Архив рубрики: Здоровье Америка

The White House office in charge of preparing for the next pandemic is down a wide black-and-white checkerboard hallway in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. Its windows look out across an alleyway toward the West Wing. In recent months, the staff there has been busy coordinating with state and federal agencies in response to the alarming spread of bird flu in the U.S., as the virus jumped from chickens and cows to farm workers.

[time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”]

By Inauguration Day on Monday, most of the pandemic office’s staff will have cleared out their desks. The office, officially known as the Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response Policy, or OPPR, is losing more than half of its 18-person staff as the Biden Administration hands off the duties to a Trump Administration that has yet to fill multiple key pandemic-response positions, according to two Biden Administration officials. The political appointees in charge of the office—director Paul Friedrichs and deputy dire..

The White House office in charge of preparing for the next pandemic is down a wide black-and-white checkerboard hallway in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. Its windows look out across an alleyway toward the West Wing. In recent months, the staff there has been busy coordinating with state and federal agencies in response to the alarming spread of bird flu in the U.S., as the virus jumped from chickens and cows to farm workers.

[time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”]

By Inauguration Day on Monday, most of the pandemic office’s staff will have cleared out their desks. The office, officially known as the Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response Policy, or OPPR, is losing more than half of its 18-person staff as the Biden Administration hands off the duties to a Trump Administration that has yet to fill multiple key pandemic-response positions, according to two Biden Administration officials. The political appointees in charge of the office—director Paul Friedrichs and deputy dire..

WASHINGTON — Federal health officials on Thursday backed the public health benefits of nicotine pouches, authorizing Philip Morris International’s Zyn to help adult smokers cut back or quit cigarettes.

The Food and Drug Administration OK’d 10 Zyn flavors, including coffee, mint and menthol. It’s the first time regulators have authorized sales of nicotine pouches, which are the fastest-growing segment of the U.S. tobacco market.

[time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”]

The pouches have been available for more than a decade as FDA reviewed company data intended to show the products can serve as an alternative to cigarettes and other traditional tobacco products. The decision doesn’t mean that Zyn is safe, just less harmful than older alternatives.

To remain on the market, companies generally must show that their products will reduce disease among adult tobacco users without attracting teens and adolescents.

FDA officials said Thursday that Zyn contains fewer harmful ingredients than cigaret..

It’s normal to have anxiety about cataract surgery—and even postpone scheduling the procedure out of fear. But it shouldn’t be that way.

Dr. Jeff Dello Russo, an ophthalmologist at Dello Russo Laser Vision and New Jersey Eye Center, recalls working with one patient who was “hesitant and nervous for months” before scheduling her surgery. For years, the 78-year-old had been struggling to drive at night, read books, and enjoy activities with her grandchildren. “Within 24 hours after her cataract procedure, she was thrilled to be able to read her morning paper without glasses and see her grandchildren’s faces more clearly than she had in years,” says Dello Russo. “Cataract surgery is life-changing.”

[time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”]

“Many of my patients feel that their world is brighter, richer, and clearer after surgery,” echoes Dr. Danielle Trief, an associate professor of ophthalmology at Columbia University Irving Medical Center. A large portion even say that they see better than th..

Processed red meats—like bacon, deli meats, and hot dogs—are linked to a host of health ills. Now, the latest study finds that eating too much red meat may even harm the brain.

In a study published in the journal Neurology, Dr. Daniel Wang, an assistant professor of medicine at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, and his team report that people who eat more processed red meat had a 14% higher risk of developing dementia over more than four decades that those who consumed minimal amounts.

[time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”]

The study analyzed data from more than 130,000 health professionals enrolled in two major studies: the Nurses’ Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study. Every two to four years, people filled out detailed dietary surveys asking about their intake of more than 150 foods. The researchers also collected health data on dementia diagnoses and asked people brief questions about their memory.

“Based on this data, we see that if peo..

If you’ve ever experienced irregular bowel movements during your period, you’re not alone.

