Архив рубрики: Здоровье Америка

My bed and I spend less time together than the experts say we should. Most nights, my head hits the pillow around 11:00 pm, and I’m up—without an alarm—at 5:30 am. That six and a half hours of shuteye puts me behind the seven to nine hours the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and Sleep Research Society recommend for adults. Does it hurt me? Not so I can tell.

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I may be a bit of an outlier as far as the guidelines are concerned, but I am by no means alone. Our sleep needs change over the course of our lifetimes—from 17 hours a day as a newborn, to up to 12 hours as a schoolkid, to the seven- to nine-hour benchmark for adults. But those figures are just averages. Plenty of people, like me, get by on significantly less for their age, while others require a good bit more. What is it that makes some folks short sleepers, some folks long sleepers, and others smack-in-the-middle sleepers? A lot of things, as it turns out.

Your sex matters—a little

When i..

Two scientists have been award the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their discovery of microRNA. Victor Ambros, professor of molecular medicine at the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, and Gary Ruvkun, professor of genetics at Harvard Medical School and an investigator at Massachusetts General Hospital, received the prize for revealing how microRNAs turn genes on and off.

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This isn’t the first time RNA has been honored recently. The molecule has been something of a scientific darling of late: last year, Katalin Kariko and Drew Weissman were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their fundamental discovery that made mRNA-based vaccines possible, a development that transformed the COVID-19 pandemic.

Here’s what the discovery of microRNA means and how it may affect human health.

What is microRNA, anyway?

The discovery makes it possible to manipulate which genes are activated or suppressed in cells. Doing s..

Years ago, Dr. Mark Eisenberg, a cardiologist at McGill University in Canada, recommended that one of his patients—a smoker who’d tried everything to quit but still couldn’t—try vaping instead. It worked; his patient kicked the smoking habit. But recently, the same patient came back to Eisenberg’s office with a new problem.

“Now he’s addicted to e-cigarettes,” Eisenberg says. “He said, ‘I want to get off e-cigarettes. What do I do?’”

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No one has a very good answer to that question. Almost 20 years after e-cigarettes were introduced in the U.S., going on to attract millions of users, there’s still not enough data on how to stop using them—which research suggests roughly 60% of vapers would like to do.

E-cigarettes are often pitched as an answer to the bane of tobacco use, which claims an estimated 8 million lives around the world per year, says Amanda Graham, chief health officer at Truth Initiative. “So far, that has not come to fruition,” Graham sa..

A new analysis of acne creams and cleansers found dozens, including popular products like Proactiv and Clearasil, contain high levels of a chemical linked to cancer. The findings confirm some of an earlier study that received criticism for its methods, putting more pressure on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to take action on products widely used by American teenagers.

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Researchers tested more than 100 benzoyl peroxide acne products available at major retailers in six states. They found about a third were contaminated with high levels of benzene, a chemical that can cause cancer.

Proactiv contained 18 times the amount of the potent carcinogen allowed in U.S. drugs, the analysis published on Monday in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology found. A CVS-brand face wash had 13 times levels considered safe by the FDA.

“The results presented here suggest that a substantial portion of the BPO [benzoyl peroxide] acne treatment market currently co..

HANOI, Vietnam — More than a dozen tigers were incinerated after the animals contracted bird flu at a zoo in southern Vietnam, officials said.

State media VNExpress cited a caretaker at Vuon Xoai zoo in Bien Hoa city saying the animals were fed with raw chicken bought from nearby farms. The panther and 20 tigers, including several cubs, weighed between 10 and 120 kilograms (20 and 265 pounds) when they died. The bodies were incinerated and buried on the premises.

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“The tigers died so fast. They looked weak, refused to eat and died after two days of falling sick,” said zoo manager Nguyen Ba Phuc.

Samples taken from the tigers tested positive for H5N1, the virus that causes bird flu.

The virus was first identified in 1959 and grew into a widespread and highly lethal menace to migratory birds and domesticated poultry. It has since evolved, and in recent years H5N1 was detected in a growing number of animals ranging from dogs and cats to sea lions and p..

