Health A-Z News & Features
- Mosquito and Tick-Borne Illnesses on the Rise: What to Know
July 17, 2023 — Illnesses spread by ticks and mosquitos are on the rise, prompting warnings from doctors and scientists to take precautions and watch out for any tell-tale symptoms. Here's what to know.
- Do-It-Yourself Medications: Self-Injected Drugs on the Rise
July 14, 2023 — Having patients give themselves injections, when possible, not only saves clinic time and expense, but also spares the patients a trip to the clinic, of course, and often a copay.
- Over-the-Counter Hearing Aids: Good News, With Some Complications
Audiologists, even those who generally support the idea of non-prescription hearing aids, worry that without an initial evaluation and ongoing care, people will buy the devices without understanding how to use or adjust them.
- You Don’t Have to Live With Hearing Loss
Hearing loss can be stressful, but hearing aids can help. Here’s how.
- The Mental and Emotional Impact of Hearing Loss
Uncorrected hearing loss can lead to depression, isolation, and even cognitive decline.
- Extreme Heat Kills: Record Temps Leave Us All Vulnerable
July 7, 2023 — Humans have reached the peak of their ability to adjust to extreme heat conditions. What comes next is not pretty.
- Staying Cool in Extreme Heat When the Power Fails
July 7, 2023 — It’s hot as Hades and the power’s out. Now what?
- Contaminated Waters Found at Nearly Half of U.S. Beaches
July 7, 2023 — A report from an environmental group says about half the beaches in the United States had at least one day when water contamination levels hit potentially unsafe levels in 2022.
- Nearly Half of U.S. Drinking Water Has 'Forever Chemicals': Study
July 6, 2023 — A new government estimate says at least 45% of the tap water in the U.S. contains PFAS, which are substances also known as “forever chemicals.”
- Study: Marijuana Addiction Increases Complications Around Surgery
July 5, 2023 — Smoking too much marijuana increases major health risks, after elective surgeries. a new study reports.
- Ticks Use Static Electricity to Latch on to Hosts: Study
July 3, 2023 — Researchers have discovered that ticks can defy gravity in their quest to latch onto people and animals. The key is static electricity, just like when someone rubs a balloon and things stick to it.
- Millions Across the Country Struggle With Heat, Smoke
June 29, 2023 — Poor air quality across numerous states because of Canadian wildfires and high heat across the South have millions of Americans struggling.
- A Tiny Patch May Someday Measure Your Critical Health Needs
June 28, 2023 — New technology that tracks markers in your “interstitial fluid” – fluid found under your skin – could be as good as a blood test, no doctor’s visit or needle stab required.
- Malaria Is Spreading in the U.S. for the First Time in 20 Years
June 27, 2023 — The first cases since at least 2003 of people getting malaria from a mosquito bite within the U.S. have occurred in Florida and Texas.
- Lab-Grown Chicken Meat Gains Final Approval, 2 Companies Say
June 21, 2023 — Lab-grown chicken meat can be sold in the United States after two companies said they gained final Department of Agriculture approval for their products Wednesday.
- West Nile Virus Cases Rising Nationwide Amid Mosquito Season
June 19, 2023 — According to the CDC, which compiles local reports, there have been 13 human cases of West Nile virus in 2023. In 2022, there were 1,126 cases, including 90 deaths.
- Study: Heavy Drinkers May Not Hold Their Liquor Better
June 19, 2023 — A new study challenges the widely held assumption that people who regularly drink to excess can “hold their liquor” better than people who don’t drink as much.
- Using a Gas Stove Like Living With a Smoker
June 16, 2023 — Gas stoves emit the cancer-causing chemical benzene at levels higher than those found in secondhand tobacco smoke, according to a new study.
- Night Owls Have Increased Risk of Early Death
June 16, 2023 — People who stay up late have a 9% increased risk of early death, mainly because they are more likely to smoke or drink alcohol, according to a new study.
- ‘Forever Chemicals’ Linked to Low Birth Weight, Obesity
June 8, 2023 — Exposure to toxic “forever chemicals” during pregnancy can lead to a lower birth weight followed later by obesity -- similar to the results of prenatal exposure to tobacco.
- New Treatment for Tinnitus Is Possible, Study Shows
June 7, 2023 — People with tinnitus may be able to find relief with a new kind of treatment, according to a new study.
- Huge Seaweed Blob Contains Flesh-Eating Bacteria: Study
June 2, 2023 — A 5,000-mile-long seaweed blob heading toward the east coast of Florida contains “flesh-eating” bacteria,” researchers from Florida Atlantic University said.
- Biden Picks Another Physician to Lead CDC
June 2, 2023 — The former health secretary of North Carolina, Mandy Cohen, MD, is expected to be named the next director of the CDC.
- Do You Need A Full-Body MRI Scan? Probably Not, Experts Say
June 2, 2023 — Whole-body MRI scans may lead to unnecessary follow-up tests that are not only expensive, but also anxiety-inducing, experts say.
- ‘Exciting Time’: FDA Commissioner Talks AI and Misinformation
May 30, 2023 — AI’s potential depends on how it’s used, Robert Califf, MD, said. “It could be used for tremendous gain or it could be used for tremendous harm.”
- Who Does Your Doctor Work For?
The corporate takeover of health care and why it matters.
