Before you toast the holiday season with too much alcohol, here’s a sobering thought. Folks who get injured severely enough while intoxicated to require hospital treatment are five times more likely to die in the coming year, according to new research published in Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs. The same is true of… read on > read on >
All Travel:
More Americans Are Moving to Wildfire-Prone Areas
Some Americans appear to be moving from areas with frequent hurricanes and heat waves to places threatened by wildfire and rising heat. They’re trading in the risk of one set of natural disasters for another because the wildfires are only beginning to become a national issue, according to researchers. “These findings are concerning, because people… read on > read on >
Winter Brings Rise in Carbon Monoxide Danger: Stay Safe
Winter weather brings with it plenty of hazards, including risks from carbon monoxide poisoning, and fires. But the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) offers suggestions for staying safe on those cold winter nights. When storms knock out power, a portable generator can be a go-to tool, but it does raise the risk of carbon… read on > read on >
Winter Holidays Are High Time for Heart Attacks: Protect Yourself
The winter holidays are a time of celebrating and sharing precious time with family and friends, but they can also be deadly: More people die of heart attacks on Christmas Day than on any other day of the year. Experts aren’t certain what’s behind that troubling fact, but they offer some suggestions to help ensure… read on > read on >
Green Spaces Give Mental Boost, Even When White With Snow
If you need a body image boost, go outdoors. Whether you’re in green space, a blue space near a river or the ocean or even a snowy environment, it can make a difference. “A body of evidence now exists showing that nature exposure — living close to, frequenting or engaging with environments such as forests… read on > read on >
‘Virtual’ Driver Program Could Make Driving Safer for Teens With ADHD
A simulator may make driving safer for teens with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder by training them to take shorter glances away from the roadway. Focused Concentration and Attention Learning (FOCAL) is a computer-based program that teaches teens to keep their eyes on the road. For this study, funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health,… read on > read on >
Need for Organ Transplants Surges at Big Motorcycle Rallies: Study
Once a year, giant motorcycle rallies ride into places like Daytona Beach, Fla., and Sturgis, S.D., bringing hundreds of thousands of people, an economic boost — and a wave of crash-related deaths. That means more organs available for donation and the need to be prepared, according to a new study that examined the issue. Researchers… read on > read on >
Climate Change May Bring More Fungal Lung Infections
Fungal lung infections are spreading to parts of the United States where they were once never seen — likely a result of climate change, experts say. To the average person, the term fungal infection may conjure up thoughts of athlete’s foot or toenail problems. But some fungus species cause potentially severe respiratory infections, when a… read on > read on >
Flakes Are Falling Again: Here’s the Safe Way to Shovel Snow
Shoveling snow is a strenuous workout that poses risks for people with heart conditions. “We have to think of shoveling snow as a pretty significant exertion, like an exercise,” said Dr. Donald Ford, chair of family medicine at the Cleveland Clinic, in Ohio. “So if you’re going out to exercise, people who have heart conditions… read on > read on >
There Might Be a Perfect Indoor Humidity to Curb COVID Spread
It’s sort of like the Goldilocks principle — a room that’s either too dry or too humid can influence transmission of COVID-19 and cause more illness or death, Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers say. Maintaining an indoor relative humidity between 40% and 60% is associated with lower rates of COVID-19 infections and deaths, they reported… read on > read on >