Daily E-Cigarette Use Can Help Smokers Quit, According to One of the Most Comprehensive Studies Yet

E-cigarettes have long been pitched as a healthier alternative to cigarettes, and one that could help smokers kick the habit by delivering nicotine without many of the dangerous byproducts of combustible tobacco products. But there’s plenty of debate in the scientific community as to whether that’s actually true. For every study that suggests e-cigarettes can … Read more

Your Summer Beach Trip Could Put You at Risk of Getting Sick. Here’s What You Need to Know

A sunburn may not be the only health consequence of your summer beach trips and pool days. A study published last year estimated that recreational water activities are related to 90 million illnesses each year in the U.S., with swimming as one of the primary catalysts of water-borne respiratory, ear and skin infections. Less frequently, … Read more

WHO Declares Ebola in Congo a Public-Health Emergency Nearly a Year After Outbreak

The second-worst Ebola outbreak in history has killed more than 1,500 people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) since it began last August. And on Wednesday, nearly a year after the outbreak began, and in the midst of renewed concerns over its spread, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak a public-health … Read more

More U.S. Teenagers Are Trying to Lose Weight Than in Years Past. That May Be Reason for Concern

Recent years have ushered in a wellness movement that emphasizes body positivity and holistic health over thinness and crash diets. But new federal data suggest that messaging hasn’t fully changed behavior yet. In fact, the report shows that more American teenagers are trying to lose weight than in years past. From 2013 to 2016, almost … Read more

Drug Overdose Deaths Finally Dropped in 2018, Preliminary Data Say

After some promising early indicators, preliminary federal data suggest the number of Americans who died from drug overdoses finally fell in 2018, after years of significant increases. Provisional data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics predicted that 68,500 Americans died of drug overdoses in 2018, compared to … Read more