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Flu or COVID Quiz: Which Is It? Expert Doctors List 7 Simple Questions To Help You Spot the Difference
Experts say the flu in North America is about to cycle into typical flu season patterns, emerging around October and peaking from December to February. Meanwhile, COVID’s peak cycles remain tough for researchers to fully pin down. In September 2023, data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention...
Can You Use an Expired COVID Test? Expert Doctors Answer
You’re feeling rundown and find a COVID test stashed in the medicine cabinet—but you think it might be from one of those early batches that came in the mail for free, and now it’s expired. Sigh…so now do you need to figure out the quickest way to get your hands on a new one?
A Trauma Recovery Expert Lists 6 Gentle Ways To Protect Your Psyche from Headlines That Hurt
It's so tempting to dive into the details—but a trauma specialist invites you to take a breath before you actively engage in consuming media that's painful on a personal level. The images coming out of the Middle East since this past weekend show the horrifying realities of political, geographic,...
15 People Just Revealed the Hygiene Norms They Break When They’re Alone (…and Some Might Be Super Relatable)
None of us is immaculate—in fact, you can probably think of a gross habit or two you engage in yourself. Americans around the country were willing to 'fess up about their secret funky fouls. Recent research suggested that upwards of 90% of Americans—ahem—clean their noses in private, despite possible...
6 Silent Signs of AFib, According to a Cardiologist
Atrial fibrillation (AFib) affects an estimated three million to six million Americans—and a 2020 Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) study suggested the rate of AFib incidence is increasing by about three percent each year. Untreated AFib increases the risk of stroke, heart failure, and other heart-related complications—and...
Over 50? Expert Doctors Explain Why You May Be at Higher Risk for a Sexually Transmitted Infection
Over the past decade, there’s been a dramatic increase in the spread of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among older Americans. According to research published in the International Journal of Environmental and Public Health, STI cases in people over 65 have doubled in the past 10 years—and, in some cases, have risen even more sharply, says Ashley Lipps, MD, an infectious diseases physician at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. “For example,” Dr. Lipps explains, “the number of reported syphilis cases increased seven times between 2011 and 2021 in those ages 55 and older.”
This Is the Best Time of Day to Nap for a Better Memory, Says a Neuroscientist
We’re all familiar with the groggy out-of-it feeling that can linger after sneaking in a quick nap. It can almost be enough to make you wish you’d just reached for a second cup of coffee to get through the day, instead. Don’t let a little momentary discombobulation be a deterrent, though; research actually indicates that napping can power up your brain so it processes and retains information better, leaving you even sharper than were before you snoozed.
5 Surprising AFib Triggers, from a Cardiologist
What can you do to lower your risk for the irregular heart rhythm condition atrial fibrillation (AFib)? Here are five AFib causes, and ways you can intervene now. Atrial fibrillation (AFib), a type of irregular heart rhythm, is caused by a number of factors like genetics, coronary artery disease or high blood pressure. But a number of lifestyle factors can also set off AFib. That’s why it’s important to know what causes AFib—and consider your habits that can contribute to it.
How Leighton Meester’s Life Inspired Her To Fight Childhood Hunger
Leighton Meester might be famous for portraying a socialite who had it all on Gossip Girl, but her own childhood couldn’t have been more different. Meester reveals that her family relied on food stamps and welfare, and that they sometimes ran out of food toward the end of the month.
I Ate Chicken Every Day for a Week—Here’s What Happened
America may reign supreme as the land of beef consumption, with 2020 research suggesting Americans are responsible for eating nearly 20% of the entire globe’s beef intake. However, in the past few decades we’ve eaten fewer burgers and steaks in favor of poultry—primarily chicken. The average American consumes about 30% less beef and 150% more chicken than we did in the 1970s, according to data from the National Chicken Council.
New Research: This Soothing Activity May Reduce Alzheimer’s Symptoms, Say Neuroscientists
If you’ve ever sat with a loved one in the late stage of their life and seen their eyes light up when an old song comes on, this could be considered evidence of one powerful way music can impact our minds and emotions. A recent systematic review published in...
Here’s How Naps Affect Your Cancer Risk, According to a Sleep Specialist
If a nap in the middle of your day sounds blissful, you’re probably not alone. Experts seem to go back and forth as to whether naps are good for us. They can give you a midday energy boost, but napping too long can be linked to some serious health ailments, including diabetes—and potentially cancer.
Here’s How Naps Affect Your Blood Sugar
For the most part, your blood sugar going up or down depends on two things, says Kevin Peterson, MD, vice president of primary care for the American Diabetes Association and a professor at University of Minnesota Medical School. It depends on your diet, he explains, and your resting blood sugar, which is your level when you wake up or haven’t eaten.
Research: This Is How Often You Should Practice Yoga To Reap the Body Acceptance Benefits
If it’s already part of your routine, you’re probably aware of a few impressive physical benefits of yoga, like loosening tight muscles, opening your joints, strengthening your core, and more. At the end of a yoga session, you also probably feel greater peace (three cheers for that calmer heart rate)—but research also suggests practicing yoga with a certain frequency can yield a body image-enhancing effect.
The Hilarious Ways People Just Revealed They Kill Time at the Doctor’s Office
Call it "private practice": Turns out, the ways we entertain ourselves in that boring-but-jittery setting might be pretty universal. When was the last time you went to see the doctor and everything was right on schedule? Ever? You get our point. Patient wait times are a frustrating reality in medicine: Americans spent an average of 18 minutes and 30 seconds waiting for the doctor in the exam room or office, and a remarkable 30% even admitted to walking out of a doctor’s appointment because they were kept waiting too long, according to a survey done by Vitals more than a year before the pandemic brought some healthcare services to an even longer standstill.
Basketball Legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on the Mental Strength of Dealing with a Heart Diagnosis
For most of his life, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was the epitome of health as one of the greatest basketball players in history. Now, at age 76, he hopes to keep things that way. When Abdul-Jabbar was diagnosed recently with atrial fibrillation—a heart condition often called “AFib” that can increase someone’s chance of a stroke by five times—he decided to speak up and help others.
New Report: These Top 5 ‘Superfoods’ Are Causing Unexpected Side Effects
Eating a “superfood” can be a super-great way to get antioxidants or other nutrients that fight disease, but recent research is suggesting that just because a food is “super” doesn’t mean it’s perfect. In fact, some popular superfoods may be causing rather uncomfortable symptoms.
Study: Surprisingly Short Bursts of Activity Can Have Big Results for Your Heart
Exercise is good for your heart—science makes that a tough point to argue with. But just how much movement do you need to engage in to protect your heart as you age?. One national guideline for healthy movement is 150 minutes of moderate to intense activity each week, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention considers any activity that gets a person “breathing hard.” However, if you’re older, recovering from a medical event, or experiencing a certain condition, this goal can feel out of reach.
Research: Wash Your Hands Immediately After Touching These 10 Things
Washing your hands is a given if you want to avoid infection—but it's especially important after touching these top 10 microbe magnets. One major point the COVID-19 pandemic helped drive home is how important it is to wash your hands. Washing your hands is essential to good hygiene and stopping germs from spreading. Washing your hands limits the transfer of bacteria, viruses, and other germs, according to the Mayo Clinic.
New Study: Doing This Can Help Reduce Your Risk of Heart Arrhythmia and Stroke
A recent preliminary study presented at the August 2023 European Society of Cardiology conference in Amsterdam revealed that consistent physical fitness can significantly reduce the risk of stroke and atrial fibrillation (or “AFib,” also commonly referred to as heart arrhythmia). Shih-Hsien Sung, MD, PhD, an Associate Professor at...
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