What’s the skinny on those pandemic pounds? New study sheds light on weight gain during the COVID-19 quarantine
More Americans weighed in as obese during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic than in the previous year. Anew study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, published by Elsevier, presents evidence from a large, nationally representative survey that documents this trend and helps to explain behavior changes that led to widespread weight gain […]
5 Hacks To Try If You Only Have A Minute To Destress
Even before the pandemic, Americans were among the most stressed-out people in the world. Then COVID came and walloped us even more. Name a group of Americans, and there has likely been a recent poll showing their stress levels have become unbearable: parents, teachers, health care professionals, teens — the list goes on and on. […]
Most Older Adults Plan to Travel Soon, With Precautions: Poll
Latest Travel Health News WEDNESDAY, Nov. 17, 2021 (HealthDay News) Nearly 1 in 3 older Americans plan an extended trip next year, and 1 in 4 plan to travel for the holidays, but many will take COVID-19 into account, a new survey shows. If COVID cases surge at their destination, 20% said they […]
Opinion | Our Food Supply Is Drowning in Salt
Since the first Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGAs) were released in 1980, and for each updated version released every 5 years, there has been a consistent message: decrease dietary sodium. The 2020-2025 DGAs recommend 2,300 mg/day of sodium for men and women 14 years and older, and many esteemed scientific societies have issued similar guidance […]
CDC Hasn’t Updated COVID Vax Breakthrough Data
As Americans weigh the risks of holiday gatherings, many are looking for data on COVID-19 breakthrough cases, hospitalizations, and deaths among the vaccinated — but nationally, that information is not reported in real-time. In mid-October, the CDC started publishing cases and deaths by vaccination status on its COVID Data Tracker for the first time. But […]
Superbugs in Seniors Led to Nearly 12,000 Deaths in a Single Year
Six common antibiotic-resistant microbial infections in Medicare-age Americans resulted in close to 12,000 deaths in 2017, and cost the U.S. nearly $1.9 billion, a new study found. This population of older Americans, therefore, accounted for more than one-third of the total national costs and deaths associated with antimicrobial resistance, reported David Hyun, MD, director of […]
When blood pressure needs more control, what’s better: An additional drug or more of the same? Study in veterans shows importance of personalizing the approach to intensifying treatment in sustainable ways
Nearly 34 million Americans have blood pressure that’s still too high even though they take medicine to control it. A new study may help them and their doctors decide whether to increase the dose of one of their existing drugs, or add a new one, to bring down their pressure and lower their risk of […]
Reducing salt in bread without sacrificing taste
Most people in the U.S. consume too much salt; adult Americans typically eat twice the daily amount recommended by dietary guidelines. Bread may not seem like an obvious culprit; however, due to high consumption and relatively high salt content, baked goods are a major source of sodium in the diet. A new study from the […]
America’s Amputation Crisis May Soon Get Much Worse
Few medical procedures are as life-altering as an amputation. But statistics show hundreds of thousands of Americans have their limbs surgically removed each year because they don’t have access to adequate vascular screening and care. In the rural communities of North Carolina that we serve, the nearest “in-hospital” alternative to our office-based treatment locations is […]
Despite Pandemic, Poverty Declined Thanks To Stimulus Checks
The coronavirus pandemic threw millions of Americans into unemployment last year, leading to the first drop in household income from work since 2011, according to a new report from the U.S. Census Bureau. But even though the official poverty rate also increased, a supplementary measure that accounts for stimulus payments found that poverty actually fell […]