The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has resumed a national campaign that uses the stories of former smokers to warn Americans about the many health dangers of tobacco. Known as the “Tips From Former Smokers” campaign, seven new people are featured in ads sharing their stories about how cigarette smoking damaged their health.… read on > read on >
All Lifestyle:
Black Americans Lose Sleep After High-Profile Police Killings
Police killings of unarmed Black people are robbing the Black community of a precious commodity – sleep. Black adults across the United States suffer from sleep problems after they’re exposed to news of killings that occur during police encounters, a new study published Feb. 5 in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine finds. Specifically, Black adults… read on > read on >
U.S. Prescription Drug Prices Nearly Triple Those of Other Nations
Americans pay nearly three times as much for their prescription drugs as residents of other nations do, new research shows. Drug prices in the United States average nearly 2.8 times those seen in 33 other countries, the report from RAND Health Care found. Brand-name drugs are even more expensive, with U.S. prices averaging 4.2 times… read on > read on >
Even Mild Cases of COVID Can Leave Lingering Insomnia
Even mild cases of COVID can trigger insomnia in most people, a new study reports. About three out of four people with mild COVID (76%) reported experiencing insomnia following their illness. Further, nearly one in four (23%) said they’d experienced severe insomnia, according to results published Feb. 5 in the journal Frontiers in Public Health.… read on > read on >
Latest COVID Vaccine Shields Against Current Dominant Strain
In some good news for those folks who rolled up their sleeves for the latest COVID vaccine last fall, new government research shows the updated shots halve the chances of getting a symptomatic infection. “Everything from this study is reassuring that the vaccines are providing the protection that we expected,” study author Ruth Link-Gelles, head… read on > read on >
Loneliness Is Plaguing Americans in 2024: Poll
Americans are terribly lonely, a new poll reveals. Among U.S. adults, about one in three said they feel lonely at least once a week. Worse, one in 10 Americans say they feel lonely every day, results show. Younger people are more likely to experience loneliness, which is defined as a lack of meaningful or close… read on > read on >
More Cancers Linked to Contaminated Water at Camp LeJeune
A much anticipated government study finds that military personnel stationed at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina between 1975 and 1985 face at least a 20% higher risk for certain cancers than those stationed elsewhere. Why the increased risk? For decades, the drinking water at the Marine Corps base was contaminated with industrial solvents, federal documents… read on > read on >
‘Hidden Killer’ Radon Could Raise Your Stroke Risk
Radon, an invisible, naturally occurring radioactive gas, appears to raise a person’s risk of stroke, a new study suggests. Already known as the second leading cause of lung cancer, these new findings suggest exposure to radon can increase risk of stroke by as much as 14%, according to a report published Jan. 31 in the… read on > read on >
Folks Often Hide Infectious Illness at Work, Socializing
A disturbing number of people sick with an infectious disease conceal their illness to avoid missing work, travel or social events, new research reveals. About three in four people (75%) had either hidden an infectious illness from others at least once or might do so in the future. These folks reported boarding planes, going on… read on > read on >
U.S. Syphilis Cases Continue to Climb
U.S. cases of syphilis have soared past numbers seen just a decade ago, new government statistics show. The grim numbers are for 2022, the latest year for which an accurate tally is available. More than 202,000 cases were recorded among Americans that year — a 17% rise over 2021 numbers and an 80% rise over… read on > read on >