Category Archives: Health & Wellness

COVID-19 vaccines may help some cancer patients fight tumors

COVID-19 vaccines may help some cancer patients fight tumors

WASHINGTON (AP) — The most widely used COVID-19 vaccines may offer a surprise benefit for some cancer patients by boosting their immune systems to help fight tumors. Research reported Wednesday in the journal Nature found that people with advanced lung or skin cancer lived longer if they received a Pfizer or Moderna shot within 100 days of starting a type of immunotherapy. The mRNA in these vaccines appears to enhance the immune system’s response. Now the research team is preparing a more rigorous study of the potential connection, to see if mRNA vaccines should be deliberately paired with cancer drugs called checkpoint inhibitors.… Continue Reading

Trump administration suggests ties between Tylenol, vaccines and autism

Trump administration suggests ties between Tylenol, vaccines and autism

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is using the platform of the presidency to promote unproven ties between Tylenol, vaccines and autism without giving new evidence. Speaking Monday from the White House, the president said women should not take acetaminophen, also known by the brand name Tylenol, “during the entire pregnancy.” He also raised unfounded concerns about vaccines. The Trump administration has been under immense pressure from Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s diverse Make America Healthy Again movement to provide answers on the causes of the marked increase in autism cases in the U.S. in recent years.… Continue Reading

Kennedy tries to defend COVID-19 vaccine stance in raucous Senate hearing

Kennedy tries to defend COVID-19 vaccine stance in raucous Senate hearing

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. faced tough bipartisan questioning about his COVID-19 policies in a Senate committee hearing. On Thursday, Democratic senators clashed with Kennedy over his changes to vaccine recommendations, while some Republican senators also expressed concerns. Kennedy praised President Donald Trump for the Operation Warp Speed initiative but criticized the safety of mRNA vaccines. He defended the firing of the CDC director, claiming she was dishonest. Kennedy’s actions, including replacing a vaccine advisory panel with skeptics, have drawn criticism from medical groups. They warn his policies could increase vaccine-preventable diseases and have called for his resignation.… Continue Reading

A judge could advance Purdue Pharma’s $7B opioid settlement after all 50 states back it

A judge could advance Purdue Pharma’s $7B opioid settlement after all 50 states back it

A judge is being asked to clear the way for local governments and individual victims to vote on OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma’s plan to settle thousands of lawsuits over the toll of opioids. The deal would be among the largest in a wave of opioid settlements. It calls for members of the Sackler family who own the company to give up ownership and to contribute up to $7 billion over time. Of that, about $890 million could go to people who were victims of the drug epidemic, or their survivors. Most of the rest is to be used by state and local governments to fight the crisis.… Continue Reading

Could you eat this much ice cream after walking 1,100 miles? Some Appalachian Trail hikers try

Could you eat this much ice cream after walking 1,100 miles? Some Appalachian Trail hikers try

GARDNERS, Pa. (AP) — Midway up the Appalachian Trail, a little country store in Gardners, Pennsylvania, invites hikers to take on an additional challenge: eating a half-gallon of ice cream in one sitting. So far this year, about 50 thru-hikers have finished the challenge. Besides bragging rights, they earned a commemorative wooden spoon and the honor of having their photos posted on a store bulletin board. The record, set two years ago, is under 4 minutes. It took nearly 40 minutes for Sam Cooper to finish the challenge earlier this week. He called it “pure misery,” and added: “I don’t think anybody should be doing this. This is not healthy at all.”… Continue Reading

Exercise boosts survival rates in colon cancer patients, study shows

Exercise boosts survival rates in colon cancer patients, study shows

A first-of-its-kind experiment shows a three-year exercise program improved survival in colon cancer patients. The findings were featured Sunday at a cancer meeting in Chicago and published by the New England Journal of Medicine. Experts say cancer centers and insurance plans should consider making exercise coaching a new standard of care. Researchers followed 889 patients with treatable colon cancer who had completed chemotherapy. Half were given health information while the others worked with an exercise coach. Over time, the people in the structured exercise program had 28% fewer cancers and 37% fewer deaths from any cause.… Continue Reading

Exercise boosts survival rates in colon cancer patients, study shows

Exercise boosts survival rates in colon cancer patients, study shows

A first-of-its-kind experiment shows a three-year exercise program improved survival in colon cancer patients. The findings were featured Sunday at a cancer meeting in Chicago and published by the New England Journal of Medicine. Experts say cancer centers and insurance plans should consider making exercise coaching a new standard of care. Researchers followed 889 patients with treatable colon cancer who had completed chemotherapy. Half were given health information while the others worked with an exercise coach. Over time, the people in the structured exercise program had 28% fewer cancers and 37% fewer deaths from any cause.… Continue Reading

FDA approves Moderna’s new lower-dose COVID-19 vaccine

FDA approves Moderna’s new lower-dose COVID-19 vaccine

The Food and Drug administration has approved a new COVID-19 vaccine made by Moderna but with limits on who can use it. Moderna’s new option is a lower-dose version that is a step toward next-generation coronavirus vaccines. The company said in a statement Saturday that it expects to offer both the new vaccine and its existing COVID-19 shot this fall. The FDA approved the new vaccine for all adults 65 and older, and for people age 12 to 64 who are at higher risk from the coronavirus. That’s the same limit that the FDA set in licensing another vaccine option from Novavax.… Continue Reading

On ‘World Bee Day,’ the bees did not seem bothered. They should be

On ‘World Bee Day,’ the bees did not seem bothered. They should be

COLOGNE, Germany (AP) — Tuesday was the eighth annual “World Bee Day.” Bees and other pollinators have been on the decline for years. Experts blame a combination of factors. They include insecticides, parasites, disease, climate change and lack of a diverse food supply. A significant part of the human diet comes from plants pollinated by bees. And not just honeybees but hundreds of species of lesser-known wild bees. Many of them are endangered. The U.N. General Assembly sponsored the first “World Bee Day” in 2018 to bring attention to the bees’ plight. Steps as small as planting a pollinator garden or buying raw honey from local farmers were encouraged.… Continue Reading

Trump officials set new requirements for COVID vaccines in healthy adults and children

Trump officials set new requirements for COVID vaccines in healthy adults and children

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal health officials will no longer routinely approve annual COVID-19 shots for younger adults and children who are healthy. Companies that want to market their vaccines to those Americans will need to conduct large, new studies, the Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday. It’s a major shift in FDA’s approach to updating vaccines that protect against the virus. It comes as Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy and his appointees continue to scrutinize the use of vaccines for a number of diseases. The FDA said Tuesday annual COVID shots will still be regularly approved for seniors and younger people with increased health risks from the virus.… Continue Reading

Recent News

Powered By SoCast