Архив рубрики: Здоровье Америка

The newest weight-loss drugs, Wegovy and Zepbound, are incredibly popular. But doctors are still learning about all of the ways they affect the body—both helpful and harmful—beyond reducing weight.

In report published in Nature Medicine, Dr. Ziyad Al-Aly, assistant professor of medicine at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, and his colleagues performed a comprehensive analysis on the health outcomes associated with the drugs known as GLP-1 receptor agonists. These medications began as diabetes treatments to lower blood glucose levels and have now been approved to help people without diabetes lose weight.

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But because they have been used for longer as diabetes treatments, Al-Aly’s team studied the health records of more than two million people with diabetes in the Veterans Affairs database, some of whom were taking the GLP-1 medications and some who took other diabetes treatments. They tracked health outcomes over about four years ..

On Monday, Donald Trump will be sworn in as the 47th President of the United States. For some, it’s a highly anticipated day of celebration. Others have been dreading it—and would happily finagle a deal with the universe to skip to some other day four years down the road instead.

Why so much distress after months of processing the outcome of this divisive election? Many people are probably catastrophizing, experts say, a cognitive distortion that involves fixating on the worst possible outcome and believing it’s bound to happen. The thinking goes like this: “‘Oh my God, if everything is going to have to be that way, and follow that thread, then we’re all going to die,’” says Emiliana Simon-Thomas, science director at the University of California at Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center.

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Yet that’s not a helpful or productive way to pass Inauguration Day (and all the days that follow). “I’m very far from the kind of excessively optimistic person who..

On Monday, Donald Trump will be sworn in as the 47th President of the United States. For some, it’s a highly anticipated day of celebration. Others have been dreading it—and would happily finagle a deal with the universe to skip to some other day four years down the road instead.

Why so much distress after months of processing the outcome of this divisive election? Many people are probably catastrophizing, experts say, a cognitive distortion that involves fixating on the worst possible outcome and believing it’s bound to happen. The thinking goes like this: “‘Oh my God, if everything is going to have to be that way, and follow that thread, then we’re all going to die,’” says Emiliana Simon-Thomas, science director at the University of California at Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center.

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Yet that’s not a helpful or productive way to pass Inauguration Day (and all the days that follow). “I’m very far from the kind of excessively optimistic person who..

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.”

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“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.

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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.

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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.

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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..