All posts tagged: Health News

These Are The New FLIRT Covid Variant Symptoms To Look For

These Are The New FLIRT Covid Variant Symptoms To Look For

Published by Sam

According to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), there has been a 17% uplift in reported cases of Covid over the past 7 days compared to the previous week. Covid has been surging throughout this summer with a new group of variants known collectively as FLIRT and, according to health experts, now is the ideal time for the virus to spread. Speaking to The Independent, Dr Mariyam Malik, an NHS and private GP at Pall Mall Medical. said: “Increased travel and big events such as festivals often result in crowded settings where the virus can spread more easily, and there are no longer any legal restrictions like wearing masks or social distancing.” What are the symptoms of the new Covid strains? Prof Paul Hunter, an epidemiology expert from the University of East Anglia spoke with the BBC about Covid as we know it now and said: “We are all of us going to get repeated Covid infections from births through to death. Generally what we’ve seen is that over the last three years, four years, …

Hospital’s radiology department and critical care unit ‘crumbling’ | UK | News

Hospital’s radiology department and critical care unit ‘crumbling’ | UK | News

Published by skeptic

Stepping Hill Hospital is ‘literally crumbling’ says the local MP (Image: Getty Images) A UK hospital is in dire straits as its outpatients, radiology department and critical care unit are ‘quite literally crumbling’, the local MP has claimed. Stepping Hill Hospital in Stockport, Greater Manchester, has been hit by two ceiling collapses in recent weeks due to leaks in the heating system. These incidents occurred within the radiology department and the critical care unit, where the most seriously ill patients are treated. The situation became so severe that patients had to be evacuated and scans were cancelled after both ceilings gave way within a day in March, reports the Manchester Evening News. READ MORE: Fears new Covid strain could be ‘harder to stop’ as cases surge around the world Patients were forced to be evacuated out of the Stockport hospital and scans were cancelled after the two ceilings collapsed within a day of one another in March (Image: MEN) Stockport’s MP, Navendu Mishra, brought the issue to the attention of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak during …

Steward Health Care Says It Is Selling the 30+ Hospitals It Operates Nationwide

Steward Health Care Says It Is Selling the 30+ Hospitals It Operates Nationwide

Published by skeptic

The Dallas-based company, which operates more than 30 hospitals nationwide, said it does not expect any interruptions in its hospitals’ day-to-day operations, which the company said will continue in the ordinary course throughout the Chapter 11 process. In court filings, the company said that beginning in late January, Steward initiated what it described as a “phased marketing process” for the sale of its hospital facilities. “Presently, the company is marketing all of its hospitals,” the company said a filing Tuesday. Steward filed for bankruptcy protection early Monday. In a news release, company officials said Steward took the step to let it continue to provide needed care to patients. “Steward’s hospitals, medical centers and physician’s offices are open and continuing to serve patients and the broader community and our commitment to our employees will not change,” the company said in a written statement. Photos You Should See – April 2024 Steward’s eight hospitals in Massachusetts include St. Elizabeth’s Hospital and Carney Hospital, both in Boston. It filed for protection in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the …

Heatstroke and sunstroke symptoms, treatments and how to prevent it

Heatstroke and sunstroke symptoms, treatments and how to prevent it

Published by skeptic

Occasionally, Britain is treated to prolonged hot temperatures or heatwaves, with many of us making an immediate beeline for the nearest sun-soaked beach or park. But high temperatures aren’t always rosy – they could bring a real danger of heatstroke. Heatstroke (also referred to as sunstroke) is a serious condition that is commonly caused by hot weather or exercise. In this state, the body is no longer able to cool itself down and the temperature reaches dangerously high levels.  The condition can affect anyone, but babies, young children, people over the age of 75 and those with underlying health conditions could be at greater risk, according to Public Health England. But fear not. We have investigated the heatstroke symptoms and treatments, as well as how long the condition lasts, so you can feel prepared should a heatwave strike. What are heatstroke symptoms? If you sit out in the sunshine for too long, you might experience “heat exhaustion”. This is where you may start excessively sweating, feel dizzy or nauseous, lose your appetite, experience cramps in your legs, …

Study Finds Heart Damage in ‘Couch Potato’ Kids

Study Finds Heart Damage in ‘Couch Potato’ Kids

Published by skeptic

By Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter HealthDay WEDNESDAY, May 8, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Children and young adults who are couch potatoes could wind up with enlarged hearts, increasing their risk of heart attack, stroke and early death. Sedentary behavior contributed as much as 40% to the total increase in heart size between the ages of 17 and 24, researchers found. Further, a lack of movement helped enlarge teens’ hearts independent of other risk factors like obesity or high blood pressure, researchers found. Childhood and teenage sedentary behavior amounts to a “ticking time bomb,” researcher Andrew Agbaje said in a news release. He’s an associate professor of clinical epidemiology and child health at the University of Eastern Finland in Kuopio. “There is growing evidence that childhood sedentariness is a health threat that needs to be taken seriously,” he said. On the other hand, children who regularly engaged in light physical activity reduced their increase in heart mass by 49%, researchers said. “Light physical activity is an effective antidote to sedentariness. It is easy to accumulate three …

Alabama Groups Can Sue Over Threat of Prosecution for Helping With Abortion Travel

