Today: October 06, 2024
Today: October 06, 2024

Latest From The Los Angeles Post

Health

Sweltering temperatures bring misery to large portion of central U.S., setting some heat records

Sweltering temperatures lingered Sunday in a large swath of the central U.S., causing misery from the Gulf of Mexico almost to the Great Lakes. Record high temperatures were recorded in Texas and other states. People were told to chug extra water while mowing lawns or exercising outdoors, and to check on neighbors to ensure air-conditioning is available. “These high temperatures can impact our friends, families, and neighbors who may live alone, especially if they limit their use of air conditioning,” Sarah Russell, commissioner for the St. Louis Emergency Management Agency, said in a statement. “We urge everyone

Sweltering temperatures bring misery to large portion of central U.S., setting some heat records
Health

Record-setting temperatures forecast in Dallas as scorching heat wave continues to bake the US

The summer of 2023 may be drawing to a close — but the extreme heat is not: More record-shattering temperatures — this time across Texas — are expected Saturday and Sunday as the U.S. continues to bake. Highs of 109 degrees Fahrenheit (42.8 degrees Celsius) forecast for Saturday and 110 F (43.3 C) on Sunday in Dallas would break the current record of 107 F (41.7 C) each day, both set in 2011, and would come after a high of 109 F (42.8 C) on Thursday broke a record of 107 F set in 1951, according

Record-setting temperatures forecast in Dallas as scorching heat wave continues to bake the US
Health

Cyberattack keeps hospitals' computers offline for weeks

Key computer systems at hospitals and clinics in several states have yet to come back online more than two weeks after a cyberattack that forced some emergency room shutdowns and ambulance diversions. Progress is being made “to recover critical systems and restore their integrity,” Prospect Medical Holdings said in a Friday statement. But the company, which runs 16 hospitals and dozens of other medical facilities in California, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Texas, could not say when operations might return to normal. “We do not yet have a definitive timeline for how long it will be

Cyberattack keeps hospitals' computers offline for weeks
Health

Risk of death related to pregnancy and childbirth more than doubled between 1999 and 2019 in the US, new study finds

Maternal death rates are higher in the U.S. than in other high-income countries. Tetra Images/Getty Images Black women were more likely to die during pregnancy or soon after in every year from 1999 through 2019, compared with Hispanic, American Indian and Alaska Native, Asian, Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, and white women. That is a key finding of our recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The risk of maternal death increased the most for American Indian and Alaska Native women during that time frame. Maternal deaths refers to death from any cause except for

Risk of death related to pregnancy and childbirth more than doubled between 1999 and 2019 in the US, new study finds
Health

Feds raise concerns about long call center wait times as millions dropped from Medicaid

As millions of Medicaid recipients face the potential loss of health coverage for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic, state call centers are getting inundated with questions from people needing help. In some cases, federal officials say, it’s taking too long to get answers. Nearly one-third of the states have received warnings from federal Medicaid officials that their lengthy call center wait times may be causing people to hang up — and give up — as they attempt to renew Medicaid coverage amid a massive nationwide effort to clean up the rolls of the

Feds raise concerns about long call center wait times as millions dropped from Medicaid
Health

Can coffee or a nap make up for sleep deprivation? A psychologist explains why there's no substitute for shut-eye

A cup of coffee might provide you some pep, but it won’t fully make up for lost sleep. nopponpat/iStock via Getty Images Plus There is no denying the importance of sleep. Everyone feels better after a good night of sleep, and lack of sleep can have profoundly negative effects on both the body and the brain. So what can be done to substitute for a lack of sleep? Put another way, how can you get less sleep and still perform at your peak? As a psychologist who studies the ways in which sleep benefits memory, I’m also interested in how

Can coffee or a nap make up for sleep deprivation? A psychologist explains why there's no substitute for shut-eye
Health

Maui fire survivors are confronting huge mental health hurdles, many while still living in shelters

