back in the hospital – because of the hospital (Getty Images).

Source: msn/health&fitness

Identifying and Treating Inflammation

There are three types of inflammation: acute, chronic and life-threatening.

When basketball star Steph Curry slipped and injured his knee in late April, he reacted by tearing up on the sideline, while fans and media reacted by wondering how many games he would miss. His body? It reacted by inflaming around the outside of the knee, protecting the area as it recovered from a medial collateral ligament sprain.

The word inflammation can conjure up visuals of a swollen, red and throbbing knee or, thanks to some TV ads, a lit match doused by a medicated pad. Conventional public wisdom frames inflammation as being adverse, painful and harmful – something most people want to resolve quickly with medication.

Read more: Identifying and Treating Inflammation

Treat acute inflammation by managing it, not trying to cure it.

Source: Getty Images