U.S. water utilities will be required to remove certain “forever chemicals” from drinking water as the Biden administration sets first-ever limits on perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl compounds, better known as known as PFAS. Nearly all Americans have PFAS in their bloodstream. The toxic chemicals are found in an enormous range of goods from dental floss to…  read on >  read on >

Genital herpes. It’s an embarrassing sexually transmitted disease that no one ever wants to be diagnosed with, but millions are. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are on a steep and steady climb. And herpes is no exception: An estimated 13% of the world’s population has it,…  read on >  read on >

When Americans have medical debt, it’s typically to a hospital, according to new research. The Urban Institute found that more than 15% of non-elderly adults in the United States have past-due medical debt. Nearly 73% owe some or all of that money to hospitals. “These findings highlight the persistent challenge of medical debt in America,…  read on >  read on >

It may be possible to nudge your vaccine to work a little better. The trick is a good night’s sleep. Sleep helps the immune system respond to vaccination, according to a new meta-analysis of past research, published March 13 in Current Biology. In it, researchers found that people who slept fewer than six hours per…  read on >  read on >

You may have heard of postpartum depression and “the baby blues,” but did you know that there’s another widely studied mental health condition called postpartum anxiety? Dr. Erica Newlin, an obstetrician-gynecologist in Westlake, Ohio, said in a Cleveland Clinic podcast that, “Peripartum and postpartum anxiety and depression, and just mental health concerns in general, are…  read on >  read on >

Ordering special heart scans before a major surgery to gauge risks may be unnecessary, a new study suggests. Researchers found that surgeons can instead estimate patients’ risk of heart attack or death by reviewing existing images of the chest captured months earlier during screening for lung issues, such as pneumonia or cancer. This could avoid…  read on >  read on >

(HealthDay News) – For some children, it can be hard when mom or dad leave them at daycare, school or even just with the other parent. It’s normal for small children to feel some separation anxiety. But it can be more concerning when a child doesn’t outgrow these feelings or feels them very intensely. This…  read on >  read on >

While older women are treated for falls more often than elderly males, men are more likely to sustain skull fractures when they topple over, new research suggests. This is a serious concern because more than 3 million people aged 65 and older are treated in U.S. emergency departments each year for falls. “The high incidence…  read on >  read on >

New moms who live on tree-lined streets may be somewhat less vulnerable to postpartum depression, according to a new study — the latest to link “green space” to better mental health. The study, of medical records from more than 415,000 new mothers, found that those living in urban areas with more tree coverage had a…  read on >  read on >