The evacuation center at the South Maui Community Park Gymnasium is now Anne Landon’s safe space. She has a cot and access to food, water, showers, books and even puzzles that bring people together to pass the evening hours. But all it took was a strong wind gust for her to be immediately transported back to the terrifying moment a deadly fire overtook her senior apartment complex in Lahaina last week. “It’s a trigger,” she said. “The wind was so horrible during that fire.” Mental health experts are working in Maui to help people who survived

Maui fire survivors are confronting huge mental health hurdles, many while still living in shelters
Health

New Study Reveals How A Common Arthritis Drug Can Enhance The Efficacy of the Morning-After Pill

EMBARGOED UNTIL 22:30 GMT/18:30 ET WEDNESDAY Taking a common arthritis drug together with the morning-after pill Plan B could boost the contraceptive’s effectiveness, according to new research published Wednesday. Levonorgestrel, often called Plan B, is the most widely available type of emergency contraception. It works by preventing or delaying ovulation. Scientists estimate that it is about 95% effective when taken within a day after unprotected sex, dropping to 58% or lower within three days. The new study, published by the medical journal Lancet, suggests levonorgestrel can remain highly effective up to three days after unprotected sex when

New Study Reveals How A Common Arthritis Drug Can Enhance The Efficacy of the Morning-After Pill
Health

Some abortion drug restrictions are upheld by an appeals court in a case bound for the Supreme Court

New restrictions on access to a drug used in the most common form of abortion would be imposed under a federal appeals court ruling issued Wednesday, but the Supreme Court will have the final say. The ruling by three judges on the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans overturned part of a lower court ruling that would have revoked the Food and Drug Administration’s decades-old approval of mifepristone. But it left intact part of the ruling that would end the availability of the drug by mail, allow it to be used through only

Some abortion drug restrictions are upheld by an appeals court in a case bound for the Supreme Court
Health

As the mental health crisis in children and teens worsens, the dire shortage of mental health providers is preventing young people from getting the help they need

Anxiety, depression and suicide among U.S. teens continue to increase. Paolo Cordoni/iStock via Getty Images Plus The hospital where I practice recently admitted a 14-year-old girl with post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, to our outpatient program. She was referred to us six months earlier, in October 2022, but at the time we were at capacity. Although we tried to refer her to several other hospitals, they too were full. During that six-month wait, she attempted suicide. Unfortunately, this is an all-too-common story for young people with mental health issues. A 2021 survey of 88 children’s hospitals reported that they admit,

As the mental health crisis in children and teens worsens, the dire shortage of mental health providers is preventing young people from getting the help they need
Health

North Carolina GOP seeks to override governor's veto of bill banning gender-affirming care for youth

Transgender rights take center stage in North Carolina again Wednesday as GOP supermajorities in the General Assembly attempt to override the governor’s vetoes of legislation banning gender-affirming health care for minors and limiting transgender participation in school sports. The state House will hold the first of two votes Wednesday afternoon in a bid to enact the bills over Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s opposition. If House Republicans quickly muster the votes needed, the Senate might aim to complete the override with a decisive final vote Wednesday evening, the Senate leader’s office said. The GOP holds veto-proof majorities

North Carolina GOP seeks to override governor's veto of bill banning gender-affirming care for youth
Health

States that protect transgender health care now try to absorb demand

States that declared themselves refuges for transgender people have essentially issued an invitation: Get your gender-affirming health care here without fearing prosecution at home. Now that bans on such care for minors are taking effect around the country — Texas could be next, depending on the outcome of a court hearing this week — patients and their families are testing clinics’ capacity. Already-long waiting lists are growing, yet there are only so many providers of gender-affirming care and only so many patients they can see in a day. For those refuge states — so far, California, Connecticut, Colorado, Illinois, Massachusetts,

