Birth Control Pill May Cut Women’s Risk for Asthma
By Serena McNiff HealthDay Reporter WEDNESDAY, Aug. 19, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Could birth control pills build a bulwark against asthma? New research suggests that hormonal contraceptives, which alter the natural ebb and flow of female hormones, may do just that. A study of more than half a million women in the United Kingdom found […]
Will COVID Sideline the College Football Season?
By Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter TUESDAY, Aug. 18, 2020 (HealthDay News) — The odds are not good for college football conferences that have decided to press forward with their fall season despite the coronavirus pandemic, experts say. The Big 10 and PAC 12 have decided not to play sports in the fall, but the SEC, […]
New Guidelines Urge OTC Painkillers, Not Opioids
That emphasis on topical painkillers — and stance on opioids — are good to see, according to Dr. Houman Danesh, a pain management specialist who was not involved in the guidelines. “It’s important for doctors to feel supported in not using opioids,” said Danesh, who directs the division of integrative pain management at Mount Sinai […]
COVID Clinical Trials Lack Diversity
By Steven Reinberg HealthDay Reporter MONDAY, Aug. 17, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Although minorities are paying a disproportionate price in the rate of COVID-19 illnesses and deaths, they are underrepresented in clinical trials, a new study finds. The researchers call upon the government, medical journals and funders of research to make sure trials include minorities […]
Autopsies Show Microplastics in Major Human Organs
By Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter MONDAY, Aug. 17, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Microscopic bits of plastic have most likely taken up residence in all of the major filtering organs in your body, a new lab study suggests. Researchers found evidence of plastic contamination in tissue samples taken from the lungs, liver, spleen and […]
Lasting Immunity to COVID Found in Early Studies
By Monday, the U.S. coronavirus case count surpassed 5.4 million as the death toll neared 170,000, according to a Times tally. According to the same tally, the top five states in coronavirus cases as of Monday were: California with over 628,500; Florida with more than 573,000; Texas with almost 570,000; New York with over […]
Toxic Methanol in Hand Sanitizers: Poisonings Continue
Aug. 17, 2020 — As the FDA’s warning list about dangerous hand sanitizers containing methanol grows, another troubling trend has emerged. Some people are drinking the sanitizers to get an alcohol high. Others have believed a rumor, circulated online, that drinking the highly potent and toxic alcohol can disinfect the body, protecting them from COVID-19 […]
Is It Safe Again to Take the Bus or Subway?
Alex Marshall, columnist, Governing magazine; book author, New York City. David Levine, science writer, New York City. William Hanage, PhD, associate professor of epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston. Linsey Marr, PhD, professor of civil and environmental engineering, Virginia Tech; expert on aerosol transmission of viruses, Blacksburg, VA. Mass Transit: “New […]
Social Distancing? Your Paycheck Plays a Role
By Steven Reinberg HealthDay Reporter MONDAY, Aug. 10, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Does your income determine your ability to practice social distancing? New research suggests that’s so: Richer communities have been more likely to stay home during the pandemic than poorer ones, according to scientists from the University of California, Davis. For […]
From Trees and Grapefruit Comes New Bug Repellent
MONDAY, Aug. 10, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Bugs beware: There’s a powerful new insect repellent in town. Just approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and known as nootkatone, the citrus-scented ingredient repels mosquitoes, ticks, bedbugs and fleas. In high concentrations, it can kill these pesky insects and slow the spread of the […]