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By Sandee LaMotte, CNN (CNN) — We may find fireworks beautiful and festive, but they explode like magnified gunfire in the exquisitely sensitive ears of many of our pets. Measuring between 150 and 175 decibels, fireworks are louder than many planes at takeoff (about 140 decibels). Decibels measure the loudness of a sound while hertz
Continue ReadingBy Deidre McPhillips, CNN (CNN) — Residents of 12 states in the South and Midwest are more likely to smoke – and to smoke more – than people living in the rest of the United States, according to a new report. Truth Initiative, a nonprofit focused on ending tobacco use, has dubbed that group of
Continue ReadingBy Sandee LaMotte, CNN (CNN) — If TikTok and Reddit influencers are to be believed, the plant-based compound called berberine can be a replacement for such popular diabetes and weight loss drugs as Ozempic and Wegovy. Using berberine as a supplement has become so trendy, in fact, that it has been dubbed “Nature’s Ozempic” by
Continue ReadingBy Casey Barber, CNN (CNN) — No disrespect to s’mores and hot dogs, which have earned their spot at the top of the “food you eat around a campfire” pyramid. But they’re not the only foods (sweet or savory) you could cook and enjoy in the great outdoors — or in your backyard. I’m a
Continue ReadingBy Brenda Goodman, CNN (CNN) — Parents of teens and preteens say it used to be that they only had to worry about explaining the mechanics of sex and pregnancy to their kids. But since the US Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision ended 50 years of protected access to abortions in the United States last year,
Continue ReadingBy Deidre McPhillips, CNN (CNN) — An especially bad tick season in the United States is probably hitting its peak, and experts are stressing the importance of taking personal precautions to protect against rising cases of tick-borne disease. Diagnoses of Lyme disease – a bacterial infection spread by bites from blacklegged ticks, or deer ticks
Continue ReadingBy Katie Hunt, CNN (CNN) — Australia is set to become the first country in the world to legalize clinical prescribing of MDMA, better known as ecstasy, and psilocybin — the main psychoactive ingredient in magic mushrooms — for certain mental health disorders. Starting July 1, authorized psychiatrists will be able to prescribe MDMA for
Continue ReadingBy Jen Christensen, CNN (CNN) — Days after a national alert about cases of locally acquired malaria in Texas and Florida, public health officials in those states said they continue to monitor for further illness and to conduct mosquito surveillance but have found no further cases. The Texas Department of State Health Services said Friday
Continue ReadingBy Giri Viswanathan and Jamie Gumbrecht, CNN (CNN) — Decades after aspartame was approved for use in the United States, the sweetener’s safety is getting another look by global health bodies assessing its potential links to cancer. The World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer analyzed the potential carcinogenic effects of the sweetener
Continue ReadingBy Deidre McPhillips, CNN (CNN) — The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday gave the green light to two new RSV vaccines for older adults and expects them to be available in the fall. The endorsement from CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky follows recommendations from the agency’s independent vaccine advisory committee and
Continue ReadingBy Brenda Goodman, CNN (CNN) — The Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists voted Thursday to add Cronobacter sakazakii infections to the list of nationally notifiable conditions that health departments count and report to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The council partners with the CDC to develop the list, which includes more
Continue ReadingBy Elizabeth Cohen and Carma Hassan, CNN (CNN) — Seven people have died in connection with a fungal meningitis outbreak linked with certain surgical procedures in Mexico, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Investigators have identified 161 US residents who might be at risk of illness because they received epidural anesthesia at one of two clinics
Continue ReadingBy Deidre McPhillips and Nadia Kounang, CNN (CNN) — The Biden administration recently declared fentanyl laced with xylazine – an animal sedative commonly known as “tranq” – to be an emerging threat facing the United States, and a new analysis of toxicology reports illustrates its sharp rise. In June 2022, xylazine was present in nearly 11% of
Continue ReadingBy Brenda Goodman, CNN (CNN) — For a decade now, the world has had highly effective medications for hepatitis C infections. In the United States, they’ve mostly been sitting on the shelf, according to a new study. These drugs, called direct-acting antivirals because they block proteins the virus needs to copy itself, have been hailed as
Continue ReadingBy Sandee LaMotte, CNN (CNN) — The risk of getting sick from E-coli, salmonella, listeria and other foodborne germs rose to pre-pandemic levels in 2022, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Thursday. “Progress in reducing (intestinal) infection incidence was not observed during 2022, as influences of the COVID-19 pandemic subsided,” the CDC
Continue ReadingBy Sandee LaMotte, CNN (CNN) — Beans, beans, the magical … longevity food? True, these tiny, unassuming morsels are filling and nutritious, and as a basis of a plant-based diet, good for the planet as well. But how could the family of legumes — which includes beans, peas, lentils and chickpeas — help us live
Continue ReadingBy Sandee LaMotte, CNN (CNN) — President Joe Biden is one of many millions of people who have sleep apnea, a serious sleep disorder in which people stop breathing for 10 seconds or more at a time. It’s estimated that at least 25 million American adults and 936 million adults between the ages of 30 and 69 worldwide may
Continue ReadingBy Sandee LaMotte, CNN (CNN) — Women in their 50s who took estrogen and progestin hormone replacement therapy for menopausal symptoms had an increased risk of dementia within 20 years, a new observational study found. Symptoms of menopause can include hot flashes, chills, night sweats, sleep problems, mood changes and vaginal dryness and pain during sex.
Continue ReadingBy Kristen Rogers, CNN (CNN) — Opioid medications are one of the most typically prescribed treatments for the worldwide problem of low back pain — but they might not work, a new study has found. Experiencing pain in the neck and lower back is common. In fact, lower back pain is globally the leading contributor
Continue ReadingBy Elizabeth Cohen and Giri Viswanathan, CNN (CNN) — Dr. Rochelle Walensky on Friday will leave her post as director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, where she served for a relatively short but eventful 2 1/2 years. When she started in January 2021, more than 23,000 Americans were dying of Covid-19
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