A summary of important health news from the past week Experts tell White House coronavirus can spread through talking or even just breathing By: Elizabeth Cohen While there are few studies available regarding COVID-19, “the results of available studies are consistent with aerosolization of virus from normal breathing,” says Dr. Dr. Harvey Fineberg, chairman of a…
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Weekly Health Digest: Decontaminating N95 masks, Healthcare for the Unemployed, Broken Bones, and more
Photo by Cara Shelton on Unsplash A summary of important health news from the past week Duke researchers are decontaminating N95 masks so doctors can reuse them to treat coronavirus patients By: Scottie Andrew The shortage of N95 respirator masks is driving physicians to wear used respirator masks while treating their patients, putting them at risk for infection.…
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Weekly Health Digest: Smell & COVID-19, Smell & Parkinson’s, How Soap Works, Social Distancing
Photo by Sean Benesh on Unsplash A summary of important health news from the past week Doctors say loss of sense of smell might be COVID-19 symptom By: Jacqueline Howard Patients around the United States have tested positive for COVID-19 without showing the usual symptoms but experiencing a loss in sense of smell – known as anosmia– and…
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Weekly Health Digest: Healthy Waist – Healthy Heart, Stop Buying Masks
Your waist size may be more important than weight for multiple heart attack risk By: Katie Hunt A study published in the European Journal of Preventative Cardiology found a link between belly fat and the risk of recurrent heart attacks or strokes. The study tracked several patients after their first heart attack and looked at…
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Weekly Health Digest: Seasonal Flu Shot, Wearable for Alzheimer’s, Cholesterol-lowering Drug, COVID-19 Quarantine, Exercise Nutrition
This season’s flu shot 45 percent effective, an improvement over last season’s vaccine By: Erika Edwards The Center for Disease Control (CDC) reported that the overall effectiveness of the influenza vaccine this season is 45%. Experts say, however, that this number may change as we are still currently in the middle of our flu season…
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Weekly Health Digest: Relevance of the Film Contagion, Widespread Flu, Reducing Stress, Loneliness
A summary of important health news from the past week. The 2011 film Contagion is even more relevant in 2020, and not just because of coronavirus By: Alissa Wilkinson Remember the 2011 film Contagion? It’s not surprising you don’t. When it came out, the film was lauded for its accurate, scientific depiction of how the…
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Weekly Health Digest: Self-healing Lungs, the Anti-Diet, Doctors on TikTok, and more
Photo by Tom Hermans on Unsplash A summary of important health news from the past week Lungs ‘magically’ heal damage from smoking By James Gallagher A study recently published in Nature has found that the few cells that are unaffected by smoking have the potential to repair the lungs. However, this is only true if the person stops…
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Weekly Health Digest: Coronavirus, Healthcare Tech, Surgeon General’s Warning, Kids and Cooking Shows
A summary of important health news from the past week Coronavirus explained: What you need to know By Jen Christensen and Meera Senthilingam The current Chinese coronavirus, similar to the SARS virus, has infected hundreds since its initial outbreak in December. While not much is known about the virus, it is known that it causes…
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Weekly Health Digest: Once a Month Birth Control Pill, Hair Chemicals Increase Cancer Risk, Vaping, and Sickle Cell
A summary of important health news from the past week Once-a-month oral contraceptive pill in tests By: Michelle Roberts A team of researchers funded by the Gates Foundation have started testing a once a month oral contraceptive pill on pigs. The pill is designed “to resist immediate attack by stomach acid.” It slowly releases pregnancy…
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Weekly Health Digest: Better Flu Vaccine, Reversal of Life Expectancy Trends, Fire Related Power Outages, and More
Photo by Michael Held on Unsplash A summary of important health news from the past week Building a better flu vaccine — one you don’t have to get every year By: Elizabeth Cohen and John Bonifield The effectiveness of the current flu shot depends on how accurate scientists are at predicting what strains should be targeted every year.…
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