The mere mention of the “B” word and any New Yorker will visibly flinch at the thought of those voracious, teeny tiny minions from hell itself and the havoc they can wreak on a person’s life, damaging property and disturbing one’s social status. So it’s safe to say no one’s excited to hear that bedbugs (ugh) have been riding alongside commuters and tourists alike on one of New York City’s subway lines. [More]
health
Gulf Coast Health Officials Warning Swimmers After Flesh-Eating Bacteria Kills 10, Hospitalizes 32
By 7.30.14
It’s not only brain-eating amoebas swimmers in warm waters have to worry about: Health officials in Florida are warning swimmers in the Gulf Coast about a flesh-eating bacteria in that ocean that so far has killed 10 people and hospitalized 32. [More]
Leaving Your Child In A Hot Car: “If You Think It Cannot Happen To You, You’re Wrong”
By 7.30.14
By this point in the summer, we’ve written more than a few times — unfortunately — about children who have died after being left in closed cars on hot days. While some cases point to parents deliberately leaving their children behind, the reason we keep writing about the dangers of doing so is because the reality is that it can happen to anyone. [More]
Jury Smacks Tobacco Company R.J. Reynolds With $23 Billion Verdict
By 7.21.14
The bill has arrived for R.J. Reynolds Tobacco company in a lawsuit brought by a Florida woman whose husband smoked cigarettes and later died from lung cancer, and the company is not pleased: The jury returned one of the largest verdicts ever against a tobacco company, smacking Reynolds with $23.6 billion in damages. [More]
California Lawmakers Kill Bill That Would’ve Been First To Require Warnings On Sugary Drinks
By 6.18.14
While health advocates and other opponents of sugary drinks like soda had high hopes for a California bill that would’ve become the first law requiring warning labels on such beverages, lawmakers in the State Assembly effectively killed that measure yesterday. [More]
Should Sodas & Sugary Drinks Carry Warning Labels Like Tobacco Products?
By 6.6.14
What if sodas and other sugary drinks came bearing warning labels about the risk of obesity and other health effects, not unlike tobacco products? That’s the idea one advocacy group is promoting, saying consumers should know “the truth” about those products and decide whether or not to drink them. [More]
New York City Back In Court Trying To Reinstate Ban On Big Sodas
By 6.5.14
It seems like only yesterday that New Yorkers were living under the unsweetened thumb of Mayor Michael Bloomberg, because although there’s a new mayor in town, the old fight over restricting the sizes of soda and other sugary drinks continues onward. [More]
Can Yelp Track Foodborne Illness Outbreaks In Restaurants?
By 5.23.14
People tend to under-report food poisoning: generally, we don’t visit the doctor for a small digestive disturbance or report our illness to the local health department unless it happens to be part of a widely-publicized outbreak. What if there were another way to learn about these outbreaks, though? What if health departments could use Yelp? [More]
Study: Chemical In Coffee Can Help Prevent Your Eyesight From Going
By 5.7.14
While many of us rely on coffee to keep our eyes from shutting when we’re getting tired, a new study out of Cornell University says drinking coffee can have another effect on the ol’ peepers: It could help prevent eyesight from deteriorating, say researchers. All the better to see that cup of joe so desperately needed in the morning. [More]
Lucky Study Participants Will Chow Down On Pills Filled With Dark Chocolate’s Nutrients
By 3.17.14
You’re probably wondering: Where the heck am I when researchers decide to study the healthful effects of dark chocolate, and how come I can’t be the one gobbling on chocolate pills? Scientists launching a big study on the nutrients in dark chocolate want to see if those cocoa flavanols can help prevent heart attacks and strokes. [More]
Another Study Shows That Glucosamine Supplements Aren’t Very Helpful
By 3.12.14
If we can prevent or decrease the pain of arthritis with a relatively inexpensive supplement, why shouldn’t we? Americans spent an estimated $813 million on glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate supplements for ourselves and for our pets in 2012, despite the lack of evidence that it is at all helpful to prevent or alleviate arthritis. Now another study shows that the supplements don’t really help, and may actually do the opposite of what they’re supposed to. [More]
Watching A Lot Of ‘House’ Comes In Handy For Doctors Trying To Solve Real Medical Mystery
By 2.7.14
Remember how they always told you TV rots your brain? Surely they (whoever “they” are, we all have our theories) would be quite shocked to hear that a healthy TV diet helped a bunch of doctors solve a medical mystery and save a patient. All thanks to the show House M.D., starring the inimitable Hugh Laurie. [More]
Is Cutting 6.4 Trillion Calories From Packaged Foods Worth Bragging About?
By 1.10.14
When you hear that any number is in the trillions, it’s like your brain just goes “Whoa, that is probably quite a big deal because a trillion is a super lot of things.” So when you hear that major food companies have trimmed out 6.4 trillion calories from packaged foods sold in 2012, it sounds like a big deal. [More]
“Healthy” Restaurant Meals Can Be Even Worse For You Than Hitting The Drive-Through
By 1.9.14
It’s no secret that dining out can be a poor choice for your health. A chain-restaurant entrée can be shockingly full not only of flavor but also of fats, calories, and sodium. [More]
Plane Full Of Passengers Reportedly Told To Get Tuberculosis Shots After Flight Lands
By 12.2.13
It’s one thing to endure a flight full of your neighbor’s hacking and coughing (bring cough drops to share, you never know!) but it’s an entirely different matter to learn that you might need to get to the doctor for some shots because someone was flying with active tuberculosis. [More]
Princeton University Weighing Decision To Give Students Meningitis Vaccine Not Approved In U.S.
By 11.18.13
Officials at Princeton University are facing a bit of a medical dilemma over whether or not students should get an emergency vaccine against meningitis after a recent spate of the possibly fatal disease has sickened seven students. So what’s the big deal, if it could help stop a further outbreak at the school? The vaccine isn’t exactly approved for use in the United States. [More]
Let’s Not Freak Out, But A New Bird Flu Has Jumped To Humans For The First Time
By 11.14.13
What we didn’t want to happen has happened — a strain of bird flu that scientists were pretty sure couldn’t infect people has gone and shown up in a human for the first time. This doesn’t necessarily mean a rush on face masks and antiseptic wipes, however, just that scientists have some work to do creating vaccines to protect everyone. [More]
Report: Nation’s Top Hospitals Not Pushing Baby Formula On New Moms
By 10.29.13
From diapers to formula to clothing and other infant-care items, newborns are a huge source of revenue to numerous industries. That’s why some of these businesses put together new-mom goodie bags to be handed out at maternity wards, hoping to create loyal customers from the start. Some people are concerned that the practice of including free formula in these bags makes it too easy for a new mom to avoid nursing her child. And according to a new survey, many of the nation’s best hospitals are saying no to the goodie bags. [More]
