Category : Health

Many people have experienced a migraine attack and don’t know it ― likely because the signs aren’t always so obvious.“Only half of 40 million people in the U.S. who have migraines actually get diagnosed,” said Dr. Andrew Blumenfeld, a double board-certified neurologist and psychiatrist in San Diego.Advertisement Some symptoms are obvious, like vision changes, sensitivity to light, and of course, the all-consuming headache. But during a migraine attack — even before the pain sets in — parts of the brain are losing function, which can affect other areas of your body. This is how symptoms can seem unrelated. And Read More

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House on Thursday announced more steps to make the antiviral treatment Paxlovid more accessible across the U.S. as it projects COVID-19 infections will continue to spread over the summer travel season.The nation’s first federally backed test-to-treat site is opening Thursday in Rhode Island, providing patients with immediate access to the drug once they test positive. More federally supported sites are set to open in the coming weeks in Massachusetts and New York City, both hit by a marked rise in infections.Advertisement Next week, the U.S. will send authorized federal prescribers to Read More

New U.S. research on long COVID-19 provides fresh evidence that it can happen even after breakthrough infections in vaccinated people, and that older adults face higher risks for the long-term effects. In a study of veterans published Wednesday, about one-third who had breakthrough infections showed signs of long COVID.Advertisement A separate report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that up to a year after an initial coronavirus infection, 1 in 4 adults aged 65 and older had at least one potential long COVID health problem, compared with 1 in 5 younger adults.Long COVID refers to any of more than Read More

On Tuesday, a gunman killed 19 students and two teachers at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. This horrific shooting has again shone the spotlight on school safety and the increasing prevalence of active shooter drills. During the 2005-06 school year, an estimated 40% of American public schools conducted lockdown drills for students. By the 2015-16 school year, that number had risen to 95%. Advertisement Today, at least 42 states require schools to conduct safety or security drills related to human-caused threats, like an active shooter or a bomb. These drills involve children of all ages, including preschool students.One thing I wasn’t Read More

Stephen Colbert has some bad news about the “hot new virus everybody’s talking about.”Not the coronavirus. It’s the monkeypox. And the “Late Show” host spotted something extremely unsettling about the virus: It’s a “genital form” of the infection.“Now, I’m no doctor,” Colbert pointed out. “But I know that the genital form of something is always the worst possible form.” Advertisement Then, he mimicked a doctor giving a patient some bad news.“I’m sorry, Mr. Smith, it looks like you have a sinus infection ― the genital form,” Colbert said. “Here’s a nasal spray. Read More

CNN anchor Jake Tapper angered some network staffers earlier this month by taping a show at CNN’s Washington, D.C., bureau after testing positive for COVID-19, The Daily Beast reported Monday.Tapper tested positive for the virus while at the bureau on Monday May 9, just before taping his 4 p.m. ET. show, two people familiar with the situation told The Daily Beast’s media newsletter, Confider. However, he did not go home immediately, instead choosing to shoot “The Lead” on site.Advertisement The following day, CNN’s Dana Bash filled in for Tapper. By Wednesday, he was back on Read More

WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris and U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy issued a warning Monday about burnout among the nation’s health care staff after more than two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, including the potential for severe worker shortages in the years ahead if the situation is not addressed.“You do so much to take care of your patients in their time of need,” Harris told health care workers as she visited Children’s National Hospital in Washington with Murthy on Monday. “Which is why I’m here to say, we need to do a better Read More

If you keep up with the latest happenings in the world of cannabis, you’ve likely heard of delta-8 THC.With products available for purchase online, in head shops and even gas stations, delta-8 is being marketed as “weed light,” a way to “get high without the paranoia” and even “legal weed.” But is that actually true? And what exactly is it?Advertisement Below, experts break down the most common questions and information about the substance.What is delta-8 THC?Delta-8 tetrahydrocannabinol ― aka delta-8 THC ― is a psychoactive compound that is present in the cannabis plant. It is an isomer ― Read More

LONDON (AP) — A leading adviser to the World Health Organization described the unprecedented outbreak of monkeypox in developed countries as “a random event” that might be explained by sexual behavior at two recent raves in Europe.Dr. David Heymann, who formerly headed WHO’s emergencies department, told The Associated Press that the leading theory to explain the spread of the disease was sexual transmission at raves held in Spain and Belgium. Monkeypox has not previously triggered widespread outbreaks beyond Africa, where it is endemic in animals.Advertisement “We know monkeypox can spread when there is close contact with the lesions Read More

Three doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine offer strong protection for children younger than 5, the company announced Monday. Pfizer plans to give the data to U.S. regulators later this week in a step toward letting the littlest kids get the shots.The news comes after months of anxious waiting by parents desperate to vaccinate their babies, toddlers and preschoolers, especially as COVID-19 cases once again are rising. The 18 million tots under 5 are the only group in the U.S. not yet eligible for COVID-19 vaccination.Advertisement The Food and Drug Administration has begun evaluating data from rival Moderna, which Read More