- Mosquitoes Attracted to Humans’ ‘Stinky’ Cheese Smell, Study Says
May 22, 2023 — Researchers have found that mosquitoes are attracted to human scent that contained a high level of carboxylic acids, which are secretions that protect the skin, said the study published in Current Biology. Some of those carboxylic acids are also found in “stinky” cheeses.
- Black Americans Face Much Higher Rates of Early Death, Study Says
May 17, 2023 — African-Americans have a starkly higher rate of early mortality than whites, with 1.63 million “excess deaths” occurring among Black people over two decades, according to a new study published in JAMA.
- CDC Warns of Mpox Resurgence This Summer
May 16, 2023 — A resurgence of mpox (formerly called monkeypox) this summer could be larger than last year’s caseload, the CDC said in a warning to public health officials this week.
- Will AI Perpetuate or Eliminate Health Disparities?
May 15, 2023 — As AI algorithms ramps up, should patients be raging against the machine or encouraged that they might eventually be treated equally?
- CDC Looking into New Cases of Monkeypox
May 11, 2023 — The CDC said this week it is investigating several new cases of mpox, formerly called monkeypox. Most of the people infected had been previously vaccinated.
- CDC Says Walensky Will Step Down as Director in June
May 5, 2023 — CDC Director Rochelle Walensky, MD, MPH, will step down from her position at the end of June, 2 ½ years after assuming the role during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
- The Amazing Things We Can Learn From Hospital Clowns
May 4, 2023 — Research shows that hospital clowns, aka medical clowns, therapeutic clowns, or clown doctors, can enhance patients’ quality of life and healing. We found a clown to show us how it’s done.
- Cleaning and Personal Products Contain Dangerous Chemicals
May 4, 2023 — Dangerous chemicals are found in dozens of everyday consumer products, according to a new survey. The chemicals were found in more than 100 products commonly used in homes and workplaces.
- Is ChatGPT in Your Doctor’s Inbox?
May 3, 2023 — What happens when a chatbot slips into your doctor’s direct messages? Depending on who you ask, it might improve outcomes. On the other hand, it might raise a few red flags.
- The Doctor’s Visit of the Future: Less Touching, More Tech
April 27, 2023 — The COVID-19 pandemic helped untether the primary care visit from the doctor’s office, empowering patients to demand access to their primary care doctors via video or other virtual means. Experts took notice.
- Turns Out Cranberries Really Can Prevent Some UTIs, Research Shows
April 25, 2023 — Researchers have determined that cranberries in juice, tablet or powder form may lower the risk of repeated, symptomatic urinary tract infections based on the results of 50 trials involving almost 9,000 people.
- Chronic Drinking Can Increase Pain Sensitivity, Study Says
April 24, 2023 — Research on mice led scientists to conclude that chronic alcohol consumption can make people more sensitive to pain in two ways – through alcohol intake and alcohol withdrawal, says a study just published in the British Journal of Pharmacology.
- Is This a New Era of Medical Marijuana Breakthroughs?
April 20, 2023 — For years, research into cannabis’s health effects has been severely limited. That’s finally changing, slowly. The results could alter the future of medicine and improve public health.
- Strep Throat Cases Up 30% This Season
April 20, 2023 — Cases of strep throat surged this past winter, breaking a pre-pandemic trend that had been predictable since 2017, a new report says.
- Study Calls Poverty a ‘Major Risk Factor for Death in the U.S.’
April 19, 2023 — Poverty rates may help explain lower life expectancy, according to a research letter.
- Ozzy's Wearable Cyborg May Be The Future of Physical Therapy
April 17, 2023 — Hybrid assistive limb technology, which senses the movement you want to perform and then helps you do it, is starting to catch on in the U.S.
- CDC Warns U.S. Doctors of Marburg Virus Amid Outbreaks in Africa
April 7, 2023 — The CDC has issued a health advisory about an outbreak of the Marburg virus disease in two African nations, saying U.S. doctors should be aware of the chance of imported cases.
- Vaccine Trial Shows Promise Against Candida Fungal Infection
March 29, 2023 — Although relatively rare, C. auris infections can lead to death for between 30% to 70% of those at higher risk.
- Mattiedna Johnson’s Historic Work On Antibiotics
Mattiedna Johnson was a Black American nurse who may have played a key role in the search for a scarlet fever cure.
- Top Health Challenges for Aging Asian Americans
Older Asian Americans face a number of health disparities. Here are the biggest health concerns for aging Asian Americans.
- Most Retailers Give Receipts Containing Chemicals Like BPA
March 26, 2023 — Most major chain stores still give receipts that have potentially toxic chemicals on them that can easily transfer to people’s skin, a new study shows. Studies have shown possible effects on the brains of fetuses, infants, and children, plus potential links to blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and childhood behavior.
- New Study Links Eating Meat to Urinary Tract Infections
March 24, 2023 — At least half a million urinary tract infections are caused by eating meat contaminated with E.coli bacteria, a new study reports.
- Cases of Invasive Group Strep A Rising in Parts of Country
March 23, 2023 — The CDC says cases of invasive group A strep infections, which rose in December after a pandemic lull, have remained high so far this year, ABC News reports.
- DNA From Beethoven’s Hair Offers Clues on Composer’s Ailments
March 23, 2023 — Nearly 200 years after his death, researchers continue to try to grant a dying wish of composer Ludwig Van Beethoven to study his health problems. Progressive hearing loss beginning in his early 20s left him deaf at his time of death, and he complained of chronic stomach problems.