If you’ve had any doubt that America is in the throes of an opioid epidemic, perhaps a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will hit the point home. [More]
health
Why You Need A Medication Checkup
By 10.18.17
With half of Americans regularly taking prescription medication — four, on average, according to a nationally representative Consumer Reports survey of 1,947 adults — a medication “checkup” can reduce your risk of side effects and interactions, and stop you from taking unnecessary pills. [More]
Google Pulls Calorie Counting Feature From Maps App After Backlash
By 10.18.17
If you use Google Maps, you may have noticed a new feature recently: One that tells you how many calories you’ll likely burn walking to wherever it is you’re going. Google has now pulled that tool, after users complained that it often wasn’t correct, and criticism over the fact that it showed users how many mini cupcakes worth of calories they could burn on their route. [More]
Big Tobacco Will Admit In New Ads That All Cigarettes Are Bad For You, Intentionally Addictive
By 10.4.17
Eleven years after a federal court ordered the country’s biggest cigarette producers to produce a series of warning ads informing people about the dangers of their products, Big Tobacco is finally preparing to publish those “corrective statements” in TV ads, newspapers, online, and in cigarette packaging. [More]
Puppies Sold At Pet Stores Linked To Multistate Bacterial Outbreak
By 9.12.17
What’s the first thing you want to do when you see an adorable puppy? Probably snuggle and cuddle the heck out of it. But federal officials say there’s a multistate outbreak of a nasty bacteria going around, and it’s being spread by puppies sold at a national pet store chain. [More]
465K People Need A Pacemaker Security Update To Protect Their Hearts From Hacking
By 8.30.17
If you need more evidence that we are living in an increasingly internet-connected world, look no further than a recent software update aimed at making sure 465,000 people with pacemakers don’t have hearts that are vulnerable to hackers. [More]
Ad Watchdog Group Calls For Investigation Into Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop
By 8.23.17 — Updated: 8.24.17
From paying $425 for a cleanse to claiming “healing stickers” are made from material designed for NASA space suits, Gwyneth Paltrow’s “modern lifestyle brand” Goop is no stranger to controversy. Now, a consumer watchdog group is asking regulators in California to investigate the product line for deceptive advertising. [More]
Can Retailers Use Stealth Calorie Cuts To Get Shoppers To Eat Healthier?
By 8.23.17
While there is a large segment of the population always looking for healthier, lower-calorie food options, there are some shoppers who like the things they buy just the way they are — and who react negatively when their favorite foods are tweaked. Is there a way to get these folks consuming fewer calories? [More]
Panera’s Cups Will Now Tell You How Much Sugar Is In That Fountain Drink
By 8.22.17
Panera Bread’s health crusade continues apace this week: After launching a new “clean” beverage line and posting calorie and added sugars information for its drinks in its stores, Panera will be rolling out new cups that list nutritional information for every beverage it sells. [More]
4 Things LuLaRoe Sellers Say About The Stress & Cost Of Their Job
By 8.7.17
LuLaRoe, best known as the company behind the lycra leggings that at least six of your high school friends are trying to sell through Facebook, markets itself to freelance “consultants” as a possible pathway to financial independence and stability. But once again, LuLaRoe sellers are coming out of the woodwork to allege that this job is putting stress on their well-being, financially and physically. [More]
Chipotle Customer Tested Positive For Norovirus
By 7.20.17
The day after a Virginia Chipotle reopened following a temporarily closure for sanitization after more than a dozen patrons reported becoming ill after eating at the restaurant, one customer has tested positive for norovirus. [More]
Neanderthals May Have Performed Their Own Dental Work 130,000 Years Ago
By 6.28.17
Tooth pain — cavities, chipped teeth, impacted molars — is not some discovery of modern man. In fact, new research suggests that our neanderthal predecessors may have tried to figure out ways to fix their aching teeth long before the dawn of human history. [More]
How To Avoid Ticks And What To Do If A Tick Bites You
By 6.27.17
The bad news (for humans): It’s shaping up to be a great year for disease-bearing ticks. The good news: We can tell you how to defend your body and your yard from these pests. [More]
Google Wiping Private Medical Records From Search Results
By 6.23.17
If the thought of a stranger accessing your medical history online gives you the creeps, you’re not alone: In an effort to tamp down on the spread of such private information, Google has started wiping private medical records from its search results. [More]
American Airlines Dropping Supplier Behind Controversial New Uniforms
By 6.21.17
Nine months after American Airlines flight attendants first started complaining that their new uniforms were giving them hives, headaches, and itchy rashes, and despite airline executives insisting there would not be a recall, the carrier has finally given up and is dropping the uniform supplier that makes the controversial clothing. [More]
Do Jazzier Descriptions Entice People To Eat More Vegetables?
By 6.12.17
As America struggles with its obesity epidemic, health advocates continue to seek new ways to convince people to eat more vegetables. But a recent study shows that instead of pushing the healthy aspect of such foods, it might be a better idea to describe veggies with a bit more flair. [More]
Hazmat Crew Called To Disneyland After Geese Defecate On 17 People
By 6.12.17
Not all of the animals at Disneyland are of the fluffy, lovable, costumed variety, as a flock of birds proved at the theme park on Friday: According to police, 17 people were hit by a literal s**t-storm when a group of group of geese flew overhead and let loose. [More]
These 101 Words May Have Pushed Opioids Into Dangerous Popularity
By 6.2.17
As Americans around the country battle opioid addiction, and health officials and lawmakers try to find a way to stem the rising tide of painkiller overdose deaths, everyone is looking for answers as to how we got here. Now, a new report says five simple sentences made up of just 101 words on addiction to narcotic painkillers in a 1980 medical journal may have a lot to do with it. [More]
