The VA has expanded its health services to include access to abortion counseling and, in limited cases, abortion to veterans and VA beneficiaries, even when restricted by state laws.
Federal Medicine Leads the Battle Against MS from Cause to Vaccine
Researchers with the DoD provided a breakthrough in resolving the mystery surrounding the cause of multiple sclerosis (MS).
VA Research Finds Disease-Modifying Therapies Protective Against COVID-19
For veterans with multiple sclerosis (MS), the COVID-19 pandemic increased anxiety. Would the demyelinating disease increase the risk of hospitalization or death in patients infected with SARS-CoV-2?
VA Partners with PVA, National MS Society to Support Veterans with MS
The VA’s Multiple Sclerosis Centers of Excellence (MSCoE) offer a wide range of services for veterans affected by the neurological condition and ensures veterans have access to high quality care wherever they are.
PTSD Appears to Accelerate Multiple Sclerosis Progression for Veterans
An unfortunate confluence of events puts a significant number of veterans at higher risk of both multiple sclerosis and post-traumatic stress disorder (PSTSD).
VA Researchers, Others, Determine That MS Costs the U.S. $85.4 Billion Annually
An estimated one million people in the U.S. live with multiple sclerosis (MS) today, making understanding the economic impact of the disease a matter of increasing importance.
Response to MS Disease-Modifying Therapy May Differ by Race, Ethnicity
Disease-modifying therapies have transformed the lives of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) by slowing progression, decreasing relapse rates, and reducing brain lesion accumulation since the first approval of interferon beta nearly 30 years ago.
Aspirin Helps Protect Hypertensive Patients from Melanoma
Dose aspirin used by hypertensive patients reduce their risk of melanoma?
Melanoma Cases Went Undiagnosed Earlier in Pandemic
Too many melanoma cases went undiagnosed during the earlier stages of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequently presented at later stages, according to a letter published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology
U.S. Military Needs to Prioritize Sun Protection More
The U.S. military could do more to protect service members from skin cancer, according to a recent article.
Sexual Harassment Reporting Structure Might Change at VA
Despite concerns from agency watchdogs that VA’s sexual harassment reporting process has a perceived conflict of interest, if not an actual one, the department has resisted changing it.
VA Researchers Suggest Non-Hispanic Black Men Might Need More Frequent PSA Screening to Reduce Risk of Prostate Cancer-Specific Mortality
The benefits of annual prostate-specific antigen screening (PSA) appear to vary by race, decreasing the risk of prostate cancer-specific mortality among non-Hispanic Black men but not non-Hispanic white men, according to a new veteran study.
How Do Service Dogs Help PTSD Symptoms in Veterans?
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) impacts 11-20% of Iraq and Afghanistan War veterans and can have a significant effect on quality of life.
What Factors Help Decrease Benzodiazepine Prescriptions in Older Veterans?
Benzodiazepines, including alprazolam (Xanax) and clonazepam (Klonopin), are among the most commonly prescribed drugs for anxiety and sleep disorders. They also carry a significant risk of side effects.
Problematic Anger Impedes Transition to Civilian Life
How does problematic anger in long-term adjustment of service members transitioning out of the military?
Collaborative Care Works Well for Bipolar Patients Seeing PCPs
For patients with bipolar disorder, medication management appears to work as well with primary care clinicians supported by psychiatrists as direct psychiatrist care.
Veterans With Schizophrenia Face High Rates of Adverse Societal Outcomes
In addition to their substantial healthcare burdens, veterans with schizophrenia face a much higher risk of adverse societal outcomes, according to a new report.
VA Partners With American Kidney Fund, Business to Tackle CKD
Several new partnerships are positioning the VA to offer more extensive services, educational material and testing for the one in six veterans estimated to have chronic kidney disease.
Minimally Invasive Surgery Is Safe, Feasible Option for Diverticulitis
Patients with right colon diverticulitis can consider minimally invasive surgery a safe, feasible treatment option, according to a recent study.
NAFLD to MAFLD? New Terminology Urged for Fatty Liver Disease
International experts recommend replacing the disease acronym nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) with metabolic (dysfunction)-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD); the new terminology would allow additional reasons for liver disease and more clearly specifies the probable reason for illness, according to a recent veterans study.
GI Symptoms, IBS Are More Prevalent Among Veterans with PTSD
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a syndrome characterized by abdominal pain and altered bowel habits.
VA OIG: Lack of Oversight Found in DO’s Sexual Abuse at Beckley VAMC
This is just the latest finding by the OIG that places blame for a recent criminal case on lack of VA oversight.
Psychologist Colleen Richardson Makes Sure VA Properly Cares for Caregivers
During her four years of active duty with the Navy, Colleen Richardson, PsyD, saw the immediate effects of trauma first-hand. In 2008, as the first woman Operational Stress Control and Readiness Provider embedded with the 1st Marine Division’s Regimental Combat Team, the clinical psychologist provided mental health care to servicemembers on the front lines in Iraq.
Adverse Health Outcomes Vary by Soldiers’ Specialized Combat Experiences
Experiencing combat during deployment has been associated with adverse health outcomes including mental health problems, sleep problems and alcohol misuse.
Marijuana Laws Linked to Increasing Cannabis-Use Disorder in Veterans
As laws and attitudes about marijuana use have been relaxed over the past two decades, the substance has become widely regarded by society as innocuous.
COVID-19 Telehealth Changes Improve VA Treatment for Opioid-Use Disorder
Implementing new policies during the COVID-19 pandemic reduced barriers to telehealth delivery of buprenorphine treatment for opioid-use disorder for veterans seeking care, a new study reports.
Survey: Post-9/11 Veterans More Likely to Exercise, Eat Right Than Civilians
BOSTON — Recent U.S. veterans reported similar or better outcomes than nonveterans when it comes to their health, vocational, financial and social well-being. That is in contrast to some earlier cohorts who had served in the military and lagged behind civilians in some domains.
Prior to PACT Act, VA Prematurely Denied Most Burn Pit Claims
With the passage of the PACT Act last month, Congress is demanding that VA put burn pit exposure at the forefront of its healthcare and benefits processes.
Colonoscopy Findings Can Offer Clues to Future Non-CRC Mortality
A new study from the Durham, NC, VAMC and Duke University argued that an opportunity to improve health status is being missed by focusing only on cancer screening.
Cancer Data Misleading When Asians Are Aggregated With Pacific Islanders
While federal guidelines have called for separating data for Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander individuals from data for Asian individuals, the cohorts often are aggregated or excluded completely in medical research, according to a new study.
