Health
Alcohol taxes aren't high enough, says World Health Organization
The World Health Organization urged governments on Tuesday to increase taxes on alcoholic drinks and impose them on products that are currently exempt, such as wine in some European countries. Sugary beverages should also be taxed at higher rates, the WHO said, adding that every year 2.6 million people die… Read
Social determinants of health linked to faster genetic aging
Scientists already knew that cardiovascular health can be affected by social determinants of health that include a person's neighborhood, education, access to healthy foods and economic stability. But new research offers a clue as to why: accelerated biological aging. For the new study, researchers considered epigenetic age acceleration. Epigenetics research… Read
A researcher's prescription for better health care: A dose of humility for doctors, nurses and clinicians
Better health care for patients begins with humility – a term not often associated with medicine. I witnessed displays of humility firsthand eight years ago, the night my son was born, in the way the doctor and doula worked together to deliver our baby. Neither tried to assert dominance over… Read
What he thought was pneumonia turned out to be heart failure – at age 30
Dave Conway felt his legs tremble as he carried a 50-pound bag of corn to pour into a batch of bourbon. As a craft distiller in Columbus, Ohio, Conway's days were long and physically taxing. The job included rolling barrels filled with bourbon, operating heavy machinery and scrambling up and… Read
Gaps in postpartum care may leave many women at risk for cardiovascular disease
Many women with diabetes and high blood pressure during pregnancy did not receive appropriate postpartum care to reduce their future risk of cardiovascular disease, a study at one health system has found. "Many patients I see were not aware that (one of these pregnancy complications) was a risk factor for… Read
Dozens of U.S. adolescents dying from drug overdoses every month
Drug overdose deaths in the United States continue to rise. Overdoses claimed more than 112,000 American lives from May 2022 to May 2023, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a 37% increase compared with the 12-month period ending in May 2020. The vast majority of those who… Read
Heat, disease, air pollution: How climate change impacts health
Growing calls for the world to come to grips with the many ways that global warming affects human health have prompted the first day dedicated to the issue at crunch U.N. climate talks starting this week. Extreme heat, air pollution and the increasing spread of deadly infectious diseases are just… Read
China says surge in respiratory illnesses caused by flu and other known pathogens
A surge in respiratory illnesses across China that has drawn the attention of the World Health Organization is caused by the flu and other known pathogens and not by a novel virus, the country's health ministry said Sunday. Recent clusters of respiratory infections are caused by an overlap of common… Read
What we know so far about surging respiratory illnesses in China
Cases of respiratory illnesses have been surging in northern China, particularly among children, sparking speculation online of a new pandemic threat four years after COVID-19 first emerged in the country. However, Chinese health authorities have said the rising infections are a mix of already known viruses and are linked to… Read
COVID-19 variant maintains threat: WHO
COVID-19 remains a threat as a virus variant has been spreading steadily around the globe, the World Health Organization said Tuesday. "This virus, SARS-CoV-2, is circulating in every country right now and it still poses a threat," WHO expert Maria Van Kerkhove said. "We have to remain vigilant because the… Read
