Month: May 2021

Opinion The fear of dying in New York was uppermost in my mind as my bruised foot swelled and turned black: I could never afford it I had dropped my kids off at school and was lifting one of their scooters, when I turned sharply and felt something ping in my foot. It wasn’t much; a bad cramp, I thought, more painful than usual, which would probably wear off by the time I got home. I limped back to my apartment, took painkillers and put it on ice. By the next morning, the foot had begun to turn black. By the evening, the flesh was rising like dough. “Ew,” said a friend, when I showed it to her that night. “You need a pedicure. Also: you need to see a doctor right now.” It’s either laziness, Britishness, or a strain of my general belief in denial, but in most circumstances I’d rather suffe...

Six months into the drive to inoculate the U.S. population against Covid-19, stark gaps have opened up between the states with the highest and lowest vaccination rates. But so far, states that have been slower to vaccinate haven’t paid a big price in outbreaks of new cases, thanks in part to what scientists call the open-air effect. Many of the states with the lowest shares of people who have had at least one vaccine shot are located in the Deep South, including Mississippi, Georgia, Alabama and Arkansas, and avoided large outbreaks last spring, only to see cases surge in hot summer months. Most of these states also avoided a spike in cases during the first few months of this year, even as many northeastern states like Vermont, Massachusetts and New Hampshire, which ...

The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported an increase of 42 COVID-19 cases on Monday and no new deaths.The additional cases bring the total since the beginning of the outbreak last year to 67,780. It's the fewest new daily cases since last October.The 7-day average of new daily cases dipped to 104.1, the lowest level since early November of last year.The number of Mainers with COVID-19 who have died remains at 825. The Maine CDC reported that 699,816 Mainers, or 52.06% of the population, have received a final dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.MAINE CORONAVIRUS DATA: Deaths: 825 Total cases: 67,780 Confirmed cases: 49,647 Probable cases: 18,133 Cumulative positivity rate: 2.81% 14-day positivity rate: 2% Currently hospitaliz...

The green fruit has become a staple in kitchens around the world -- and for good reason. Avocados deliver a variety of health benefits and are a versatile ingredient when cooking, said CNN nutrition contributor Lisa Drayer. She uses the fatty fruit in soups, dips and even chocolate truffles. Depending on how you bake with it, avocados can be a great fat substitute that won't make your desserts taste like avocado, she noted. They are chock-full of nutrients and can be a beneficial addition to a balanced diet. Here are five ways avocados are good for your health: 1. Avocados are high in omega-3 They are high in omega-3 fatty acids, which help to lower low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Often called LDL cholesterol, it is known as the "bad cholesterol," Drayer said, while high-density...

New research suggests that actively playing music may have a small but positive impact on cognitive function, even in older adults who already show signs of dementia. Playing music works multiple areas of the brain at the same time. Other crucial habits, like staying active and being social, can also help mitigate your risk of cognitive decline. Music does wonders for your mood, but did you know it might give your brain a boost, too? In fact, playing music—not just listening to it—has a positive effect on your cognition, even if you’re already showing signs of dementia, new research suggests. For a new meta-analysis published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, researchers from the University of Pittsburgh examined nine studies with 495 participants...

Nothing feels more like summer than a neighborhood barbecue, especially following the dreary winter months. But the nemesis of summer gatherings remains: the droning whine of mosquitoes around our ears. So, why do these bloodsucking insects hover around our ears in the first place? And why do they produce that annoying buzz? "The buzzing in your ear is mostly just a side effect of the mosquito's wings beating," said Michael Riehle, a professor of entomology at the University of Arizona. "[The sound] doesn't have a long range, so you notice it most when they are flying around your ears." Related: Why do some people always get bitten by mosquitoes, while others don't? Ladies that lunch That buzzing you hear is likely from a female mosquito.  That's because male and female mosquitoes ...