Lifestyle « Weekly Sauce

Allowing pharmacists to treat minor illnesses could potentially expand health care access to more people and save millions of dollars, a new study suggests. Care for a range of minor health issues — urinary tract infections, shingles, animal bites and headaches — would cost an average of about $278 less when treated in pharmacies rather… read on > read on >

Humanity’s best protection against bird flu will be the development of effective vaccines, a new study says. The H5N1 avian flu has been raging through cattle and poultry in the United States, increasing fears that the virus will make the leap into humans and potentially cause another pandemic. Only two people to date are known… read on > read on >

An experimental mRNA vaccine against the H5N1 avian flu is highly effective in preventing severe illness and death in lab animals, researchers report. The vaccine could help fight the H5N1 bird flu outbreaks now spreading in wild birds, poultry and cows in the United States, researchers said. Stopping those outbreaks is key to preventing the… read on > read on >

Weighted blankets are trendy items, largely based on the idea that the pressure of a heavy blanket will help a person more easily slip into slumber. But they do little to help troubled children sleep better, a new study has found. There was no difference in sleep between weighted and normal blankets among a group… read on > read on >

Backyard chickens are causing outbreaks of salmonella across the United States, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns. About 109 people in 29 states have gotten sick from salmonella after touching or caring for backyard poultry, the CDC said in a health advisory. Of those, 33 people have been hospitalized, the CDC said.… read on > read on >

“Ugh, I’m so busy these days I can barely think straight. It’s so crazy.” No doubt some friend or coworker (maybe even yourself) has moaned about how stressed and overworked they are. Sometimes its fully justified, but in many cases folks see it as “stress bragging,” or “busy bragging,” signaling how important and needed the… read on > read on >

Memorial Day means firing up that backyard grill for the season, hopefully under warm, sunny skies. You can be sure to enjoy the day without hazards by taking a few simple precautions, said Dr. Mike Ren, an associate professor of family and community medicine at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. Watch out for rising… read on > read on >

Development and uptake of the human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine has been crucial in reducing rates of virus-linked cervical cancers in women. Now, the accumulated data suggests the vaccine is saving men from fatal cancers, too. Overall, men who got the vaccine [typically as boys] saw their odds for HPV-linked cancers slashed in half, according… read on > read on >

For decades, the responsibility for birth control has fallen largely on women, but new research suggests a birth control pill for men might one day become a reality. How does it work? It targets a protein required for fertility, scientists report. The protein, called serine/threonine kinase 33 (STK33), is enriched in the testicles and is… read on > read on >

Materialism could be fueling America’s epidemic of loneliness and isolation, a new study claims. People who spend their money on experiences tend to have stronger feelings of social connection with others than those who purchase belongings, a series of psychological experiments has revealed. For example, people tend to feel more connection and kinship with people… read on > read on >