ADSmoking, drinking and drug use have long been linked to heart disease in older adults.A new suggests that recreational substance use can bring on heart attacks, strokes and other cardiac events in earlier life, too — and those who have used four or more substances are nine times as likely to experience early heart disease than those who don’t.The observational study, published in the journal Heart, looked at nationwide Veterans Affairs health-care data covering 1.2 million patients who receive primary care from the federal department. Researchers focused on heart attack, stroke or angina...…ADSmoking, drinking and drug use have long been linked to heart disease in older adults.A new suggests that recreational substance use can bring on heart attacks, strokes and other cardiac events in earlier life, too — and those who have used four or more substances are nine times as likely to experience early heart disease than those who don’t.The observational study, published in the journal Heart, looked at nationwide Veterans Affairs health-care data covering 1.2 million patients who receive primary care from the federal department. Researchers focused on heart attack, stroke or angina...WW…

ADBreast cancer death rates for U.S. women have been falling for decades.Now, that trend has ended for younger women. published in the journal Radiology shows that breast cancer death rates for women under 40 are no longer decreasing.The study looked at data gathered by the National Center for Health Statistics between 1969 and 2017. The breast cancer mortality rate had been falling steadily between 1989and 2010. It decreased between 1.5 and 3.4 percent per year for each decade of age for adult women from 20 to 79, as breast cancer screening rates steadily rose.The trend has continued to...…ADBreast cancer death rates for U.S. women have been falling for decades.Now, that trend has ended for younger women. published in the journal Radiology shows that breast cancer death rates for women under 40 are no longer decreasing.The study looked at data gathered by the National Center for Health Statistics between 1969 and 2017. The breast cancer mortality rate had been falling steadily between 1989and 2010. It decreased between 1.5 and 3.4 percent per year for each decade of age for adult women from 20 to 79, as breast cancer screening rates steadily rose.The trend has continued to...WW…

ADThe pandemic presents an unprecedented danger to human health — and not just because of covid-19. New suggests the pandemic has stoked rising worries about violence and fueled gun ownership.Published in the journal JAMA Network Open, the study relies on data from the , which covers topics related to firearm ownership, practices and exposure to violence. The 2,870 California adults surveyed reported rising concern about violence during the pandemic. About 1 in 10 were concerned someone they know might harm themselves.About 7 percent of respondents who reported they had experienced unfair...…ADThe pandemic presents an unprecedented danger to human health — and not just because of covid-19. New suggests the pandemic has stoked rising worries about violence and fueled gun ownership.Published in the journal JAMA Network Open, the study relies on data from the , which covers topics related to firearm ownership, practices and exposure to violence. The 2,870 California adults surveyed reported rising concern about violence during the pandemic. About 1 in 10 were concerned someone they know might harm themselves.About 7 percent of respondents who reported they had experienced unfair...WW…

ADHow tall is the average 19-year-old?The answer depends on where you look — heights and weights vary worldwide. A of children and adolescents from 5 to 19 around the world shows just how much the average varies. It also reveals wide rifts in health and nutrition in the tallest and shortest nations.Published in the Lancet, the study pooled data from over 2,000 population-based studies. The researchers acquired height and weight measurements from 65 million children in 200 countries.All those measurements produced a decidedly diverse picture of height and weight. While European countries...…ADHow tall is the average 19-year-old?The answer depends on where you look — heights and weights vary worldwide. A of children and adolescents from 5 to 19 around the world shows just how much the average varies. It also reveals wide rifts in health and nutrition in the tallest and shortest nations.Published in the Lancet, the study pooled data from over 2,000 population-based studies. The researchers acquired height and weight measurements from 65 million children in 200 countries.All those measurements produced a decidedly diverse picture of height and weight. While European countries...WW…

Nutritional guidelines stress the importance of a varied diet of fruits and veggies. But how much do kids really consume? A new from the National Center for Health Statistics sheds light on the eating habits of children and teens — and shows that while most kids are eating vegetables, they eat less fruit as they grow older.Between 2015 and 2018, the data shows, about 75 percent of kids and adolescents ate fruit on a given day. More than 90 percent ate vegetables.While 90 percent of 2- to 5-year-olds ate fruit on a given day, only 64.3 percent of 12- to 19-year-olds did the same. Younger...…Nutritional guidelines stress the importance of a varied diet of fruits and veggies. But how much do kids really consume? A new from the National Center for Health Statistics sheds light on the eating habits of children and teens — and shows that while most kids are eating vegetables, they eat less fruit as they grow older.Between 2015 and 2018, the data shows, about 75 percent of kids and adolescents ate fruit on a given day. More than 90 percent ate vegetables.While 90 percent of 2- to 5-year-olds ate fruit on a given day, only 64.3 percent of 12- to 19-year-olds did the same. Younger...WW…

