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By Kristen Rogers, CNN (CNN) — The fact that having high cholesterol can cause health problems is well known. But a total cholesterol level that fluctuates a lot — either up or down within a five-year period — might also be problematic by raising the risk of later dementia, a new study found. “This study
Continue ReadingCNN By Meg Tirrell, CNN (CNN) — The European Medicines Agency’s safety committee is looking into the risk of suicidal thoughts and thoughts of self-harm in patients who used popular medicines for weight loss, like Ozempic, the regulator told CNN Monday. The review comes after three case reports raised by the Icelandic Medicines Agency, the
Continue ReadingBy Sandee LaMotte, CNN (CNN) — Being overweight as defined by the body mass index rating scale is not linked to an increase in death when considered separately from other health issues, a new study found. Also known as BMI, the calculation measures a person’s body fat based on height and weight. As currently used,
Continue ReadingBy Sandee LaMotte, CNN (CNN) — Clinical overuse of marijuana is linked to a variety of complications after major elective surgery, including blood clots, stroke, breathing difficulties, kidney issues and even death, a new study found. “Our findings complement previous studies that have identified significant associations between cannabis use disorders and perioperative complications,” the study’s
Continue ReadingBy Jacqueline Howard, CNN (CNN) — It’s a worry almost all of Dr. Ursina Teitelbaum’s colorectal cancer patients have: How severe are the side effects of radiation therapy? The treatment, though effective at fighting cancer, could cause diarrhea and fatigue in the short term, as well as fertility problems in the long term. But more
Continue ReadingBy Sandee LaMotte, CNN (CNN) — Blueberries, beloved by nutritionists for their anti-inflammatory properties, have joined fiber-rich green beans in this year’s Dirty Dozen of nonorganic produce with the most pesticides, according to the Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit environmental health organization. In the 2023 Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce, researchers analyzed testing data
Continue ReadingBy Megan Marples, CNN (CNN) — Setting off dazzling displays of fireworks is a time-honored way to celebrate Independence Day, but it can quickly become dangerous — and even deadly — when safety guidelines are ignored. About 73% of fireworks-related injuries treated in US hospital emergency rooms occurred around the one month including the Fourth
Continue ReadingCNN By 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”
Continue ReadingCNN 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
Continue ReadingBy 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
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