Health News

California alcoholic liver disease deaths feared as COVID-19 pandemic increased drinking

Violin10/07/2023 55 Views

Excessive drinking during the COVID-19 pandemic increased alcoholic liver disease deaths so much that the condition killed more Californians than car accidents or breast cancer, a KFF Health News analysis has found.

Lockdowns made people feel isolated, depressed and anxious, leading some to increase their alcohol intake. Alcohol sales rose during the pandemic, with especially large jumps in consumption of spirits.

While this led to a rise in all sorts of alcohol-related deaths, the number of Californians dying from alcoholic liver disease spiked dramatically, with 14,209 deaths between 2020 and 2022, according to provisional data from the Centers for Disease

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4 min read

Health News

How to avoid “traveler’s tummy” on your next vacation, according to gut health experts

Violin09/07/2023 73 Views

Ever had your bathroom habits change a little — or a lot — during travel? You’re not alone.

Often referred to as “traveler’s tummy,” it’s common to experience disruptions to your digestion and bowel movements while traveling. But there are things you can do to help prevent these effects.

Traveler’s tummy symptoms “can be caused by eating contaminated food or drinking contaminated water, especially when traveling to areas where the locals may be used to the bacteria in food and drink, but the traveler is not,” explains Dr. William Li, a physician and bestselling author of “Eat to Beat Your

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3 min read

Health News

Not eating enough of these six healthy foods is associated with higher cardiovascular disease and deaths globally

Violin08/07/2023 58 Views

A study led by McMaster University and Hamilton Health Sciences researchers at the Population Research Health Institute (PHRI) has found that not eating enough of six key foods in combination is associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in adults.

Consuming fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, fish and whole-fat dairy products is key to lowering the risk of CVD, including heart attacks and strokes. The study also found that a healthy diet can be achieved in various ways, such as including moderate amounts of whole grains or unprocessed meats.

Previous and similar research has focused

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3 min read

Health News

Wildfires ‘off the charts’ in Canada as temperatures climb

Violin08/07/2023 49 Views

A French firefighter battles a blaze at Lac Larouche in Canada's Quebec Province in late June — A French firefighter battles a blaze at Lac Larouche in Canada’s Quebec Province in late June.

The number of forest fires continues to rise in Canada, climbing on Friday to more than 670 blazes—more than 380 of them out of control—with a long and difficult summer ahead.

“The numbers are literally off the charts, with at least three more months left in the active wildfire season,” said Michael Norton of the Canadian Ministry of Natural Resources.

And weather forecasts for the coming weeks predict above-average temperatures in many parts of the country in the west, and also in northern Quebec,

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3 min read

Health News

Heart attacks: Study shows six healthy foods to reduce risk

Violin07/07/2023 52 Views

A new study led by Canadian researchers analyzing data from several regions across the world has found that not eating enough of six key foods in combination may be linked to a higher risk of cardiovascular disease and related death in adults.

Researchers at McMaster University in Hamilton, as well as the Population Health Research Institute (PHRI), focused on foods considered to be healthy across a global scale, using several independent studies and data from the PHRI to understand the health standings of people with and without cardiovascular disease (CVD).

The study, published on Thursday in the peer-reviewed European Heart

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3 min read

Health News

2 top public health positions in Ron DeSantis’ administration are vacant

Violin06/07/2023 47 Views

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Two of the top public health officials in Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration — responsible for tracking and preventing the spread of communicable diseases — have left their positions in recent months.

The departures come as public health is increasingly being politicized, and some experts say it leaves the state facing a “serious health risk.

Late last month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued an alert after four cases of malaria, which is spread by mosquitoes, were found in Florida, the first time in two decades. As a result, the Florida Health Department has issued

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6 min read

Health News

Mystery cluster of brain disease striking healthy adults robbing them of ability to talk, walk

Violin05/07/2023 54 Views

A cluster of mysterious brain diseases has struck down at least 200 people in a small province and baffled doctors.

More than 200 residents in New Brunswick, Canada, have been affected by the dementia-like disorder that causes vivid hallucinations, an inability to talk and write, memory lapses and even physical paralysis.

Experts say the cases date back to 2015 and are among people aged 18 to 84, dozens of whom were healthy before being struck down by the mystery illness.

One of those patients is Gabrielle Cormier who, at age 20, had to pause her love of figure skating and

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6 min read

Health News

Iron deficiency is often missed in young women, girls, research finds

Violin04/07/2023 43 Views

An underdiagnosed deficiency of an essential mineral may contribute to fatigue, brain fog and concentration problems in almost 1 in 4 adolescent girls and young women in the United States.

Almost 40% of American teenage girls and young women have low levels of iron, an important mineral needed to make blood cells red, a study published this week in JAMA found. It’s the first research to look at iron deficiency in young women and adolescent girls.

For the study, researchers at the University of Michigan Medical School pulled data on girls and women ages 12-21 collected over the last 20

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6 min read