Month: August 2024

It’s been a bad month for public health. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] On August 14, the World Health Organization declared mpox as an international health emergency, given the “unprecedented” spread of a new, more deadly variant. In the United States, bird flu, formally known as H5N1, has spread to 10 agricultural workers in Colorado, an alarming development … Read more

I’ll never know how much caffeine I consumed the night I practically drank my weight in Typhoo tea, but given the fact that I stayed awake for 24 hours, it was an awful lot. The tea was delicious, the conversation with friends was engaging—and both conspired to see me consuming three pots of the stuff … Read more

You swear you sleep better when you drift off in your partner’s arms, while your sweetheart says spooning is more stress than it’s worth. The heat. The accidental kicks. That you’re-smothering-me feeling. So who’s right? Does cuddling help or harm your sleep? There is not a lot of scientific research on the subject. But the … Read more

Some lucky sleepers climb into bed, close their eyes, and are out cold within five minutes. Others stare at the ceiling for an hour, check the clock, try to find a fresh angle of the ceiling to observe, and then toss, turn, and repeat, every night, week after week. Insomnia affects 10% to 15% of … Read more

Parvovirus B19, a respiratory virus that causes a telltale “slapped-cheek” rash, is on the rise in the U.S., according to an Aug. 13 alert from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). There’s no routine surveillance for parvovirus in the U.S., but several indicators suggest the virus is spreading widely right now, the … Read more