Alabama Groups Can Sue Over Threat of Prosecution for Helping With Abortion Travel

Published by skeptic

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — A federal judge on Monday said abortion rights advocates can proceed with lawsuits against Alabama’s attorney general over threats to prosecute people who help women travel to another state to terminate pregnancies. U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson denied Attorney General Steve Marshall’s request to dismiss the case. The groups said Marshall has suggested anti-conspiracy laws could be used to prosecute those who help Alabama women obtain an abortion in another state. The two lawsuits seek a legal ruling clarifying that the state can’t prosecute people for providing such assistance. Alabama bans abortion at any stage of pregnancy with no exceptions for rape and incest. While Thompson did not issue a final ruling, he said the organizations “correctly contend” that the attorney general “cannot constitutionally prosecute people for acts taken within the State meant to facilitate lawful out of state conduct, including obtaining an abortion.” “Alabama can no more restrict people from going to, say, California to engage in what is lawful there than California can restrict people from coming to Alabama …

Planters Peanut Products Under Recall Due to Listeria Risk

Planters Peanut Products Under Recall Due to Listeria Risk

Published by skeptic

By Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter HealthDay TUESDAY, May 7, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Planters peanut products sold at Publix and Dollar Tree in five states are being recalled due to the risk of Listeria contamination, maker Hormel announced. The products are Planters Honey Roasted Peanuts (4 ounces) and Planters Deluxe Lightly Salted Mixed Nuts (8.75 ounces).   So far, there have been no reports of illness linked to the recalled products, the company said. “The products were shipped to Publix distribution warehouses in Florida, Georgia, Alabama and North Carolina and to Dollar Tree distribution warehouses in South Carolina and Georgia,” the company said in a statement posted on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s website. Consumers in those states should look out for 4-ounce Planters Honey Roasted Peanuts with the UPC code of 2900002097 on the side of the can, and a “Best if Used By” date of 04 11 25 on the bottom of the can. For the recalled 8.75-ounce Planters Deluxe Lightly Salted Mixed Nuts, the UPC code is 2900001621 and the “Best …

That ‘New Car Smell’ Could Be Toxic Carcinogens

That ‘New Car Smell’ Could Be Toxic Carcinogens

Published by skeptic

By Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter HealthDay TUESDAY, May 7, 2024 (HealthDay News) — “New car smell” is a beloved benefit of buying a new vehicle. However, at least part of that scent could be due to toxic carcinogens released by flame retardants, a new study says. Flame retardant chemicals added to seat foam and other car components pollute the cabin air inside all personal vehicles, according to findings published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology. Further, these chemicals are added to meet an outdated federal flammability standard that actually holds no proven fire-safety benefit, researchers said. “Considering the average driver spends about an hour in the car every day, this is a significant public health issue,” lead researcher Rebecca Hoehn, a doctoral student and toxicology scientist at Duke University, said in a news release. “It’s particularly concerning for drivers with longer commutes as well as child passengers, who breathe more air pound for pound than adults.” The research team found flame retardants inside the cabins of 101 cars model year 2015 or newer from …

A Parent’s Watchful Eye Does Keep Kids From Drugs, Alcohol: Study

A Parent’s Watchful Eye Does Keep Kids From Drugs, Alcohol: Study

Published by skeptic

By Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter HealthDay TUESDAY, May 7, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Parents can be very effective buzzkills for their teens, just by letting kids know they’re being closely watched, a new study reports. What’s more, teens don’t need to be busted at least once by their parents to get on the straight and narrow, results show. Simple awareness that parents are monitoring their behavior wound up cutting teens’ use of alcohol or drugs by 40%, without any actual punishment being doled out, researchers found. “Some parents think drinking or using drugs is something that kids are just going to do, no matter what,” lead researcher William Pelham, an assistant adjunct professor of psychiatry at the University of California-San Diego, said in a news release. “But that’s not true. Parents can make a difference.” Previous studies have found that teens are less likely to use drugs, alcohol or tobacco if they have parents who remain aware of their activities, know their friends, and know their whereabouts when they aren’t home, researchers said. The assumption …

Medicare and Social Security Go-Broke Dates Are Pushed Back in a ‘Measure of Good News’

Medicare and Social Security Go-Broke Dates Are Pushed Back in a ‘Measure of Good News’

Published by skeptic

WASHINGTON (AP) — The go-broke dates for Medicare and Social Security have been pushed back as an improving economy has contributed to changed projected depletion dates, according to the annual Social Security and Medicare trustees report Monday. Still, officials warn that policy changes are needed lest the programs become unable to pay full benefits to retiring Americans. Medicare’s go-broke date for its hospital insurance trust fund was pushed back five years to 2036 in the latest report, thanks in part to higher payroll tax income and lower-than-projected expenses from last year. Medicare is the federal government’s health insurance program that covers people age 65 and older and those with severe disabilities or illnesses. It covered more than 66 million people last year, with most being 65 and older. Once the fund’s reserves become depleted, Medicare would be able to cover only 89% of costs for patients’ hospital visits, hospice care and nursing home stays or home health care that follow hospital visits. Meanwhile, Social Security’s trust funds — which cover old age and disability recipients …