The harms of smoking are many, but new research delivers evidence of another troubling type of damage: Lighting up alters your immune system, leaving you more vulnerable to disease and infections even years after quitting. “Stop smoking as soon as possible,” study co-author Dr. Violaine Saint-André, a specialist in computational biology at Institut Pasteur in Paris, told… read on > read on >
Philip Day loved playing soccer so much that the 35-year-old software engineer founded a website – FootballMatcher.com – to help people connect for pickup games. The fun went on pause when Day developed joint pain so bad it kept him from his favorite sport. “The pain got so terrible I stopped going to football, and… read on > read on >
THURSDAY, Feb. 15, 2024 (Health Day News) — Schools that want little girls to get plenty of exercise might want to rethink their dress code. A University of Cambridge study of more than 1 million kids in 135 countries found that in countries where most students wear school uniforms, fewer kids get the 60 minutes… read on > read on >
Indigenous people in seven countries, including the United States and Canada, appear to be more likely to suffer a stroke than non-natives, a new, large review finds. “Disparities are especially evident in countries where high average quality of life and long life expectancies are often not mirrored in Indigneous populations,” said study author Anna Balabanski… read on > read on >
Looking for a workout that will chase the blues away? Try walking, jogging, yoga or strength training, which a new study reports are the most effective exercises for easing depression. These activities can be used on their own or combined with medication and psychotherapy, according to an evidence review published Feb. 14 in the BMJ.… read on > read on >
An Oregonian who was diagnosed with the bubonic plague — the disease that killed millions of Europeans in the Middle Ages — probably got it from an infected pet cat, health officials said. The patient and all close contacts have been provided medication, officials in Deschutes County, Ore., stated in a health notice, and people… read on > read on >
Alaska health officials say a man in that state has died after contracting Alaskapox, a rare virus that mostly infects small mammals. In a statement, the Alaska Section of Epidemiology said the patient was “an elderly man from the Kenai Peninsula with a history of drug-induced immunosuppression” due to cancer treatments. “This is the first… read on > read on >
Being a class clown is something that humans likely inherited from their ape ancestors millions of years before the first banana-peel prank, a new study claims. Everyone’s seen kids tease one other, whether they’re poking, pulling hair or engaging in the time-old ritual of “I’m not touching you!” This sort of playful teasing also occurs… read on > read on >
New, proposed guidance being weighed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that Americans who test positive for COVID-19 no longer need to routinely stay home for five days. This is the first time the agency has even considered loosening its COVID isolation guidelines since 2021, and the thinking behind the possible shift… read on > read on >
Aromatherapy might be able to improve memory and help treat depression Depressed individuals better recalled specific personal memories after exposed to scents These memories could help them rewire their thought patterns Aromatherapy might be able to help people recover from depression by helping them more clearly recall specific, often positive, memories, a new study shows.… read on > read on >
