It’s not just athletes on the field who suffer when outdoor temperatures get too high. Members of college and high school marching bands are at increased risk of heat-related illness, too, researchers warn. “They go out there, and they often wear these really heavy wool uniforms,” said lead author Andrew Grundstein of the University of…  read on >  read on >

Emotional changes in the run-up to menopause can sometimes lead to depression. It can be important to see a doctor to help determine whether you’re just feeling stressed or “blue” — or whether you might have clinical or major depression, a condition associated with a chemical imbalance in the brain. Changing hormones during perimenopause —…  read on >  read on >

It’s no wonder many teens are pooped out. “The obligations of school, work, family and friends make it hard for teenagers to get sufficient sleep to perform their best,” said Dr. Raman Malhotra, president of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM). “While it might seem like teens sleep a lot, most are sleep deprived…  read on >  read on >

Shedding excess weight does much more for the long-term heart health of young people than building muscle, new research suggests. It’s not that gaining muscle while young proved to be a cardiovascular problem. It’s just that losing fat offered bigger heart benefits. “We absolutely still encourage exercise,” said study lead author Joshua Bell, a senior…  read on >  read on >

In kids and teens, symptoms of long COVID rarely last more than 12 weeks, a new international study reports. The researchers also found that exposure to the highly contagious Delta variant did not result in more serious disease in children compared to earlier variants, and that most cases of COVID-19 were asymptomatic or mild. Despite…  read on >  read on >

U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisors will meet Friday to consider whether it is safe and effective for Americans to receive a third “booster” dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. The FDA posted the materials it intends to use in the review on Wednesday. The advisory panel will review a variety of evidence, including new…  read on >  read on >

Childhood obesity was a worrisome issue before the pandemic, and now it’s alarmingly worse, new data shows. A U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study found a “profound increase in weight gain for kids” that is “substantial and alarming,” Dr. Alyson Goodman, one of the study’s authors, told the Associated Press. For the study,…  read on >  read on >

Treating sickle cell anemia with the drug hydroxyurea may also reverse related heart abnormalities, a new study suggests. Heart issues are common among people with sickle cell disease. Among them are enlargement of the heart and an impaired ability to relax heart muscles, a condition called diastolic dysfunction that can lead to heart disease and…  read on >  read on >

Health officials are bracing for a viral double whammy this fall and winter. “This year, we expect influenza and COVID-19 to circulate at the same time,” said Dr. Jonathan Grein, director of hospital epidemiology at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles. That’s why Grein and his colleagues remind Americans that it’s time to get your seasonal flu…  read on >  read on >