Earlier in the COVID-19 pandemic, as signs of waning immunity and changes in the virus prompted the rollout of additional doses of vaccine, health authorities took to urging Americans to seek out “booster” shots to improve their protection against the virus. Now, with an updated vaccine formula rolling out for the fall, officials are changing […]
Category: Health
1st lady Jill Biden tests positive for Covid again
First lady Dr. Jill Biden tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday evening, the White House said. Biden, 72, was experiencing mild symptoms at the time of the positive test, the first lady’s communications director, Elizabeth Alexander, said in a statement. She plans to remain at her home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. President Biden was […]
Fauci admits that masks don’t protect the public
Anthony Fauci has sparked a backlash from politicians and commentators after saying that wearing face masks protects individuals from spreading coronavirus, but that there was inconclusive evidence to suggest it prevented a pandemic spiraling at a whole population level. The former chief medical adviser to the president, who was regularly the face of the government’s […]
Mask mandates are back across the US
The U.S. is seeing a late-summer spike in COVID cases, prompting some schools, hospitals and businesses to encourage — or even require — people to start masking up again. The most recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data, from earlier this month, shows nationwide COVID hospitalizations increased by nearly 19% in a single week […]
Shortage of popular antibiotic worrying parents
Pharmacies across the U.S. are contending with an industrywide shortage of the amoxicillin drug, commonly prescribed to treat a variety of childhood infections, including ailments like ear infections, strep throat and pneumonia. The supply constraint is hitting drugstores as children head back to school and infections spread. A spokesperson for pharmacy chain CVS Health said […]
Biden Administration advises only 2 beers a week
What the ale? Americans could soon be advised to limit themselves to just two drinks a week, a top health official warned Thursday. President Biden’s alcohol czar, Dr. George Koob, told the Daily Mail that the USDA could revise its alcohol recommendations to match Canada’s guidelines. In January, the Great White North began urging residents […]
The atomic bomb ‘spike’ is inside all of us
It’s in your teeth. Your eyes and your brain too. Scientists call it the “bomb spike” (or “bomb pulse”) – and for more than half a century its signature has been present inside the human body. In the 1950s, there were so many nuclear bomb explosions above ground that it transformed the chemical make-up of […]
Petting a dog for 5 minutes can boost health
What’s four-legged, furry, and often serves up a quick little mood boost? That’s right, a dog. It turns out even short, friendly interactions with canines can be good for our health. I started pondering the power of dogs during one of my daily strolls around my neighborhood. Almost invariably, I’ll run into at least one […]
Is it possible to drink ‘too much’ water?
While most people have heard the advice to drink eight cups of water a day, there is some flexibility there and people are capable of drinking both too much and too little, though the latter is more common. Drinking too little can lead to dehydration which can cause a range of symptoms from dizziness to, […]
FDA approves ‘over the counter’ birth control pill
The US Food and Drug Administration on Thursday approved the birth control pill Opill to be available over-the-counter — the first nonprescription birth control pill in the United States. “Today’s approval marks the first time a nonprescription daily oral contraceptive will be an available option for millions of people in the United States,” Dr. Patrizia […]
Nearly 1/2 of nation’s tapwater is contaminated
At least 45% of the nation’s tap water could be contaminated with at least one form of PFAS known as “forever chemicals,” according to a newly released study by the U.S. Geological Survey. The man-made chemicals — of which there are thousands — are found in all sorts of places, from nonstick cookware to stain-resistant […]
Can a hot dog eating contest destroy your stomach?
Competitive eating champ Joey Chestnut gulps down dozens of hot dogs each Fourth of July at the Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest — and comes back do it again year after year. But no one really knows what long-term impacts it might have on his body or the bodies of other competitive eaters. Chestnut […]