Архив рубрики: Здоровье Америка

About half of Americans have a gun in the home, and hunting is a major reason why. When hunting season rolls around each fall, guns suddenly become more visible: hunters take firearms out of storage, clean and maintain them, and go to the store to purchase more guns and ammunition. As researchers, we wondered if this has any effect on gun injuries: not just during hunting, but overall. To our surprise, it did—in a big way.

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Published April 16 in the BMJ, our study of four consecutive deer-hunting seasons used data from the Gun Violence Archive, which records firearm incidents from police reports and news outlets and has proven useful for epidemiological study. We looked at different types of firearm incidents across both rural and urban settings. Despite hunting being an activity that is often associated with rural communities, about 75% of deer hunters actually live within metropolitan areas.

We found that across 10 states, the start of deer hunting..

Not all apologies are created equal. While a good one can’t always fully undo the damage that’s been done, apologies help people on the receiving end feel validated, emotionally heal, and even ease a desire for revenge, says Seiji Takaku, a professor of psychology at Soka University of America in Aliso Viejo, Calif., who has researched forgiveness. If you’re on the receiving end of a sorry attempt to make amends, on the other hand, it might feel just as offensive as the original transgression.

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How someone apologizes will determine how you respond. We asked experts what to say in a variety of situations—including when you want to accept the apology, when you definitely don’t, and when you simply need more time to forgive.

“Thanks for explaining why you did what you did without making an excuse.”

A genuine apology includes a number of ingredients, Takaku says: The person has to clearly note what they’re apologizing for, explain their actions without m..

Whooping cough has been on the rise in the U.S. for years—and cases are continuing to soar in 2025. Meanwhile, fewer Americans are getting vaccinated against it.

Here’s what to know about the ongoing surge in whooping cough cases.

A bad year for whooping cough

In 2021, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported 2,116 cases of whooping cough. In 2024, it reported 35,435 cases. So far this year, there have been 7,111 reported cases of whooping cough, according to an analysis by ProPublica. That’s more than double the number of cases reported by the same time in 2024.

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Read More: Measles Is Back. And a Lot More People Are at Risk

Vaccination rates for whooping cough have fallen since the COVID-19 pandemic, according to ProPublica’s analysis of the most recent federal kindergarten vaccination data. Far fewer people are getting routine childhood vaccinations against other diseases as well, such as hepatitis B, polio, and measles..

The number of abortions provided in most of the U.S. increased slightly in 2024 from the year before, according to new data released on April 15.

The research was conducted by the Guttmacher Institute, which studies and supports sexual and reproductive health and rights. The organization uses both a statistical model and survey responses from providers to estimate the number of abortions provided by clinicians in states without near-total bans for its Monthly Abortion Provision Study. The data released on April 15 show that nearly 1,038,100 abortions were provided in 2024 across all states without near-total bans—a less than 1% increase from 2023 to 2024.

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While that number is relatively steady compared to the year before, researchers noted that the finding “masked substantial variability across individual states,” with some states experiencing significant decreases and others seeing notable increases. For instance, there were roughly 12,100 fewer ab..

If you’re really into the TV show you’re bingeing, you might spend an entire weekend afternoon tearing through episodes—taking stretch breaks or refreshing Reddit or ordering takeout while you’re at it.

Now, imagine taking it up a level. If you’re hyperfixated on that show, you’ll be so engrossed you’ll forget to eat or get up to go to the bathroom; you won’t check for new messages on your phone or collect the groceries the delivery guy dropped off, emerging only after you’ve finished the entire series.

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“Hyperfixating is focusing on something with intensity,” says Saba Harouni Lurie, a licensed marriage and family therapist in Los Angeles. “It could be an interest, it could be a person, it could be a hobby, it could be a place—and when you’re very involved with it, often that means other things are going to be disregarded or won’t be as interesting.”

We asked experts what it really feels like to hyperfixate, and how to address it.

An extreme level ..

Pfizer is ending the development of its potential once-daily pill treatment for obesity after venturing into the biggest and most expensive level of clinical testing.

The drugmaker said Tuesday that it would stop studying danuglipron after a participant in one of its trials experienced a possible drug-induced liver injury that ended once the person stopped taking the drug.

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Danuglipron was in phase three testing, which is generally the last phase of development before a company submits the potential treatment to government regulators for approval.

A company official said in a statement that Pfizer still plans to develop other potential obesity treatments in earlier stages of testing.

Read More: Weight-Loss Drugs Like Wegovy Are Linked to Hair Loss

Obesity treatments have become one of the more promising and lucrative sectors of drug development for pharmaceutical companies. Eli Lilly and Co.’s Zepbound, for instance, brought in nearly $5 billion in..

Dr. Peter Marks is the kind of health official both Democrats and Republicans used to admire. He served in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for 13 years, most of them as director of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research. There, Marks oversaw the critical process of reviewing and approving vaccines—like those against COVID-19—and biologic therapies, including gene- and cell-based treatments.

Marks earned trust and respect from academic and industry scientists as well for his emphasis on requesting the strongest evidence in evaluating new therapies, and for his willingness to support new technologies and approaches.

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But he did not last long in the new Trump Administration. On March 28, Marks resigned after he says he was pressed by Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) officials to come in line with skepticism about the safety and effectiveness of vaccines or be fired. He says his team was also asked by HHS to turn over se..

Hearing that you smell really stinks. If somebody wrinkles their nose and tells you it’s time for a shower, or subtly slides a mint your way, you might become defensive.

Yet that’s not the best way to proceed. “The first thing you should do is thank them,” says Sara Jane Ho, an etiquette expert and host of Netflix’s Mind Your Manners. Gratitude? For insulting your hygiene? That’s right. “Every time somebody tells you something, 50 people are thinking it but didn’t tell you,” Ho says. Hence the importance of uttering those two little words: thank you.

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Instead of stewing over the remark, reframe it as an opportunity for self-improvement, Ho advises. It’s essential not to take the feedback personally—though she acknowledges that’s easier said than done. “This is when you really see a difference between an insecure person and a secure person, because secure people don’t take critical feedback personally to their core,” she says. Those who struggle with ..

The Trump Administration’s move to withhold millions of dollars allocated for family planning services is affecting reproductive health care access in more than 20 states—including some that have made efforts to protect reproductive rights.

Enacted in 1970, Title X is the nation’s sole federally funded family planning program. The program doesn’t fund abortion services, but it does allocate more than $200 million annually for clinics that provide other forms of health care—including birth control, cancer screenings, and STI testing—for people from low-income households. Last week, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said it is withholding funds from 16 organizations in the Title X program “pending an evaluation of possible violations” of federal civil rights laws and President Donald Trump’s Executive Order that said undocumented immigrants are barred “from obtaining most taxpayer-funded benefits.” Affected organizations received notices from HHS that their funds wo..

Strep infections are most well known for causing strep throat, which can be treated with antibiotics. But this type of bacteria can also cause more serious illnesses—even flesh-eating infections.

The bacteria responsible for the more serious infections are on the rise. In a report published April 7 in JAMA, researchers led by those at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that cases of invasive group A Streptococcus have been steadily increasing in the U.S. over the last decade, from 2013 to 2022. The data also showed that the bacteria are resistant to some commonly used antibiotics.

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Here’s what to know about the rise in strep infections.

What is group A strep?

Group A Streptococcus bacteria can cause illnesses from the common strep throat to sepsis, toxic shock syndrome, and necrotizing fasciitis (more commonly known as flesh-eating bacterial infections). Cases of strep throat aren’t considered invasive, but if the bacter..