Edibles aren’t just for weed anymore. There’s a growing market for gummies, chocolates, and other products that claim to contain psychedelic mushrooms and promise consumers a new—and legal—way to get high.

Psilocybin, the best-known psychedelic substance derived from “magic” mushrooms, is a Schedule I substance: an illegal drug considered to have no medical use and high potential for abuse. So what’s in mushroom edibles that are openly sold in gas stations, smoke shops, and online marketplaces? And are the ingredients really legal?

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Here’s what to know.

What’s in mushroom edibles?

“It could be anything,” says Dr. Avery Michienzi, a medical toxicologist at the University of Virginia School of Medicine who has studied mushroom gummies.

Many brands say their products are made from Amanita muscaria, a mushroom that contains the psychoactive but non-scheduled compounds muscimol and ibotenic acid. (Michienzi calls Amanita muscaria the “Mario mushroom,” ..

There are no shortage of reasons for women to feel shame in our over-exposed, image-obsessed world: We’re shamed for being too fat and too thin, for being too sexual or not sexually available enough. Women are shamed for choosing not to have children and the choices we make when we do. We’re penalized for being too aggressive in the workplace at the same time “lean in” culture suggests we’re not assertive enough.

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Unsurprisingly, living in a modern epidemic of shame has taken a considerable toll on our mental health. Girls today are especially in crisis. A 2023 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study found that teenage girls are presenting unprecedented levels of depression and suicidality. Though the isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic was a factor, the results echoed previous surveys and reports that began prior to the coronavirus pandemic. A 2020 study by the CDC, for example, reported that, between 2007 and 2018, the national suicide rate a..

Maybe you had a bad experience with your last Pap smear and you’re wary of going back to the ob-gyn. Or maybe you’ve never had one before and are scared to make the appointment. It’s understandable to feel anxiety about women’s health care, but a Pap smear is an important screening tool for cervical cancer.

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“A lot of people feel really nervous or anxious to get a Pap smear, and some people aren’t quite sure of exactly what we’re testing for,” says Dr. Jayme Trevino, an ob-gyn and fellow with the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG). “One of my goals when a patient is coming to me for a Pap test is to thoroughly explain exactly what we’re looking for and the steps of the process.”

Here, two ob-gyns explain what a Pap smear entails and dispel some common misconceptions about the potentially life-saving test.

What is a Pap smear?

A Pap smear involves collecting a sample from the cervix to test for abnormal cells that are cancerou..

Yoga practitioners know that poses like downward-facing dog, warrior, bridge, and others can improve flexibility, reduce stress, and build strength in your body. Face yoga can offer similar benefits for your complexion.

Face yoga—including moves like the eyebrow lifter, happy cheeks sculpting, and temple developer—refers to stretching, massaging, and exercising the face, says Dr. Joshua Zeichner, an associate professor of dermatology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. “The goal is to enhance facial muscle tone to minimize signs of skin aging.”

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The technique involves repeatedly moving facial muscles in certain ways. By practicing making these expressions, face yoga claims to improve how well those muscles function and boost your appearance, says Dr. Murad Alam, vice-chair of the dermatology department at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, who’s conducted research on face yoga.

So, if you’ve seen people making funny..

Being a therapist means listening to a lot of clients’ problems. Between their schooling, reading, continuing-education requirements, workplace mentors, general curiosity, and learnings from patients, therapists are full of practical advice to improve mental health and well-being.

But what’s the one mighty mental-health tip that stands out above all others? We tapped psychotherapists and psychologists for the single piece of advice that has changed their own lives for the better.

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You have more time than you think before you react

Remembering to take the time to think things through, formulate a response, and decide on a course of action has positively affected New York City-based psychotherapist Lauren Tinaglia’s mental health, relationships, and work. “You always have at least a few seconds to take a breath and check in with yourself,” Tinaglia says. (She also recommends slowly counting to 10, taking a walk around the block, or journaling for a few..