Living through days of smoky air from Canadian wildfires in June was unpleasant for New York City residents, but new data shows it wasn’t as immediately concerning for their lungs as feared. The research finds breathing-related hospital visits weren’t much worse in the city on these days than when pollen is especially high, though longer-term… read on > read on >
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What Is That Ice Cream-Induced ‘Brain Freeze,’ Anyway?
Anyone who has quickly slurped up a milkshake or chomped on a snow cone knows the sharp, brief pain of “brain freeze.” Its cause is a mystery, but it’s not harmful, according to experts at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. “It is very common and happens more frequently in children,” said Dr.… read on > read on >
Dogs Can Tell When You’re Talking to Them, and Might Prefer Female Voices
Mothers use sing-song language to talk to their infants. Their dogs respond to it, too, according to a new study. Researchers in Hungary also found that dogs have greater brain sensitivity to the speech directed at them than to adult-directed speech, especially if the words are spoken by a woman. In imaging scans, dogs and… read on > read on >
COVID Vaccine Boosters Crucial for Some Cancer Patients: Study
Cancer patients with immune systems weakened by treatment are among the groups most concerned about the continued spread of COVID-19 and the chance of the infection becoming severe. New research suggests more guidance on how often these patients need protective booster shots. It’s not one-size-fits-all, but depends on the specific treatment, said scientists from Yale… read on > read on >
Millions More Americans May Have Long COVID Than Thought
Millions of Americans swear they’re suffering the symptoms of long-haul COVID, but are greeted with eye rolls because they never were formally diagnosed with COVID-19. Their claims need to be taken more seriously by physicians, a new study argues, because evidence of prior COVID infection can be found in many so-called “COVID-negative” patients with long-haul… read on > read on >
Climate Change Is Stressing Out the Young, But Inspiring Some to Action
Young people have high levels of distress about climate change, and a new study argues that their anguish could be key to fighting it. “People of all ages are being affected by the climate crisis. Young people in particular, though, will live through more of the unfolding hazards of the climate crisis than older generations,”… read on > read on >
U.S. Gender-Affirming Surgeries Nearly Tripled in 3 Years
The number of Americans undergoing gender-affirming surgery is on the rise, new research reveals, almost tripling between 2016 and 2019 alone. During that period, more than 48,000 patients — about half of them between 19 and 30 years of age — underwent some form of gender-affirming (GAS) surgery, researchers found. About 4,500 of those procedures… read on > read on >
AHA News: A Lifetime of Challenges – Including a Spinal Stroke – Leads Dancer to Infinite Possibilities
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 23, 2023 (American Heart Association News) — As a Japanese American girl growing up in Irvine, California, Marisa Hamamoto felt like an outsider in her predominantly white community. Her schoolmates picked on her because she looked different. She wasn’t one of them. But when she entered the dance studio, everything changed. “I discovered… read on > read on >
AHA News: Promotores Create a Bridge Between Healthier Living and a Growing Hispanic Population
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 23, 2023 (American Heart Association News) — Patricia Guevara enjoys doing things with her 5-year-old daughter, Miranda, especially painting and drawing and taking an occasional walk in the park. After a promotora, or community health worker, stopped by their Pittsburgh-area home, their lives became more active. Guevara signed up for a promotora-led program… read on > read on >
ALS Robbed Her of Speech, But Technology Is Changing That
Many people with Lou Gehrig’s disease, also called amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), first start to lose the ability to move their arms and legs. That’s not Pat Bennett. She can move just fine. She can still dress herself, and she can even use her fingers to type. But ALS has robbed Bennett, 68, of her… read on > read on >