Health
Statins lower risk of deadliest kind of stroke, study finds
By Jen Christensen, CNN Doctors know that drugs called statins lower a person’s risk of a stroke due to a blood clot. But a new study shows that the inexpensive medications can also decrease the risk of a first stroke as a result of an intracerebral hemorrhage, the deadliest kind. An intracerebral hemorrhage is when
Continue ReadingHow you sleep can cause neck and back pain
By Sandee LaMotte, CNN Neck pain may have many causes: Stress, poor posture, texting, injuries from sports, car or other accidents and chronic illnesses such as fibromyalgia, to name a few. But there’s another culprit you may not be considering — how you sleep. “Generally, when you wake up with neck pain, either your pillow
Continue ReadingA family death during the holidays prompts questions and reflection
By Judith Graham, Kaiser Health News It wasn’t the Thanksgiving holiday any of us had expected. Two weeks before, my 94-year-old father-in-law, Melvin Zax, suffered a stroke after receiving dialysis and was rushed to a hospital near his residence in western New York. There, he underwent a series of tests over the course of several
Continue ReadingKirstie Alley died of colon cancer. Here’s how to lower your risk
CNN By Sandee LaMotte, CNN Colon cancer has claimed another life. Emmy Award and Golden Globe winner Kirstie Alley, best known for her roles in the television sitcoms “Cheers” and “Veronica’s Closet,” died Monday at age 71 after battling cancer that was “recently discovered,” according to a family statement. A representative for Alley confirmed to
Continue ReadingIn wake of baby formula crisis, highly critical report recommends major food safety changes at FDA
By Jen Christensen, CNN To help prevent outbreaks of food-related illness and problems like the formula shortage that left many parents in the US without adequate access to food for their babies, the US Food and Drug Administration needs a clearer mission and a different kind of leadership, and it has to act with more
Continue ReadingMeasles outbreak in central Ohio grows to more than 50 children, driven by ‘lack of vaccination’
By Jacqueline Howard, CNN A measles outbreak in central Ohio is growing, sickening more than 50 children, with many of them needing hospitalization, according to data updated Wednesday by Columbus Public Health. None of the children had been fully vaccinated against measles. Since the start of the outbreak in November, at least 59 measles cases
Continue ReadingKirstie Alley died of colon cancer. Here’s how to lower your risk
By Sandee LaMotte, CNN Colon cancer has claimed another life. Emmy Award and Golden Globe winner Kirstie Alley, best known for her roles in the television sitcoms “Cheers” and “Veronica’s Closet,” died Monday at age 71 after battling cancer that was “recently discovered,” according to a family statement. A representative for Alley confirmed to CNN
Continue ReadingDrug overdose deaths during pregnancy and postpartum rose sharply in recent years, study shows
By Deidre McPhillips, CNN More than 1,200 pregnant and postpartum women died of a drug overdose in the US in 2020, with overdoses involved in more than 1 in 6 pregnancy-associated deaths that year, according to a new study. Drug overdose deaths reached record levels nationwide during the Covid-19 pandemic, and research published Tuesday suggests
Continue Reading6 everyday ways to keep back pain at bay
CNN By Dana Santas, CNN For many people, back pain can make it difficult to function in everyday life. It affects how you move, feel and think, leaving you with no choice but to take some kind of action to alleviate the pain. But what if, instead of being reactive, you took small daily steps
Continue ReadingThese simple daily activities can help ward off back pain
By Dana Santas, CNN For many people, back pain can make it difficult to function in everyday life. It affects how you move, feel and think, leaving you with no choice but to take some kind of action to alleviate the pain. But what if, instead of being reactive, you took small daily steps to
Continue ReadingScientists finally know why people get more colds and flu in winter
By Sandee LaMotte, CNN A chill is in the air, and you all know what that means — it’s time for cold and flu season, when it seems everyone you know is suddenly sneezing, sniffling or worse. It’s almost as if those pesky cold and flu germs whirl in with the first blast of winter
Continue ReadingFlu vaccine appears to be a very good match to circulating strains, CDC says
By Brenda Goodman, CNN This year’s flu shot appears to be “a very good match” to the circulating strains, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said at a news briefing Monday. However, she noted that flu vaccinations are lagging behind the pace of previous years. Through the end of October,
Continue ReadingHow are hearing aids and dementia related? A new study explains
CNN By Madeline Holcombe, CNN Hearing aids might be an important tool in the effort to prevent cognitive decline and dementia, according to a new study. Research has established that hearing loss in an important risk factor in developing dementia, but whether intervening with the hearing loss will also treat the progression of cognitive decline
Continue ReadingHow are hearing aids and dementia related? A new study explains
By Madeline Holcombe, CNN Hearing aids might be an important tool in the effort to prevent cognitive decline and dementia, according to a new study. Research has established that hearing loss in an important risk factor in developing dementia, but whether intervening with the hearing loss will also treat the progression of cognitive decline has
Continue ReadingDementia risk may increase if you’re eating these foods, study says
By Sandee LaMotte, CNN We all eat them — ultraprocessed foods such as frozen pizza and ready-to-eat meals make our busy lives much easier. Besides, they are just darn tasty — who isn’t susceptible to hot dogs, sausages, burgers, french fries, sodas, cookies, cakes, candy, doughnuts and ice cream, to name just a few? If
Continue ReadingPfizer/BioNTech seek FDA authorization of updated Covid-19 vaccine for children under 5
By Jacqueline Howard, CNN Pfizer and BioNTech have submitted an application to the US Food and Drug Administration for their updated Covid-19 vaccine to be used as the third shot in the three-dose primary vaccine series for children ages 6 months through 4 years. The vaccine makers announced on Monday that if authorized for emergency
Continue ReadingDemand for hospital-grade cribs on the rise as viral illnesses continue to surge
By Carma Hassan, CNN As a trio of respiratory viruses spreads across the country and pediatric hospitalizations remain high, some hospitals are running into a new problem: a shortage of medical-grade cribs. Pediatric hospital beds have been more full than usual for months. Last month, children’s health leaders called for a formal emergency declaration from
Continue ReadingChildren’s painkillers are in high demand as respiratory illnesses continue to rise
CNN By Carma Hassan, CNN With all but six states experiencing “high” or “very high” respiratory virus levels, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, certain over-the-counter children’s medications are hard to find in many places across the United States. The availability of children’s painkillers first started dropping in June. After some
Continue ReadingWhat is Strep A, the common bacterium that has killed 6 children in the UK?
By Hafsa Khalil, CNN Health officials in the United Kingdom are advising parents and schools to watch for Strep A infections following the recent deaths of six children. With Covid-19 restrictions such as masking and social distancing no longer required in the UK, infections such as Strep A are spreading more easily, with cases increasing
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