What You Need to Know
By Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter WEDNESDAY, Dec. 29, 2021 (HealthDay News) — New antiviral pills for COVID-19 recently authorized for emergency use in high-risk people by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration should give doctors an easier means of keeping people out of the hospital. But the initial hype is […]
Fitness May Matter More Than Weight Loss for Health and Longevity
Dec. 28, 2021 — Numbers are easier. That may be why a person’s weight — and the desire of millions of people to lose weight — is the first topic under discussion when it comes to health and longevity. Not long after you walk into your doctor’s exam room, for example, you’ll step on […]
How the COVID Virus Sneaks Past Immune Defenses
TUESDAY, Dec. 28, 2021 (HealthDay News) – Just how SARS-CoV-2 eludes the human immune system has mystified scientists for close to two years, but now they’ve uncovered an important clue. Turns out the virus that causes COVID-19 has some stealth moves that allow it to spread from cell to cell, hiding from the […]
HIV Prevention Has An Equity Problem. Here’s What Needs to Change
Michael Chancley, communications director, PrEP4All, and PrEP user. AIDSVu.org: “Local Data: Louisiana.” CDC.gov: “HIV and Women: HIV Diagnoses,” “HIV Surveillance Data Tables. Table 3a,” “PrEP Effectiveness,” FDA.gov: “FDA Approves First Injectable Treatment for HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis,” Dec. 20, 2021, “FDA approves second drug to prevention HIV infection as part of ongoing efforts to end the […]
FDA Authorizes Pfizer Antiviral Pill for COVID-19
Dec. 22, 2021 — The FDA on Wednesday granted emergency use authorization for a new antiviral pill to treat people with symptomatic COVID-19. Pfizer’s ritonavir plus nirmatrelvir, name brand Paxlovid, can now be taken by patients ages 12 and up who weigh at least 88 pounds The antiviral is only for people who test positive for the […]
New Studies Suggest Omicron Infections Are Less Severe Than Delta Ones
Dec. 22, 2021 — People who get COVID-19 infections caused by the Omicron variant are less likely to need hospital care, compared with those infected by the Delta variant, according to two large new studies from the U.K. and South Africa. The findings, which were released ahead of peer review, add to previous glimmers of […]
Could Meditation Strengthen Your Immune System?
By Alan Mozes HealthDay Reporter THURSDAY, Dec. 23, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Meditation done at an intense level may bring a significant boost to the inner workings of your immune system. The finding follows a blood sample analysis that took pre- and post-meditation snapshots of genetic activity among more than 100 men and women. That […]
FDA OKs Emergency Use of Merck Pill for COVID-19
Dec. 23, 2021 — The FDA has granted emergency use authorization to Merck’s antiviral drug to treat adults with mild to moderate COVID-19 who are at risk for severe disease. Similar to FDA authorization of another antiviral pill regimen — ritonavir plus nirmatrelvir, or Paxlovid — granted to Pfizer on Wednesday, molnupiravir (brand name Lagevrio) […]
Former WebMD Editor Kristy Hammam Dies
Dec. 24, 2021 — Kristy Hammam, WebMD’s former editor-in-chief and senior vice president, has died of breast cancer. She was 50 years old. Kristy resigned from a 22-year career at WebMD in June 2021, after losing much of her eyesight as a result of treatments in her fight against triple-negative breast cancer. She recounted her […]
In Remembrance of Kristy Hammam
Editor’s note: Bob Brisco is the CEO of Internet Brands, the parent company of WebMD. Dec. 24, 2021 — We’ve lost Kristy Hammam, WebMD’s long time editor, to cancer. She was only 50. Kristy’s passing makes no sense. She did as much to educate the public about good health as almost anyone, ever. She took care […]