Your menstrual cycle can lead to symptoms like bloating, cramping, and changes in your bowel movements. Many people experience diarrhea while on their period (commonly known as “period poops”). We spoke to doctors about what causes the phenomenon and how best to manage stomach-related issues associated with your menstrual cycle.

[time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”]

What causes “period poops”?

In the week or two leading up to your period, it’s not uncommon to experience constipation and bloating. That’s because your body is releasing more progesterone (in preparation for a possible pregnancy), which can relax your gut muscles so your gastrointestinal system “doesn’t move things along as quickly,” says Dr. Wendi LeBrett, a gastroenterologist in Idaho. But when you start your period, your progesterone levels drop. “I describe this as taking the brakes off,” LeBrett says. “Then, all of a sudden, what..

WASHINGTON — Federal officials on Wednesday released a far-reaching proposal to make cigarettes less addictive by capping their nicotine content, a goal long sought by antismoking advocates that is unlikely to go into effect anytime soon.

The proposed rule from the Food and Drug Administration comes in the final days of President Joe Biden’s term, greatly reducing the likelihood that it will actually be enacted. President-elect Donald Trump and his health nominees have not commented on the measure, but a similar effort led by Trump’s first FDA commissioner, Dr. Scott Gottlieb, was sidelined during his first term.

[time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”]

Trump’s health secretary nominee, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has said little about how regulating tobacco fits into his plans to overhaul the government’s approach to fighting chronic disease. Even if the effort goes ahead under Trump, tobacco companies like Reynolds American and Altria are almost certain to challenge it in court, delaying imple..

Body mass index (BMI) is one of the most ubiquitous yet controversial metrics in medicine. A crude measure of weight relative to height, BMI is commonly used to diagnose obesity—even though many experts and professional groups agree it’s an imperfect tool that on its own reveals very little about someone’s health. Among other issues, BMI does not differentiate between weight from fat versus muscle and was not designed to assess a diverse array of bodies.

[time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”]

It’s time to do better than BMI, an international group of 58 experts from fields including obesity medicine, endocrinology, bariatric surgery, cardiovascular medicine, gastroenterology, and primary care argue in a proposal published Jan. 14 in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology. In most cases, the experts write, clinicians diagnosing obesity should either augment or replace BMI readings with other body measurements, such as waist circumference, or tests that can objectively measure body fat. (Tests ..

After announcing in March 2024 that she had been diagnosed with cancer, Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales, has again spoken out about her illness—this time, with good news. “It is a relief now to be in remission and I remain focused on recovery,” Middleton announced on X on Jan. 14.

[time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”]

The remission announcement comes a few months after she revealed in September that she had completed chemotherapy treatment.

There’s still a lot we don’t know about the Princess’s case, including what type of cancer she had. Here’s what it means to be in remission from cancer.

Defining “remission”

Cancer remission means that doctors have successfully reduced the signs and symptoms of cancer—in some cases, to undetectable levels. “Remission quite simply means that at that point, there is no detectable sign that cancer is in the body on all of the tests we have done,” says Dr. Sikander Ailawadhi, an oncologist and professor of medicine at Mayo Clinic. That doesn’t nece..

Government inspectors documented unsanitary conditions at several Boar’s Head deli meat plants, not just the factory that was shut down last year after a deadly outbreak of listeria poisoning, federal records show.

Newly released reports from Boar’s Head plants in New Castle, Indiana; Forrest City, Arkansas; and Petersburg, Virginia, described multiple instances of meat and fat residue left on equipment and walls, dripping condensation falling on food, mold, insects and other problems dating back roughly six years. Last May, one inspector documented “general filth” in a room at the Indiana plant.

[time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”]

The U.S. Agriculture Department released the inspection records in response to Freedom of Information Act requests from The Associated Press and other news organizations.

The problems documented at the three factories echo some of the violations found at the Jarratt, Virginia, plant linked to the food poisoning outbreak. The newly released reports describe:..