Experts Warn of Growing Risks as Bird Flu Cases Rise

A Canadian teen's severe bird flu infection has highlighted growing concerns about the H5N1 virus, commonly known as bird flu, which has seen a steady rise in human cases across the U.S.

According to a news release, the 13-year-old, who was hospitalized in November, had asthma and obesity but was otherwise in good health before catching H5...

Fast, Easy Nasal Swab Helps Diagnose Asthma Type in Kids

Not sure what’s causing your child’s asthma?

A new quick-and-easy nasal swab test for kids can diagnose the specific immune system drivers behind their asthma, potentially opening the door to better treatments, researchers say.

The test diagnoses a child’s asthma subtype, also called an endotype.

“Becaus...

Every Cigarette Smoked Could Cost You 22 Minutes of Life, Research Says

Considering a New Year’s resolution to quit smoking? New research might provide all the motivation you need: Each cigarette could shorten your life by up to 22 minutes, researchers say.

The findings, published Dec. 29, 2024, in the journal Addiction, were based on mortality data from British smokers and suggest that smoking ...

Trees and Student Test Scores: What's the Link?

Tree-lined streets and lush public parks appear to provide city schoolkids a brain boost.

Chicago students’ test scores suffered when an invasive insect wiped out half the city’s ash trees, researchers reported in the journal Global Environmental Change.

“We found that test scores in areas with ash borer in...

Phone App May Help Treat Opioid Use Disorder, Data Suggests

A smartphone app appears to help people battle opioid use disorder (OUD).

People with OUD had 35% fewer days of opioid use when they were handed the app alongside medications for opioid use disorder like methadone, buprenorphine and naltrexone, researchers note in a new study published recently in JAMA Network Open.

App user...

How do GLP-1s Boost Weight Loss, Heart Health?

Weight loss tops many folks’ list of New Years resolutions, and lots of people are turning to cutting-edge weight-loss drugs like Ozempic to help them drop excess pounds.

These drugs, called glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs), work in several different ways to help people lose weight, gain control over their blood ...

Cases of Tularemia, Highly Infectious Disease Spread by Rodents, Rabbits, and Bugs That Bite Them, Climb

Cases of a bacterial infection called “rabbit fever” have been increasing during the past decade.

Cases of tularemia increased by 56% during the 2010s compared to the previous decade, researchers report in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Half of all the nearly 2,500 reported cases between 2...

Who Knew Talk Therapy Could Ease Symptoms of this Skin Problem?

Eczema can be maddening, causing thick, scaly patches of dry skin that itch like the devil.

There’s no cure for the skin condition, but a new study shows that self-guided talk therapy can help a person deal with the itching.

Online self-guided cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) that teaches patients how to respond to their itch...

How to Spot, and Talk About, Hearing Loss in a Loved One

You're gathering with friends or family and something's just a bit off in conversation with a loved one.

It could be new-onset hearing loss, said Dr. Angela Peng, an otolaryngologist at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.

Some of the telltale signs that someone's hearing might be failing include:

• The person simply ...

Estrogen May Trigger Binge Drinking, Prelim Study Suggests

A woman’s binge drinking might be related to her hormones.

The female hormone estrogen appears to promote binge drinking in women, a new mouse study published recently in the journal Nature Communications shows.

Specifically, estrogen causes women to “pre-game,” or consume large quantities of alcohol within...

The Number of Homeless People in the U.S. Has Increased

The number of homeless individuals in the U.S. increased by 18% between January 2023 and January 2024, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

The HUD's 2024 Annual Homelessness Assessment found that some 770,000 people were experiencing homelessness on a single night in January 2024, a significant increase...

Weight-Loss Drugs, Wily Viruses, Abortion Pill Under Attack: The Top Health Stories of 2024

It was a year in health news that will be hard to forget.

As blockbuster weight-loss drugs known as GLP-1s made a sizable dent in the obesity epidemic, study after study revealed other ways in which these powerful medications can improve health.

At the same time, multiple viruses posed new threats: Bird flu spread widely through U.S....

Use Your Freezer to Fight Food Waste, Protect the Planet

The bounty of the holidays often leads to loads of leftovers landing in the garbage after they go bad.

A freezer can prevent such food waste by preserving edible food for later meals, a new study suggests.

Discarded frozen items make up just 6% of wasted household food in the United States, according to results published recently in ...

Heat Waves Threaten Brain Health, Study Suggests

Global warming will increasingly have dire consequences for people with degenerative brain disorders like dementia, Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease.

Heat waves caused by climate change will exacerbate the symptoms of people with brain diseases, increasing their risk of death, researchers reported recently in the jou...

Moms Take on 70% of 'Mental Load' for Household Tasks: Study

If you're a mom right now, you are likely tearing your hair out as you juggle the sizable scheduling demands of the holiday season. Maybe you feel like you are carrying the load alone.

New research suggests you are not imagining things, and that it happens all year long to many moms.

The study, published recently in the <...

Norovirus Cases Are Up in Pockets of the U.S.

Norovirus, a highly contagious stomach bug, is surging across the United States this winter, according to the latest data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The data shows 91 outbreaks of norovirus during the week of Dec. 5, a sharp rise from the 69 outbreaks recorded the previous week.

For context, the ...

CDC Reports Potentially Troublesome Mutations in Bird Flu Found in Louisiana Patient

Federal health officials have confirmed unsettling new details about the first United States case of severe bird flu, reported recently in a hospitalized patient in Louisiana.

Genetic samples from the patient contained mutations that could, in theory, help the virus better infect human cells.

Importantly, these mutations were observe...

Single Peoples' Personalities Differ from Partnered Peoples'

Single folks might seem like they’re free to have more fun, but a new study says they may pay the piper in their later years.

Lifelong single folks have lower scores on life satisfaction measures than those in long-term relationships, according to a study published recently in the journal Psychological Science.

Singles...

Singapore Is Ready for a Rapidly Aging Society, Study Says. What About the U.S.?

The United States is lagging behind dozens of nations in its preparation for dealing with its aging population.

The U.S. ranks 24 among 143 countries when it comes to ensuring seniors’ well-being, productivity and security, according to results published Dec. 27 in the journal Nature Aging.

By compariso...

How to Manage the Blues this Holiday Season

Blue Christmas, anyone? Holiday time can be wonderful, worrisome, energizing and depressing -- all at the same time.

There is no doubt about it: The holidays can be darn hard, especially when the season dredges up painful feelings or memories. Rather than stirring merry and joyful feelings, the end of the year can feel sad, dark and lone...