Americans have tossed and turned their way through the pandemic, and a new study shows they are increasingly turning to melatonin in an attempt to get some good rest. But the researchers also issued a warning, because some folks are using amounts that pose a risk to their health. In 2018, Americans were taking more… read on > read on >
All Health and Wellness:
Piling on Excess Weight Might Harm Your Thinking Skills: Study
Being overweight or obese has long been linked to poor heart health, but could it also impair your thinking? New research out of Canada suggests it very well might. Working with thousands of young, middle-aged and older adults, the new study highlights what appears to be fat’s direct harm on one’s ability to think quickly,… read on > read on >
AHA News: A Joyous Birth, Followed by Heart Failure
TUESDAY, Feb. 1, 2022 (American Heart Association News) — Although Danecia Williams was 24 and healthy, her first pregnancy took a toll on her body. Her blood pressure spiked, straining her heart and other organs. Doctors diagnosed her with preeclampsia and closely monitored her and the baby for months. They braced for what might happen… read on > read on >
AHA News: Fine-Tune Your Health With These 5 Music Ideas
TUESDAY, Feb. 1, 2022 (American Heart Association News) — From life’s earliest moments to its latest stages, music can help make us healthier and happier. It can soothe and invigorate, improve mental health and even help someone stay alive. “There’s great appreciation for the value music can provide that’s non-pharmacological and non-invasive,” said Daniel Tague,… read on > read on >
First Shots Given in Trial of Moderna’s mRNA-Based HIV Vaccine
Vaccinations have been given to the first volunteers in a Phase 1 trial of Moderna’s experimental HIV vaccine, the company has announced. The vaccine uses mRNA technology — similar to that utilized in breakthrough COVID vaccines — to deliver HIV-specific antigens that could trigger an immune response against the virus that causes AIDS, the company… read on > read on >
Shedding Pounds Might Help Stop Pre-Cancerous Colon Polyps
Colon cancer rates are increasing for younger Americans, along with rates of obesity. Could slimming down reduce young people’s risk for malignancy? A new study suggests that even a small amount of weight loss may cut your odds for benign growths in the colon known as adenomas, or polyps. Left unchecked, these growths can lead… read on > read on >
EPA to Restore Rule Limiting Mercury Pollution From Power Plants
Enforcement of a rule limiting power plant emissions of mercury and other hazardous pollutants will be resumed, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced Monday. It’s the latest move by the Biden administration to reinstate environmental protections lifted by the Trump administration. “The science is clear: we must limit mercury and toxic air pollution to protect… read on > read on >
Young Americans Lost Almost 1.5 Million Years of Life to Opioids Between 2015 and 2019
The U.S. drug epidemic continues its death march, with new research showing American teens and young adults have lost nearly 1.5 million years of life due to drug overdose deaths in recent years. For the study, the researchers examined years of life lost — the difference between a person’s expected lifespan and when they actually… read on > read on >
Airborne COVID Virus Drifts Outside Isolation Rooms at Home
Telling people to isolate in a bedroom when COVID-19 strikes may not be enough to keep the virus from spreading to others in the household, a new study suggests. Airborne coronavirus particles were found both inside and outside the rooms of people with COVID-19 who were supposed to be self-isolating at home, according to researchers… read on > read on >
Blood Pressure Crises Sending More Americans to the ER
Hospitalizations for dangerously high blood pressure more than doubled in the United States from 2002 to 2014, new research shows. This jump in hospitalizations for what’s called a “hypertensive crisis” occurred even though data show overall progress in Americans controlling their blood pressure and a decrease in blood pressure-related heart problems during that period. “Although… read on > read on >