HEALTH & WELLNESS

Adolescents, Vaping And The Health Risks
HEALTH & WELLNESS, TOP FOUR

Adolescents, Vaping And The Health Risks

Adolescents who smoke or vape may believe tobacco’s perceived coping benefits outweigh accepted health risks Tobacco use in a variety of forms is common in adolescent life today, with over 2.25 million youth using. Huge progress has been made over the past few decades in reducing cigarette use among young people. But tobacco use – primarily through e-cigarettes, also known as vapes – remains a complex problem for public health and policy. In 2024, just over 8% of U.S. middle and high school students reported having used a tobacco product. Among tobacco users, nearly 6% used e-cigarettes, more than a quarter of whom used an e-cigarette product daily. We are behavioral health researchers. Our team’s ongoing research examines the factors associated with adolescent tobacco product use ...
6 Safety Tips For Summertime Joggers
HEALTH & WELLNESS, TOP FOUR

6 Safety Tips For Summertime Joggers

The key is to run sensibly! A disagreeable notion, perhaps, to take a jog during summer months when temperatures soar? The key is to run sensibly. Road Runners Club of America offers this sound advice: 1. Stay hydrated: Pre-hydration with a few glasses of water before running is advised, then carry a bottle or wear a hydration pack and sip at least every 20 minutes. Rrca.org recommends weighing yourself before and after running and, to determine proper hydration, “you should have drunk one pint of fluid for every pound you’re missing. Indications that you are running while dehydrated are a persistent elevated pulse after finishing your run and dark yellow urine. Keep in mind that thirst is not an adequate indicator of dehydration.” 2. Pay attention to the day’s air pollution and humidit...
Running With A Stroller And The Risk Of Injury
HEALTH & WELLNESS, TOP FOUR, VIDEO REELS

Running With A Stroller And The Risk Of Injury

Running with a stroller: 2 biomechanics researchers on how it affects your form − and risk of injury. “Faster, mommy, faster!” Allison’s toddler squealed as she ran down the hill by her house with her jogging stroller. As a longtime runner and running biomechanics researcher, she found herself in the same situation as many parents of young children: squeezing in runs between work meetings, meal prep and nap schedules. A running stroller offered flexibility – but something felt off. That question about her running form soon became the starting point for a shared research effort. The two of us – Allison Altman Singles and Joe Mahoney – are professors and biomechanics researchers interested in how running form affects injury risk. Together, we founded the Biomechanics and Gait Evaluation...
Something Strange Is Happening With Therapy
HEALTH & WELLNESS, TOP FOUR

Something Strange Is Happening With Therapy

Is a ‘friend-apist’ what we really want from therapy? When I read the recent New York Times article “Therapy Is Good. These Therapists Are Bad,” I couldn’t help but think of the Apple TV+ series “Shrinking.” The article details the troubling prevalence of ethical and legal boundary violations by therapists: riding an exercise bike during appointments, bringing a dog into sessions despite a patient’s fear of animals, flirting with patients and even having sex with them. In “Shrinking,” Jason Segel stars as Jimmy Laird, a cognitive behavioral therapist who becomes increasingly entangled in his patients’ lives. His skeptical boss, Paul Rhoades – played by Harrison Ford – critiques Jimmy’s unconventional methods while facing struggles of his own. Everyone seems enmeshed with everyone else...
Can Wealth Buy Health
HEALTH & WELLNESS

Can Wealth Buy Health

Americans die earlier at all wealth levels, even if wealth buys more years of life in the US than in Europe. Americans at all wealth levels are more likely to die sooner than their European counterparts, with even the richest U.S. citizens living shorter lives than northern and western Europeans. That is the key finding of our new study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine. We also found that while the wealthiest Americans live longer than the poorest, the wealth-mortality gap in the U.S. is far more pronounced than in Europe. We are a team of health policy researchers who study health systems and how their performance compares across countries. We analyzed survey data from 73,838 adults ages 50 to 85 across the United States and 16 European countries over a 12-year peri...
Doctors Across Numerous Fields Are In Short Supply
HEALTH & WELLNESS, TOP FOUR, VIDEO REELS

