Month: June 2021

CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee -- On the social media platform TikTok, users are challenging themselves to a dry scoop of pre-workout powder with the goal of boosting energy levels in the gym. WTVC reports Briatney Portillo, a 20-year-old social media influencer, is speaking out about the harmful trend. In a rival TikTok video, Portillo reveals she suffered a heart attack after taking a dry scoop of Redcon1's Total War Pre-Workout powder. Dr. Harish Manyam, chief of cardiology at Erlanger Hospital in Tennessee, says taking a large portion of caffeine in one setting will substantially increase blood pressure. "You're getting this high dose of caffeine right away, rather than most people who sip their drink prior to going into the gym," says Dr. Manyam. Dr. Manyam warns people to stay away from t...

JEFFERSON CITY, MO. — Parts of Missouri are seeing a major increase in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations as summer travel ramps up, health providers are pleading for Missourians to get vaccinated.  Last week, Linn and Livingston counties in northern Missouri led the U.S. in the largest number of newest cases per capita in seven days. St. Louis hospitals see record low COVID hospitalizations Now, parts of southwest Missouri are seeing an increase in COVID cases and hospitalizations, and those numbers are expected to rise if more people don’t get vaccinated.  “This is troubling,” Missouri Hospital Association (MHA) Communications Director Dave Dillon said. “You look at the places we’re seeing spikes, they’re also places that have low rates of vaccinati...

As coronavirus vaccines have become more widely available, officials are looking to expand COVID-19 vaccination coverage among adolescents. Speaking at a White House COVID-19 response team virtual town hall, Dr. Anthony Fauci, President Biden’s chief medical adviser, noted 3.3 million coronavirus infections and 314 deaths in those younger than 18. He also cited a recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which indicated low hospitalization rates among adolescents, at just two per 100,000 at the peak.  Of the 204 children under study, nearly one-third were sent to an ICU and 5% required mechanical ventilation, however, there were no deaths. Also, 70.6% of the total had at least one underlying medical issue. "The bottom line is that COVID-19 in pediatric patients...

Each year, an estimated 1.8 million people in the United States are affected by cancer — most commonly cancers of the breast, lung, prostate, and blood cancers such as leukemia. While not everyone overcomes the disease, thanks to science, more people are surviving — and for longer — than ever before in history. We asked three people whose lives have been impacted by cancer to share their stories – how their lives were changed by the disease, and how they're using that experience to change the future of cancer treatments with the hope that ultimately, in the fight against cancer, science will win. Here's what they had to say. Celine Ryan, 55, engineer database programmer and mother of five from Detroit, MI Photo courtesy of Celine Ryan In September 2013, Celine Ryan woke up fr...

A new study found that children reared on a vegan diet may have stunted growth and other health problems compared to those raised on a diet that includes meat. The study was conducted by researchers at the University College London and the Children's Memorial Health Institute. They looked at data from healthy children ages 5 to 10 in Poland. The study found that the children raised on a vegan diet were 3 centimeters shorter than their meat-eating counterparts. The children were also three times likely to suffer from a vitamin B deficiency. The vegan children, however, had less body fat and better levels of cholesterol that's linked to heart disease. The study also found that vegan children had lower bone mass and 4% to 6% lower bone mineral density. This could lead to osteopor...