For years, experts have tried to hammer the message home: Call 911 at the first signs of a stroke.But is their message getting through?Not as well as hoped, a new study suggests: Nearly 1 in 3 young adults (mean age 31.3) in the United States is unaware of all five stroke symptoms.The sooner people call for help after stroke symptoms — sudden numbness or weakness, especially on one side; trouble speaking or confusion; sudden trouble with eyesight; sudden trouble walking or dizziness; and sudden, severe headache with no known cause — the higher the likelihood the patient will survive.A group...…For years, experts have tried to hammer the message home: Call 911 at the first signs of a stroke.But is their message getting through?Not as well as hoped, a new study suggests: Nearly 1 in 3 young adults (mean age 31.3) in the United States is unaware of all five stroke symptoms.The sooner people call for help after stroke symptoms — sudden numbness or weakness, especially on one side; trouble speaking or confusion; sudden trouble with eyesight; sudden trouble walking or dizziness; and sudden, severe headache with no known cause — the higher the likelihood the patient will survive.A group...WW…

Since forever, people have looked to plants for healing. And plant-based medicine isn’t just the territory of herbalists; from your cup of tea to the prescription medicines you may rely on, medicines derived from or inspired by plants are all around us.“” tells the story of herbal medicine with the help of gorgeous botanical illustrations and a wealth of knowledge about the history and future of healing plants. Written by British science writer Catherine Whitlock and designed by Lindsey Johns, it’s a veritable garden of information about plants and their medicinal properties.It features 100...…Since forever, people have looked to plants for healing. And plant-based medicine isn’t just the territory of herbalists; from your cup of tea to the prescription medicines you may rely on, medicines derived from or inspired by plants are all around us.“” tells the story of herbal medicine with the help of gorgeous botanical illustrations and a wealth of knowledge about the history and future of healing plants. Written by British science writer Catherine Whitlock and designed by Lindsey Johns, it’s a veritable garden of information about plants and their medicinal properties.It features 100...WW…

When surgeons at the Medical College of Virginia in Richmond performed a successful heart transplant in 1968, it made news. The transplant was the 16th ever performed, and the first in the South.It was newsworthy for another reason, too: The heart had been taken from a Black factory worker, Bruce Tucker, without his family’s consent. It was put in the chest of a White businessman, Joseph Klett, in violation of a state waiting period for the research use of bodies.In “,” journalist Chip Jones tells the gruesome story, and connects the transplant to the history of medical mistreatment of...…When surgeons at the Medical College of Virginia in Richmond performed a successful heart transplant in 1968, it made news. The transplant was the 16th ever performed, and the first in the South.It was newsworthy for another reason, too: The heart had been taken from a Black factory worker, Bruce Tucker, without his family’s consent. It was put in the chest of a White businessman, Joseph Klett, in violation of a state waiting period for the research use of bodies.In “,” journalist Chip Jones tells the gruesome story, and connects the transplant to the history of medical mistreatment of...WW…

Today, the health risks of polluted air are well known. Considered a “major cause of death and disease” by the , air pollution can cause lung cancer, heart disease, stroke, asthma, low birth weight and a host of other conditions.But a half-century ago, those effects hadn’t been studied, or publicized, as thoroughly. So the U.S. government turned to film to educate the public. ,” curated by the National Library of Medicine, highlights six educational films that helped the public learn more about air pollution’s risks. Cinema historian puts the films in context in an essay that accompanies...…Today, the health risks of polluted air are well known. Considered a “major cause of death and disease” by the , air pollution can cause lung cancer, heart disease, stroke, asthma, low birth weight and a host of other conditions.But a half-century ago, those effects hadn’t been studied, or publicized, as thoroughly. So the U.S. government turned to film to educate the public. ,” curated by the National Library of Medicine, highlights six educational films that helped the public learn more about air pollution’s risks. Cinema historian puts the films in context in an essay that accompanies...WW…

Fires and fear. Death and discomfort. If 2020 feels like your dark night of the soul, you’re not alone: U.S. adults are struggling with unprecedented symptoms of stress, worry and depression this year, according to the latest .But even when crumbling feels like the only option, a new book suggests that there might be another way: bloom through the darkness by accepting it. In “,” clinical psychologist Michelle Pearce maps a path through adversity.Part writing guide, part treatise on pain and resilience, the book explains how to use writing to build resilience and face adversity. Pearce...…Fires and fear. Death and discomfort. If 2020 feels like your dark night of the soul, you’re not alone: U.S. adults are struggling with unprecedented symptoms of stress, worry and depression this year, according to the latest .But even when crumbling feels like the only option, a new book suggests that there might be another way: bloom through the darkness by accepting it. In “,” clinical psychologist Michelle Pearce maps a path through adversity.Part writing guide, part treatise on pain and resilience, the book explains how to use writing to build resilience and face adversity. Pearce...WW…

Our bodies need cholesterol to build cells and other substances. But when blood cholesterol levels get too high, that can make it hard for blood to flow and increase the risk of heart disease and stroke.How high is yours?If you don’t know, you’re not alone. High cholesterol doesn’t usually come with symptoms, and many people — especially young adults — have never had theirs checked during adulthood.So when, and how, should you get screened?The National Institutes of Health recommends all adults 20 and older have their cholesterol checked every five years. In reality, the Centers for Disease...…Our bodies need cholesterol to build cells and other substances. But when blood cholesterol levels get too high, that can make it hard for blood to flow and increase the risk of heart disease and stroke.How high is yours?If you don’t know, you’re not alone. High cholesterol doesn’t usually come with symptoms, and many people — especially young adults — have never had theirs checked during adulthood.So when, and how, should you get screened?The National Institutes of Health recommends all adults 20 and older have their cholesterol checked every five years. In reality, the Centers for Disease...WW…