Two decades ago, the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) study tested the effects of three different diets on almost 500 participants over eight weeks. The first diet was a typical American diet, relatively low in fruits and vegetables (3.5 servings daily) and high in junk foods and sweets. The second offered more fruits and [...]
Public health officials, doctors and pharmacists who have struggled for decades to convince Americans to get the flu shot are warning it is now more important than ever to get vaccinated as the U.S. faces a potential second wave of COVID-19 in the fall. Coinciding flu and COVID-19 outbreaks could overwhelm hospitals and drain resources, threatening [...]
You carry it everywhere you go – sometimes even the bathroom. You check it on average once every 12 minutes. It touches your hands, face and ears. Perhaps not surprisingly, it’s teeming with germs. Yep, it’s your cellphone. It likely carries around 20,000 germs per square inch. Turns out most germs on your cellphone are not that [...]
Millions of people turn to prescription and over-the-counter medications to cope with heartburn from gastroesophageal reflux disease or other stomach conditions. But navigating the risks of heartburn remedies can leave a sour taste in your mouth, since some have been tied to health concerns. Here's what you need to know about two mainstays of treatment, [...]
In the world of virology, the nomenclature of war comes easy. The human body is a citadel that relies on the immune system to defend it. A virus is an attacking army that does everything it can to overrun those defenses. Vaccines help. Though they do not prevent the virus from causing an infection, they can [...]
Despite its moniker, the 1918 “Spanish flu” pandemic almost certainly did not originate in Spain. The belligerents of World War I suppressed reporting on the outbreak in order to avoid harming morale, while Spain, as a neutral country, had a media free to report openly on the extent of the disease. Since most media coverage of the outbreak came [...]
There are few subjects that can stir up stronger emotions among doctors, scientists, researchers, policy makers, and the public than medical marijuana. Is it safe? Should it be legal? Decriminalized? Has its effectiveness been proven? What conditions is it useful for? Is it addictive? How do we keep it out of the hands of teenagers? Is [...]
The European region cannot afford to lose focus on other health threats during the coronavirus outbreak, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Officials from the WHO’s Regional Office for Europe said unsafe food is still affecting millions during the COVID-19 pandemic and the region must continue to improve food safety. It is estimated that every year, [...]
A year ago the poultry sickness that is known as virulent Newcastle disease (vND) was spreading like wildfire in California’s backyard flocks and state and federal agricultural officials were deploying tactics to limit the spread. This month, USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is transitioning efforts in Southern California from response to prevention because no new [...]
Everyone has the occasional "senior moment." Maybe you've gone into the kitchen and can't remember why, or can't recall a familiar name during a conversation. Memory lapses can occur at any age, but aging alone is generally not a cause of cognitive decline. When significant memory loss occurs among older people, it is generally not [...]
