Month: June 2021

And new research published this week points to another one, suggesting that people who drink coffee daily have a lower risk of developing and dying from liver disease. The study, published in the journal BMC Public Health, analyzed data from more than 495,000 people in the U.K. over a median of 10 years. They tracked which people developed chronic liver disease and related liver conditions, which are growing concerns worldwide. Compared to non-coffee drinkers, people who drink coffee had a 21% reduced risk of chronic liver disease and a 20% reduced risk of chronic or fatty liver disease. They were also much less likely to die from chronic liver disease if they did contract it. “Coffee is widely accessible and the benefits we see from our study may mean it could offer a potential prevent...

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices reported a likely association between the Pfizer and Moderna mRNA vaccines and “extremely rare” cases of myocarditis — inflammation of the heart muscle — and pericarditis — inflammation of the outer lining of the heart. The committee reviewed data on 1,226 cases of reported myocarditis or pericarditis out of 319 million doses of vaccine given, which represents 12.6 cases per million second doses administered. The agency determined cases were most common in males 12 to 30 years of age and occurred more often within several days of receiving a second dose but found that most were mild and individuals recovered on their own or required minimal treatment. CDC continues to recommend that all peop...

Relax — it could make your hair grow darker. A new study published Tuesday in the journal eLife found that stress significantly influences when hair goes gray, but chilling out can reverse the trend.  Researchers from Columbia University’s Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons reached these conclusions by analyzing the individual hairs of 14 volunteers in comparison to stress diaries each kept.  The method they used is comparable to analyzing the rings of a tree: By looking at a tiny portion of each human hair, reflecting approximately an hour of hair growth, the scientists were able to find a correlation between times of stress and times of graying in the hair.  Not only that, but they also found that periods of relaxation correlated with once...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Missouri health officials are reporting more than 900 COVID-19 cases Thursday, the first time that’s happened in over four months. In addition, the state’s positive test rate is now at 7% and the 7-day case average is over 500 for the first time since May 4. According to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, the state has recorded 521,254 cumulative cases of SARS-CoV-2—an increase of 904 positive cases (PCR testing only)—and 9,251 total deaths as of Wednesday, June 23, an increase of 2 over yesterday. That’s a case fatality rate of 1.78%. Please keep in mind that not all cases and deaths recorded occurred in the last 24 hours. Missouri last recorded more than 900 cases on Feb. 11. Approximately 2.34 million people h...

A woman receiving her first dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech covid-19 vaccine from a health care worker at a clinic at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church on April 9, 2021 in Los Angeles, California.Photo: Mario Tama (Getty Images) The covid-19 pandemic has receded substantially in the U.S., thanks in part to a successful vaccine campaign. But a new report from the Associated Press released Thursday highlights a clear divide in the country: Americans are still getting seriously sick and dying from the viral illness, but the vast majority of this harm is happening among the not fully vaccinated. The AP analyzed data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on covid-related hospitalizations and deaths reported in May 2021. During that time, there were more than 850,000 documented hospit...