A nationwide group of infection control experts recommends U.S. health care facilities stop testing patients for COVID-19 before hospital admission or scheduled surgeries if they have no virus symptoms. The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) statement says facilities should rely instead on enhanced layers of infection prevention. “The small benefits that could come… read on > read on >
COVID-19 vaccination is more effective than natural immunity when it comes to keeping you out of the hospital, a major, real-world study has found. People of all age groups benefited significantly more when they got the jab than if they acquired immunity through a COVID infection, researchers report. Rates of hospitalization and death for any… read on > read on >
Groups of whales, dolphins and porpoises are regularly stranded in shallow waters around the coasts of the United Kingdom. Researchers wanted to understand why, so they studied the brains of 22 toothed whales — or “odontocetes” — that were stranded in Scottish coastal waters. The study included five species — Risso’s dolphins, long-finned pilot whales,… read on > read on >
Even though roughly 1 in 5 Americans has been involved in an “open” relationship at some point in their lives, new research cautions that many end up bearing the brunt of stigmatizing and stressful disapproval. The finding stems from a pair of fresh investigations: The first found that roughly 40% of men and women who… read on > read on >
Many American women have to travel long distances to reach the nearest mammography center, a new study finds — raising questions about whether that keeps some from receiving breast cancer screening. Researchers found that 8.2 million women had limited access to mammography screening in 2022 — defined as living more than a 20-minute drive to… read on > read on >
The holiday season is filled with to-do lists, but one should rise to the top: Take care of your heart. Whether from stress, cold weather or falling out of good habits in terms of eating, sleeping and drinking, heart attack rates spike as much as 40% between Christmas and New Year’s, according to cardiologist Dr.… read on > read on >
Final exams are stressful for students, but it is possible to ratchet down the pressure with some planning and self-compassion. A psychologist from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston offers a few suggestions for helping teens manage the pressure. Start with the basics, including making sure the teen is getting sufficient sleep, eating nutritiously without… read on > read on >
The pandemic’s focus on vaccines may have had a big downside: While kids have long been required to get certain shots to attend public school, a growing number of their parents now oppose these requirements, a new poll finds. About 35% of parents now say childhood vaccines for measles, mumps and rubella should not be… read on > read on >
As yet another winter blizzard barrels down on the U.S. East Coast, the the American Heart Association (AHA) is cautioning people to take care when shoveling snow, since the exertion and the cold can cause serious heart problems. Many people, especially those who don’t exercise regularly, may face an increased risk of a heart attack… read on > read on >
This season of celebrating also comes with lots of stress for many people. But despite the long to-do list and mandatory get-togethers, it is possible to maintain a healthy mind, according to experts at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, N.J. “Stress is an inevitable part of life and so the first thing people can do… read on > read on >
