The liquor cabinets, beer coolers and wine cellars in our homes harbor one of the most pernicious substances in U.S. households, a leading (but often overlooked) cause of preventable death and debilitation: Yes, alcohol itself. Federal officials estimate that 1 in 8 deaths of Americans ages 20 to 64 results from injuries or illnesses tied to excessive….
Continue ReadingLiver disease
Focus on surging pandemic dims as two other infections grab headlines
The coronavirus pandemic continues to give Americans a crash course in global infectious diseases, with experts and regular folks warily watching not only the virus’s continuing summer surge but also seeing with concern increasing incidences of rare hepatitis cases in kids and outbreaks of monkeypox in travelers and among partying gay men. While the other….
Continue ReadingSpiking death rate a harsh reminder of alcohol’s risks, especially for women
Tipple much, much less in 2020. That might be a life-saving bit of advice for too many Americans to follow, especially because of new data on a worrisome spike in alcohol-related deaths. As NBC News reported, based on published research by federal researchers: “The yearly total of alcohol-related deaths for people ages 16 and over….
Continue ReadingOxyContin reformulation faulted in 222% spike in hepatitis C infections
Investigators have teased out yet another damaging thread in the villainous web of harms of the opioid crisis. A spike in hepatitis C infections is a costly, long-term, and major health consequence of the hype and disastrous reformulation of OxyContin, the powerful painkiller made by Purdue Pharmaceuticals owned by the wealthy Sackler family. Purdue, in….
Continue ReadingMore bad booze news: Liver disease deaths are rising, especially among young
Summer tipplers may want to steer away from that second glass of sangria, or rethink that next round of beers. That’s because there’s yet more bad news about Americans and booze abuse: Liver disease deaths are spiking, with fatalities tied to cirrhosis jumping by 65 percent between 1999 and 2016, while those connected with liver….
Continue ReadingNIH ripped for Big Alcohol funding and advising on $100-million drinking study
The National Institutes of Health, perhaps the world’s leading medical research institution, has moved fast to try to fix self-inflicted damage to its reputation caused by a controversial $100-million study on alcohol and its harms. NIH Director Francis Collins halted the study, and an advisory group backed his action, lambasting researchers for soliciting funding and counsel from….
Continue ReadingFor expectant moms, new study’s findings raise a red flag on alcohol use
Even as the nation struggles with alcohol and drug abuse, it’s clear that more public health effort needs to be directed at helping expectant mothers understand how much substances they ingest can harm their kids. The New York Times reported that a new study published in the JAMA medical journal has conservatively estimated that “fetal alcohol….
Continue ReadingWhile other addictions hit crisis levels, we can’t ignore soaring alcohol woes
It’s more than happy hour chardonnays with office mates or malt liquors at a summer barbecue. Public health experts are warning that alcohol drinking is rising sharply, and in especially worrisome fashion for women, seniors, African Americans, Latinos, and Americans of Asian descent. As the nation struggles with addiction crises—especially a plague of opioid drug….
Continue ReadingHappier new year? Don’t overdo holiday eating, drinking, travel, socializing
Here’s hoping the holidays are going well for one and all. But, even as they fly away, moderation and some common sense about the seasonal celebrations is worth keeping in mind. It can pay, for example, to be careful about what you eat in this festive time. Researchers at the RAND Corporation have just issued….
Continue ReadingFor Kentucky’s sick and poor, health policy controversies are harsh realities
Although the partisan wrangling over what’s next with American health care seems to ignore the maddening realities confronting patient-consumers, a new look at the plight of poor Kentuckians provides a harsh look at the collision of many major health policy controversies including soaring drug prices, the Affordable Care Act, and the prescription drug abuse crisis…..
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