Protect Your Hearing This July 4th

SATURDAY, July 2, 2022 (HealthDay News) – While fireworks may be bright and beautiful, they're also noisy.

And a single loud blast or explosion that lasts less than a second can cause immediate and permanent hearing loss, the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) warns.

"The Fourth of July, perhaps more than any othe...

Nerve-Cooling Implant Could Ease Pain Without Opioids

FRIDAY, July 1, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Hinting at a future alternative to opioid painkillers, scientists have developed a tiny implant designed to ease post-surgery pain and then dissolve once the job is done.

So far, the research has been limited to lab animals, and it will be several years before the technology could...

U.S.-Wide Abortion Ban Could Cause Big Uptick in Deaths to Moms

If a national abortion ban follows a Supreme Court ruling overturning the nearly 50-year-old Roe v. Wade decision, U.S. maternal deaths would likely increase by 24%, new research suggests.

That assessment, based on newly released 2020 data, is a 14% increase over an earlier estimate based on 2017 data.

Pregnant Black women would fa...

Gas Used in Homes Has Links to Cancer; Leaks Often Undetected

The natural gas being piped into your home contains a wide array of toxic chemicals, including nearly two dozen so harmful they're classified as hazardous air pollutants, a new study says.

Natural gas samples taken from 69 Boston-area cooking stoves were found to contain at least 21 different hazardous air pollutants, including benzene, to...

Many Very Ill After Eating Daily Harvest Lentil Crumbles; FDA Investigating

Fallout is mounting for the food delivery service Daily Harvest, which has voluntarily recalled a frozen food product suspected of sickening hundreds of customers in at least 26 states.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is investigating. And an Oklahoma woman has sued the company, blaming one of its products for an array of serious hea...

NYC First to Offer Paxlovid at COVID Testing Sites

New York City's Mayor Eric Adams announced Thursday that the city has launched the first-of-their-kind mobile COVID-19 testing units that will also dispense the antiviral drug Paxlovid to those who test positive for the virus.

The "Test-to-Treat" program is part of federal and city efforts to catch and treat infections early and be ready f...

CDC Says Mystery Listeria Outbreak Has Killed 1, Hospitalized 22

FRIDAY, July 1, 2022 (HealthDay News) – At least 23 people in 10 states have been sickened and one of them has died in a listeria outbreak which may have originated in Florida, U.S. health officials reported Thursday.

Although the cause of the outbreak remains a mystery, nearly all of the patients either live in Florida or had traveled ...

U.S. Fireworks Injuries Are on the Rise

FRIDAY, July 1, 2022 (HealthDay News) – Fourth of July celebrations often include festive picnics and dazzling fireworks, but these holiday pyrotechnics are causing a growing number of injuries and deaths.

Fireworks-related injuries and deaths in the United States have climbed by about 25% over the past 15 years, the U.S. Consumer Produc...

Tests Find Salmonella in Third of Store-Bought Ground Chicken

Nearly one-third of ground chicken may contain dangerous salmonella, a new Consumer Reports investigation shows.

Based on its findings, the group called on the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which regulates the nation's meat supply, to redouble its efforts to protect consumers from this bacteria, which can cause serious illness.

Politics Big Factor in Folks' Decision to Get Boosters

Who you voted for at the ballot box may have the most influence over whether you've gotten a COVID-19 booster shot.

Researchers studying vaccine hesitancy two years into the pandemic found that political party affiliation was a key determinant of where study participants got their information about the pandemic and vaccines.

"Survey ...

Some Viruses Make People More Attractive to Mosquitoes

FRIDAY, July 1, 2022 (HealthDay News) – When a mosquito bites and infects you with a virus like dengue or Zika, it also makes you smell good to other mosquitos, new research suggests.

That makes it more likely another one will bite, pick up the virus and carry it to the next victim.

“The virus can manipulate the hosts’ skin mic...

Stay Independent of Asthma, Allergies This July 4th

FRIDAY, July 1, 2022 (HealthDay News) – It’s time to enjoy summer celebrations, but allergies and asthma can put a damper on the festivities.

They don’t need to. The American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) offers some tips for keeping them in check.

“The 4th of July is a favorite holiday for many Americans ...

Supreme Court Curbs EPA's Authority Over Power Plant Emissions

THURSDAY, June 30, 2022 (HealthDay News) – In a ruling that will curb efforts to fight climate change, the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday limited the Environmental Protection Agency’s ability to regulate carbon emissions from power plants.

The 6-3 decision comes as scientists are warning about the growing threat posed by global warming...

FDA Tells Vaccine Makers to Update Boosters to Target Omicron Subvariants

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced Thursday that it has asked vaccine makers to update their COVID-19 booster shots to target the Omicron subvariants known as BA.4 and BA.5.

The two highly contagious subvariants now account for more than half of all new COVID cases in the United States.

"As we move into the fall and wint...

Fauci Has 'Rebound' COVID After Paxlovid, But Says Drug Kept Him Out of the Hospital

After being infected with COVID-19 earlier this month, Dr. Anthony Fauci experienced a rebound after taking the antiviral pill Paxlovid, but he maintained on Wednesday that the drug kept him out of the hospital.

"Paxlovid did what it was supposed to do," Fauci, 81, told the New York Times. He added that he thought the drug also r...

Harnessing a Virus to Fight a Killer Brain Tumor in Kids

THURSDAY, June 30, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- A therapy that uses a virus to kill tumor cells can be safely given to children with a rare, incurable form of brain cancer, an early study has found.

The study -- published June 30 in the New England Journal of Medicine -- involved just 12 children with the disease, c...

Cancer Survivors Face Higher Heart Risks Later

THURSDAY, June 30, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- If you survive cancer, you're more apt to have heart trouble later on, a new study shows.

Researchers found that compared to others, cancer survivors had a 42% greater risk of heart disease, most likely due to damage resulting from cancer treatment.

"There are chemotherap...

Will You Be Depositing at the 'Stool Bank' Someday?

Banking samples of your own poop in your youth and then transplanting them back when you're old might be a key to healthy aging, scientists suggest.

Stool samples frozen and stored when a person is vital and healthy could potentially rejuvenate bacteria in the gut that's become damaged due to aging, disease or antibiotic use, according to ...

U.S. Orders 105 Million More Pfizer Shots for Fall Booster Campaign

Anticipating a surge in booster shots this fall, the U.S. government said Wednesday that it is buying an added 105 million more doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine.

The $3.2 billion deal comes at a time when the government is trying to figure out the best way to update COVID vaccines to deal with the ever-changing virus. The deal also giv...

AHA News: 8 Days After Giving Birth, 29-Year-Old Had a Stroke

Noelia Gutierrez appreciated her mother traveling from New York to Florida to help with the arrival of her third child. One day, Gutierrez decided to have a fun lunch: She would introduce her mom to sushi. And her brother, a flight attendant who was on the road, would witness the occasion via video chat.

Holding her 8-day-old daughter agai...