States that protect transgender health care now try to absorb demand
Health

Diabetes atingirá 1.3 bilhão de pessoas nos próximos 30 anos

Aging and obesity are likely to be the two primary drivers of the expected rise in diabetes. fotograzia/Moment via Getty Images O resumo de pesquisa é uma breve apresentação sobre trabalhos acadêmicos interessantes. A grande ideia O número de pessoas que vivem com diabetes em todo o mundo está prestes a mais do que dobrar nas próximas três décadas, para um total de 1,3 bilhão de pessoas até 2050. Essa é uma das principais descobertas de nosso estudo sobre a carga global de diabetes publicado recentemente no The Lancet. Analisamos e sintetizamos todos os dados epidemiológicos disponíveis sobre a carga

Diabetes atingirá 1.3 bilhão de pessoas nos próximos 30 anos
Health

Ro CEO charts growth past sexual health roots to obesity and beyond

Ro built its name online by offering discreet help for problems like erectile dysfunction. Now it wants to tackle an issue many people are talking about: obesity. The care provider formerly known as Roman launched its “body program” earlier this year. The subscription service aims to guide customers through weight loss with help from doctors, nurses and the latest obesity treatments. It’s a popular topic, with Ro competitor Hims & Hers planning a similar program. Ro also offers subscription services to help people grow longer eyelashes or curb excessive sweating. It also provides skin care, fertility testing and hair-loss treatments,

Ro CEO charts growth past sexual health roots to obesity and beyond
Health

Maui officials and scientists warn that after the flames flicker out, toxic particles will remain

When flames swept through western Maui, engulfing the town of Lahaina, residents saw toxic fumes spewing into the air as burning homes, pipes and cars combusted, transforming rubber, metal and plastic into poisonous, particulate matter-filled smoke. Retired mailman and Vietnam veteran Thomas Leonard heard a boom as a propane tank at a nearby home exploded, leaving a cloud that looked like “a gigantic mushroom” in its wake. Thirty-seven year old Mike Cicchino, who grew up on Maui, said he could tell how close the flames were based on how far away cars sounded as their gas

Maui officials and scientists warn that after the flames flicker out, toxic particles will remain
Health

More states expect schools to keep trans girls off girls teams as K-12 classes resume

As children across the U.S. head back to classes and practices for fall sports, four more states are expecting their K-12 schools to keep transgender girls off their girls teams. Kansas, North Dakota and Wyoming had new laws in place restricting transgender athletes before classes resumed, and a Missouri law takes effect at the end of this month, bringing the number of states with restrictions to 23. North Carolina could enact a ban later this month, and Ohio could follow in the fall. A few laws, including ones in Arizona and West Virginia, are on hold

More states expect schools to keep trans girls off girls teams as K-12 classes resume
Health

Popular weight-loss drugs like Wegovy may raise risk of complications under anesthesia

Patients who take blockbuster drugs like Wegovy or Ozempic for weight loss may face life-threatening complications if they need surgery or other procedures that require empty stomachs for anesthesia. This summer’s guidance to halt the medication for up to a week may not go far enough, either. Some anesthesiologists in the U.S. and Canada say they’ve seen growing numbers of patients on the weight-loss drugs who inhaled food and liquid into their lungs while sedated because their stomachs were still full — even after following standard instructions to stop eating for six to eight hours in advance. The drugs can

Popular weight-loss drugs like Wegovy may raise risk of complications under anesthesia
Health

Insurers won't cover new Alzheimer's treatment for some customers

Some private insurers are balking at paying for the first drug fully approved to slow mental decline in Alzheimer’s patients. Insurers selling coverage in North Carolina, Pennsylvania and New York, among other states, told The Associated Press they won’t cover Leqembi with insurance offered on the individual market and through employers because they still see the $26,000-a-year drug as experimental. Their decision stands in contrast to Medicare, which will wind up covering most patients who take the drug. The federal coverage program mainly for people ages 65 and older announced shortly after Leqembi received full approval last month that it

Insurers won't cover new Alzheimer's treatment for some customers
Health

Jakarta is the world's most polluted city. Blame the dry season and vehicles for the gray skies

The dry season and and motorized vehicles are the main causes of the air pollution in Jakarta, Indonesian authorities said Friday, after a Swiss air quality technology company named the city as the most polluted in the world. Thick smoke and gray skies have appeared every morning for the past few months in Jakarta, the capital city of the world’s fourth most populous country. Jakarta routinely tops listings of the world’s most polluted cities, most recently in a ranking by IQAir, which is based in Switzerland. “In fact, the condition of Jakarta’s air quality throughout 2023

