Health

Your kidneys are essential for filtering waste, balancing body fluids, and managing blood pressure—yet they’re often overlooked in daily health routines. Surprisingly, many common lifestyle habits may be silently damaging these vital organs over time. From overusing painkillers to eating too much salt or processed food, even seemingly harmless choices can strain your kidneys. Add in poor hydration, lack of …

Speedballing—the practice of combining a stimulant like cocaine or methamphetamine with an opioid such as heroin or fentanyl—has evolved from a niche subculture to a widespread public health crisis. The practice stems from the early 1900s, when World War I soldiers were often treated with a combination of cocaine and morphine. Once associated with high-profile figures like John Belushi, River …

A resident of Arizona has died from pneumonic plague, health officials confirmed on Friday. This was the first recorded death from the disease in the county since 2007, Coconino County Health and Human Services reported. In that case, a person had an interaction with a dead animal infected with the disease. Plague, known as the “Black Death” in the 14th …

This plaque inside a medical facility in Pretoria states that it was funded by the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). Phill Magakoe/AFP hide caption toggle caption Phill Magakoe/AFP JOHANNESBURG, South Africa — Decades of progress in the fight against HIV/AIDS are in danger of unraveling, the United Nations Aids Agency (UNAIDS) warned Thursday in its annual report, …

People at higher risk of HIV, such as gay men and people who inject drugs, are facing record levels of criminalisation worldwide, according to UNAids. For the first time since the joint UN programme on HIV/Aids began reporting on punitive laws a decade ago, the number of countries criminalising same-sex sexual activity and gender expression has increased. In the past …

A blacklegged tick, also known as a deer tick, which is a carrier of Lyme disease. Photo courtesy of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention via AP Invasive plants, new housing development and climate change are boosting tick populations in Vermont, officials say, prompting new concerns about diseases the tiny arachnids carry.  Although ticks have been present for …

In the United States, strokes are a top cause of death and a major cause of disability, according to the American Stroke Association. This is a scary reality, especially since many of the stroke risk factors are pretty silent (like high cholesterol and high blood pressure) ― until they’re not. But just because some of the risk factors aren’t always …

Up to 3 in every 1,000 newborns has hearing loss in one or both ears. While cochlear implants offer remarkable hope for these children, it requires invasive surgery. These implants also cannot fully replicate the nuance of natural hearing. But recent research my colleagues and I conducted has shown that a form of gene therapy can successfully restore hearing in …

Pain isn’t just a physical sensation — it also carries emotional weight. That distress, anguish, and anxiety can turn a fleeting injury into long-term suffering. Researchers at the Salk Institute have now identified a brain circuit that gives physical pain its emotional tone, revealing a new potential target for treating chronic and affective pain conditions such as fibromyalgia, migraine, and …

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