Climate change is prompting longer pollen seasons and higher pollen counts, which spells trouble for people with seasonal allergies, allergists warn. “Allergy seasons have been changing in North America and across the globe, and we see greater changes the further you get from the equator,” explained Dr. Kara Wada, an allergist immunologist at Ohio State’s…  read on >  read on >

U.S. airline companies want an end to mask and COVID testing rules for air travel — and many top infectious disease and public health experts agree with them. The chief executives of the country’s largest airlines asked President Joe Biden in a letter this week to let federal mask mandates at airports and on planes…  read on >  read on >

As if recovering from a heart attack wasn’t hard enough, new research shows many patients may suffer severe thinking declines. Researchers in Poland found that in the six months after a heart attack, 50% of patients experienced some decline in thinking, memory and ability to perform basic tasks. “Assessment of cognitive status isn’t a routine…  read on >  read on >

Psilocybin, the psychedelic substance in “magic” mushrooms, is generating lots of interest as a potential treatment for a host of mental ills, but new research warns there is little data on how it might interact with more traditional psychiatric medications. “There’s a major incongruence between the public enthusiasm and exuberance with psychedelic substances for mental…  read on >  read on >

Something as simple as aspirin may help lower the risk of death in hospital patients who are fighting a tough case of COVID-19, a new study found. George Washington University researchers analyzed data on more than 112,000 patients hospitalized with moderate COVID-19 at 64 health systems in the United States from Jan. 1, 2020, through…  read on >  read on >