health news today

California to keep paying Walgreens despite abortion dispute

sarah07/04/2023 18 Views

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California’s Medicaid program will continue to pay Walgreens about $1.5 billion per year despite Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom declared last month the state was doing business with the pharmacy giant after it indicated it would not sell abortion pills by mail in some states.

“California won’t be doing business with @Walgreens — or any company that cowers to the extremists and puts women’s lives at risk. We’re done,” Newsom tweeted March 6.

He then ordered his administration not to renew a $54 million contract with the company to provide prescription medication to the state’s prison system.

…

4 min read

Health News

Should You Be Concerned About Arsenic in Rice?

sarah07/04/2023 53 Views

Arsenic-based pesticides have been used in agricultural practices for many years, and, accordingly, soils and groundwater in the US are contaminated with varying levels of arsenic. Because arsenic exists in soil and water, it finds its way into our food supply. And nearly all foods contain some level of arsenic.

What Foods Have the Most Arsenic?

Studies show that most of the arsenic in the American diet comes from meat, milk, poultry, pork, eggs and seafood. Poultry is the worst offender. Some chickens exceed the EPA safety limit for arsenic by 2,000%. Meat and poultry are high in arsenic because

…

4 min read

Health News

Graduate student creates mental health app for FGCU students; aim is launch this fall

sarah24/03/2023 17 Views

Jack Hellmer could not have imagined three years ago as he headed into his sophomore year at Florida Gulf Coast University what he would be doing today.

He’s building a bridge to help FGCU students get a handle on their anxiety and connect them to resources. Ideally his efforts will ease some of the stigma that has been dogged in mental health for decades.

It’s all happening through a smart phone app, UBYou, he is launching that can give mental health a front door access to FGCU students. He’s aiming for the app to go live to the FGCU student

…

9 min read

Health News

WHO says the world is consuming way too much salt

sarah17/03/2023 77 Views

Too much salt is killing us — and we need to stop looking away from the problem, according to a new report from the World Health Organization.

The world is not on track to achieve the goal of a 30 per cent reduction in sodium intake by 2025, the report found, and if we don’t take drastic steps to reduce our salt intake quickly, it could lead to millions of unnecessary deaths .

“Unhealthy diets are a leading cause of death and disease globally, and excessive sodium intake is one of the main culprits,” Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General,

…

4 min read

Health News

‘Exercise, avoid bangs and invent fairy tales’: Henry Marsh’s guide to keeping brains healthy | Dementia

sarah15/03/2023 55 Views

Asa neurosurgeon, Henry Marsh has spent several decades making people’s brains better (and occasionally, as his memoirs document with breathtaking honesty, making them worse). But that job involved removing tumors and patching up the aftermath of serious head traumas. Keeping a brain in perfect health is an altogether different matter, not least because we understand so little about it.

A couple of years ago, the now 73-year-old Marsh agreed to have his own brain scanned. He was not overly worried about what it might show. He exercised well, stayed mentally active and was not displaying any significant signs of

…

4 min read

Health News

Exercise should be the first option to treat depression: study

sarah12/03/2023 66 Views

Suggesting someone struggling with depression or anxiety should start exercising more usually comes across as patronizing — but a new study into the powerful impact exercise can have on our mental health suggests exercise should generally be considered as the first option for treating depression and anxiety.

The scientific review, which looked at more than 95 scientific reviews encompassing 128,000 participants, found physical activity provided positive impacts across all studies, and was 1.5 times more effective in some cases than counseling or medication in tackling depression.

“Our review shows that physical activity interventions can significantly reduce symptoms of depression and

…

4 min read

Health News

What is a borg? The drinking trend of experts warn is ‘dangerous’

sarah04/03/2023 23 Views

At a time when the topics of sophisticated AI chatbots and biohacking are finding their way into everyday conversations, the word “borg” could easily refer to anything from the future of customer service cyborg technology to the name of a sinister new tech start-up.

But on TikTok and university campuses, it’s the name of a new drinking trend. Shorthand for “blackout rage gallon,” it’s being touted by Gen Z students as a way to get drunk easily, cheaply and with seemingly less risk of a hangover the next day. But experts warn the risks of jumping on the trend aren’t

…

5 min read

Health News

Public health units across Ontario call on the province for more ‘sufficient’ funding

sarah03/03/2023 18 Views

Ontario’s public health units are calling on the government to stop using one-time funding to bridge a gap it created four years ago, and to provide them with a predictable source of money as they address a backlog of services built up over the COVID-19 pandemic.

Premier Doug Ford’s government announced in 2019 it was cutting the provincial share of public health funding. It moved from a 75-25 cost-sharing formula with municipalities to 70 per cent from the province and 30 per cent from municipalities.

Following an outcry, Ford backed down on in-year retroactive cuts and offered mitigation funding to

…

4 min read