The pandemic has intensified mental health struggles that were already widespread among American teens, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy warned Tuesday. The pandemic and other major issues faced by their generation are causing “devastating” mental health effects in young people, he warned in a new report. Emergency room visits for suicide attempts by adolescent…  read on >  read on >

When a woman’s periods begin to slow down and finally stop, digestive problems often pick up — and new research suggests race and ethnicity play a role. With menopause, levels of estrogen decrease, while cortisol levels increase, triggering an adrenaline boost that changes digestive function. It can set off symptoms such as bloating, nausea, diarrhea,…  read on >  read on >

TUESDAY, Dec. 7, 2021 — Though they live in one of the world’s richest nations, a growing number of young Americans are without ample health insurance. A new study reports that 34% of U.S. kids age 17 and under were “underinsured” in 2019. That means their insurance failed to address their overall health needs or…  read on >  read on >

Genetic testing can help guide management and treatment of unexplained epilepsy in children, new research suggests. “A genetic diagnosis impacted medical management for nearly three out of four children in our study,” said study author Dr. Isabel Haviland. She’s a postdoctoral research fellow in neurology/neurobiology at Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School. In the…  read on >  read on >

Nearly 235,000 pounds of fully cooked ham and pepperoni products were recalled by Michigan-based Alexander & Hornung on Sunday due to possible listeria contamination. There are no confirmed reports of illness associated with the products that were sold across the United States, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS).…  read on >  read on >

Starting college can be a time of fun, new experiences and growth. Yet it can also be a rough transition for many students who struggle with mental health issues. A new study from researchers in the United Kingdom and Canada found about one-third of first-year students have or develop moderate to severe anxiety or depression.…  read on >  read on >

The Omicron variant appears to spread at twice the rate as the Delta variant does, due mostly to a combination of contagiousness and an ability to dodge the body’s immune defenses, scientists report. The degree to which each factor contributes to the spread of Omicron is still unclear, according to the findings of an analysis…  read on >  read on >