Doctors Across Numerous Fields Are In Short Supply

Doctor shortages have hobbled health care for decades − and the trend could be worsening. Americans are increasingly waiting weeks or even months to get an appointment to see a health care specialist. This delay comes at a time when the population of aging adults is rising dramatically. By 2050, the number of adults over 85 is expected to triple, which will intensify the strain on an already stretched health care system. We wrote about this worsening challenge and its implications for the health care workforce in a January 2025 report in the New England Journal of Medicine. We are health care scholars who are acutely aware of the severe shortfall of specialists in America’s health care system. One of us, Rochelle Walensky, witnessed the consequences of this shortage firsthand as the d...
Many Men Prefer A Clean Shave – Here’s How To Get One
HEALTH & WELLNESS

Many Men Prefer A Clean Shave – Here’s How To Get One

How to get a clean shave – tips from a skin expert The development of facial hair is a sexual characteristic that marks adulthood in men. In the past, facial hair was often frowned upon culturally in Nigeria, with some institutions even mandating a clean shave. Well-groomed facial hair has gradually become more acceptable globally, however. Despite this shift, anecdotally, many men would prefer to have a clean shave. But they worry about razor burn, nicks, skin irritation and developing bumpy skin. Pseudo-folliculitis barbae is a common disorder on the face and neck of individuals of African and Asian descent as a result of shaving. It happens when hairs grow back into the skin and cause inflammation and irritation. The result is papules (solid bumps), pustules (fluid-containing bumps...
The Downside Of Daylight Saving Time
HEALTH & WELLNESS, TOP FOUR, VIDEO REELS

The Downside Of Daylight Saving Time

Daylight saving time and early school start times cost billions in lost productivity and health care expenses. Investigations into the 1986 Space Shuttle Challenger disaster revealed that key decision-makers worked on little sleep, raising concerns that fatigue impaired their judgment. Similarly, in 1989, the Exxon Valdez oil spill resulted in a massive environmental catastrophe. The official investigation revealed the third mate, in charge of steering the ship, was running on too little sleep, among other problems. While these specific disasters were not caused by daylight saving time, they are conclusively linked to fatigue, based on postaccident investigations and reports. They underscore the well-documented dangers of sleep deprivation and fatigue-related errors. Yet a vast body of...
Why You Feel Better When Waking Yourself Instead Of Relying On An Alarm
HEALTH & WELLNESS, IN OTHER NEWS, VIDEO REELS

Why You Feel Better When Waking Yourself Instead Of Relying On An Alarm

Why do I feel better when I wake myself up instead of relying on an alarm? A neurologist explains the science of a restful night’s sleep.   Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to curiouskidsus@theconversation.com. Why do I feel better rested when I wake myself up than I do if my alarm or another person wakes me up? – Calleigh H., age 11, Oklahoma We’ve all experienced this: You’re in the middle of a lovely dream. Perhaps you’re flying. As you’re soaring through the air, you meet an eagle. The eagle looks at you, opens its beak and – BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! Your alarm goes off. Dream over, time to get up. Many people – kids and adults alike – notice that when they wake up naturally from sl...
The Winter Vomiting Bug, Norovirus Is On The Rise
HEALTH & WELLNESS, VIDEO REELS

The Winter Vomiting Bug, Norovirus Is On The Rise

Norovirus, aka the winter vomiting bug, is on the rise – an infectious disease expert explains the best ways to stay safe. The highly contagious norovirus – popularly known as “stomach flu” or the “winter vomiting bug” – is now surging through the U.S.. The number of outbreaks is up significantly over previous years, possibly due in part to a new strain of the virus. Outbreaks can occur after direct contact with someone who is infected. Food and household surfaces can also become contaminated. William Schaffner, a professor of preventive medicine and infectious diseases at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, discusses the symptoms of norovirus, how best to treat it, and the populations most vulnerable to this illness. Dr. William Schaffner discusses the norovirus. The Con...