Your heart changes in size and shape with exercise – this can lead to heart problems for some athletes and gym rats

Exercise has long been recognized by clinicians, scientists and public health officials as an important way to maintain health throughout a person’s lifespan. It improves overall fitness, helps build strong…

What is Alaskapox? A microbiologist explains the recently discovered virus that just claimed its first fatality

Alaskapox, a virus in the same family as smallpox, cowpox and mpox, claimed its first fatality in January 2024 when an elderly Alaskan man died of the illness. The virus,…

Nearly 2 million Americans are using kratom yearly, but it is banned in multiple states: A pharmacologist explains the controversy

Kratom products are sold online and at smoke shops and gas stations, like this one in Lone Tree, Colo. Amanda Mascarelli The herbal substance kratom, derived from the leaves of…

Candidates’ aging brains are factors in the presidential race − 4 essential reads

The leading contenders in the 2024 presidential election are two of the three oldest people ever to serve as president. President Joe Biden is 81. Former President Donald Trump is…

Israeli siege has placed Gazans at risk of starvation − prewar policies made them vulnerable in the first place

The stories of hunger emerging from war-ravaged Gaza are stark: People resorting to grinding barely edible cattle feed to make flour; desperate residents eating grass; reports of cats being hunted…

Nitazenes are a powerful class of street drugs emerging across the US

Two deaths in Boulder County, Colorado, in 2023 are the latest in the U.S. to be blamed on the powerful class of synthetic opioids called nitazenes. Most health systems cannot…

‘It is hijacking my brain’ – a team of experts found ways to help young people addicted to social media to cut the craving

Many people have compared the addictive nature of social media to cigarettes. Checking your likes, they say, is the new smoke break. Others say the unease over social media is…

Don’t let ‘FDA-approved’ or ‘patented’ in ads give you a false sense of security

Is that really a stamp of approval? iStock/Getty Images Plus If you’ve ever reached for a bottle of moisturizer labeled “patented” or “FDA approved,” you might want to think twice.…

Recognizing when someone is having a seizure – and how you can help during those first critical moments

Approximately 1 in 26 people develop epilepsy, a condition in which someone experiences recurring and unprovoked seizures. But experiencing a seizure does not always mean a person has epilepsy. Seizures…

Global health research suffers from a power imbalance − decolonizing mentorship can help level the playing field

Mentorship is a cornerstone of the infrastructure supporting global health. Transferring knowledge, developing skills and cultivating a supportive professional environment among researchers and clinicians around the world are key to…