The coronavirus pandemic’s fourth, lethal Delta-variant surge keeps receding from its scary September peaks, with “fewer than half as many cases … being identified each day, and tens of thousands of fewer coronavirus patients … hospitalized.” Still, as the New York Times also has reported, “trouble spots continue to emerge in parts of the West. Alaska leads….
Continue ReadingArchives for October 2021
Give kids’ fun and safety more than a ghost of a chance for Halloween
It’s boo-yeah and not a boo-hoo time for kids of all ages when it comes to Halloween merry-making this year. And while experts may feel more confident about trick-or-treating during the coronavirus pandemic, grownups need to take special care to ensure the safety of costumed, candy-seeking kids. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading infectious disease….
Continue ReadingFDA advances plan for cheaper, easier, more convenient hearing aids
Millions of Americans soon may be able to buy much cheaper devices to help them with their mild to moderate hearing loss and avoid costly hearing aids prescribed by specialists. It took far too long for this big step to occur, and consumers won’t see its full benefits for a bit still. But the Food….
Continue ReadingHospitals struggle to keep nurses, as nursing homes stall on staff shots
The U.S. health care system and all who rely on it may be reaching painful reckonings on how the coronavirus pandemic keeps affecting caregiving personnel, whether with highly trained nurses who are forcing hospitals to pay them more or see them leave or with poorly paid and ill-trained aides who still aren’t getting Covid-19 shots….
Continue ReadingU.S. has three approved boosters and is prepped to vaccinate kids
Don’t doubt the central role that vaccines are playing in the battle against the coronavirus pandemic. Federal officials — even as the Delta-variant surge is easing — have dominated the news by approving yet more boosters for those who have gotten the Moderna or Johnson & Johnson shots and announcing preparations to vaccinate kids ages….
Continue ReadingCut the salt in prepared and packaged food, U.S. urges makers and sellers
Americans of all ages adore fast food and prepared meals, but one of the lures is these tasty items are loaded with salt. Now federal regulators have proposed new guidelines that they say could save millions of lives by reducing the salt content of commercially prepared and packaged foods. The Food and Drug Administration’s standards,….
Continue ReadingFDA gives Big Tobacco a big win — approval for e-cigarette for vaping
The federal Food and Drug Administration has infuriated health and anti-smoking advocates by handing Big Tobacco a major first — the agency’s seal of approval for an e-cigarette as a way for consumers to reduce or stop harmful use of burning tobacco cigarettes. The decision allowing RJ Reynold’s Vuse product (shown, left) to stay on….
Continue ReadingDaily low-dose aspirin? Rethink its risks vs. benefits, experts advise
Aspirin may not be the easy, cheap, daily wonder drug that doctors once thought it might be: New research has led medical experts to rethink and caution against the low-dose regimen followed by tens of millions of patients in hopes of preventing heart and colon conditions. Those popping aspirin as a safeguard should talk to….
Continue ReadingAs Delta surge eases, what’s next with this pandemic?
As the summer’s deadly Delta variant surge slowly seems to be receding, questions are rising anew as to what further harms the coronavirus pandemic may inflict on a nation that already has suffered greatly. The infection still is creating major problems in Alaska, as well as parts of the West and Upper Midwest, notably Minnesota…..
Continue ReadingAching backs lead to dubious surgeries and billion$ in revenue$
As the nation rapidly grays, not only are middle-aged and older patients undergoing increasing numbers of knee, hip, ankle, and shoulder surgeries, back operations also have spiked — and a significant number of these procedures may be unwarranted and harmful. Spinal surgery is a booming business for orthopedic surgeons and hospitals, with Wall Street analysts….
Continue Reading