Jakarta is the world's most polluted city. Blame the dry season and vehicles for the gray skies
Health

Gut microbes are the community within you that you can't live without – how eating well can cultivate your microbial and social self

Communal meals are a social glue that binds people together. Klaus Vedfelt/DigitalVision via Getty Images The age-old adage “you are what you eat” holds profound truth. Nearly every molecule in your body is absorbed from what you eat and drink. Your food choices are directly linked to your physical, emotional and social health. And scientists are learning that your gut health and the microbial communities within you have a significant role to play in orchestrating these processes. The gut microbiome takes the components of food that you cannot digest, like fiber and phytonutrients, and transforms them into signals that regulate

Gut microbes are the community within you that you can't live without – how eating well can cultivate your microbial and social self
Health

Skin cancer screening guidelines can seem confusing – three skin cancer researchers explain when to consider getting checked

A history of sunburns may put people at greater risk of developing skin cancer. dnberty/iStock via Getty Images Plus Protecting oneself from the summer sun and its damaging ultraviolet rays is often not straightforward. And public health messaging around when and how to be screened for skin cancer has become somewhat confusing. In April 2023, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, an independent national panel of science experts, provided updated recommendations on skin cancer screening following a systematic review of existing research. The task force concluded that the evidence does not support annual widespread skin screening of adolescents and adults,

Skin cancer screening guidelines can seem confusing – three skin cancer researchers explain when to consider getting checked
Health

Millions of kids are missing weeks of school as attendance tanks across the US

When in-person school resumed after pandemic closures, Rousmery Negrón and her 11-year-old son both noticed a change: School seemed less welcoming. Parents were no longer allowed in the building without appointments, she said, and punishments were more severe. Everyone seemed less tolerant, more angry. Negrón’s son told her he overheard a teacher mocking his learning disabilities, calling him an ugly name. Her son didn’t want to go to school anymore. And she didn’t feel he was safe there. He would end up missing more than five months of sixth grade. Across the country, students have been

Millions of kids are missing weeks of school as attendance tanks across the US
Health

Family of Henrietta Lacks files new lawsuit over cells harvested without her consent

Just over a week after Henrietta Lacks’ descendants settled a lawsuit against a biotech company they accused of unjustly profiting off her cells for generations, the family’s attorneys have filed another claim against a different corporation. The new lawsuit, which targets California-based biopharmaceutical company Ultragenyx, was filed Thursday in Baltimore federal court, the same venue as the recently settled case. Lawyers for the family have said they plan to bring a series of lawsuits against various entities that continue to reap rewards from the racist medical system that took advantage of Lacks. A Black mother of five

Family of Henrietta Lacks files new lawsuit over cells harvested without her consent
Health

US suicides hit an all-time high last year

About 49,500 people took their own lives last year in the U.S., the highest number ever, according to new government data posted Thursday. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which posted the numbers, has not yet calculated a suicide rate for the year, but available data suggests suicides are more common in the U.S. than at any time since the dawn of World War II. “There’s something wrong. The number should not be going up,” said Christina Wilbur, a 45-year-old Florida woman whose son shot himself to death last year. “My son should not have

US suicides hit an all-time high last year
Health

Can Apple a Day Truly Keep the Doctor Away? See What Science Says

While apples aren’t considered a superfood, they are considered a functional food. Caterina Oltean/500px Prime via Getty Images We’ve all heard that an apple a day keeps the doctor away, but how true is that? Apples are not high in vitamin A, nor are they beneficial for vision like carrots. They are not a great source of vitamin C and therefore don’t fight off colds as oranges do. However, apples contain various bioactive substances – natural chemicals that occur in small amounts in foods and that have biological effects in the body. These chemicals are not classified as nutrients like

Can Apple a Day Truly Keep the Doctor Away? See What Science Says

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