Health category, Page 116
What we know so far about the nation’s vaping illness outbreak
U.S. health officials are investigating what might be causing hundreds of serious breathing illnesses in people who use e-cigarettes and other vaping devices. They have identified about 450 possible cases in 33 states, including six deaths. A look at what we know so far about the outbreak as the investigation...
Research targeting vision loss topic of Latrobe Lions program
The CEO of the Eye and Ear Foundation of Pittsburgh will visit Latrobe later this month to provide an update on local research that is under way to combat macular degeneration and other conditions that can lead to vision loss. Lawton Snyder, who is originally from Greensburg, will present a...
Step it up? In the battle of fitness trackers, the most steps might not win
Many benefits Studies show that 150 minutes a week of moderate activity, such as walking, can lower the risk of heart disease and stroke, improve sleep, help reduce weight gain and improve bone health. Perhaps no one knows that better than Tom Holland, an exercise physiologist and sports nutritionist who...
Progress in understanding Alzheimer’s disease genetics
What is happening with Alzheimer’s disease research and treatment? We heard from Maria Carrillo, chief science officer of the nationwide Alzheimer’s Association, during a recent visit to San Diego. Here are some questions and answers from the interview, edited for space and clarity. Question: There have been several failed clinical...
Abused kids are texting hotline for help, support
Pegged as the digital generation, children use technology frequently to communicate with others — including in times of crisis. Instead of having a conversation with a trusted adult when they need support, many minors turn to social media. But when it comes to verbalizing experiences of maltreatment — neglect or...
Health happenings
Blood drives • American Red Cross will host these blood drives: — 1:30-7 p.m. Friday, St. Bruno’s Church, 1707 S. Poplar St., Greensburg — 9-2:30 p.m. Saturday , Our Lady of Grace, 1011 Mt. Pleasant Road, Hempfield Appointments: 800-733-2767 or red crossblood.org; walk-ins welcome Classes/programs • Your Changing Body for Girls...
CDC: Stop kissing, snuggling your chickens
Poultry owners are being advised to avoid infection during moments of affection. The Centers for Disease Control is recommending various methods to limit the spread of salmonella from backyard poultry to humans. The agency says proper hygiene is the key, such as washing hands with soap and water after handling...
Ball caps become wearable works of art for cancer patientsVideo
The trials and tribulations that come with a cancer fight are daunting. A few crafters are doing their part to make it just a bit brighter for those doing battle. Manning work stations inside a meeting room at Excela Square at Latrobe, volunteers select bright, freshly washed silk flowers, attaching...
U.S. health officials report 3rd vaping death, repeat warning
NEW YORK — U.S. health officials are again urging people to stop vaping until they figure out why some are coming down with serious breathing illnesses. Officials on Friday said they had identified 450 possible illnesses, including at least three deaths, in 33 states. The count includes a newly reported...
Pennsylvania gets $75M more in federal aid for opioid fight
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania will receive another $75 million in federal aid to fight the opioid-addiction crisis, money that Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration says will help with treatment, prevention and education. Wolf’s administration said Friday that about $56 million will go to the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs. The money...
Officials target Vitamin E as cause for vaping illnesses
The security of safeness of vaping has taken another hit. Federal and state health officials have targeted Vitamin E as the cause of vaping-related illnesses that have affected people across the country. Public health officials said a person who recently died of a severe respiratory illness had used an e-cigarette...
All soda — even diet — linked to risk of early death, study says
In researchers’ continuing mission to ruin everything fun, a new expansive study shows that sodas — even diet ones — could be deadly. And it’s not like the study was quick and dirty. Published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine, researchers looked at more than 450,000 people in 10 European...
Michigan moves to be 1st state to ban flavored e-cigarettes
LANSING, Mich. — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is moving to make Michigan the first state to ban flavored e-cigarettes. The Democrat announced Wednesday that she ordered the state health department to issue emergency rules. They will prohibit the sale and misleading marketing of flavored nicotine vaping products. Whitmer says in a...
British teen goes blind by living mostly on junk food, study says
A teenage boy who subsisted primarily on junk food went blind from his poor diet, according to a new study. The 17-year-old, who lives in the United Kingdom, first went to the doctor at age 14 complaining of tiredness, the Annals of Internal Medicine wrote in the study abstract. By...
CDC awards Pennsylvania $2.25 million grant to study maternal mortality
Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration announced Tuesday it has received a $2.25 million grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to study the cause of maternal deaths in the state after an increase in recent years. Officials said the state Department of Health will receive the grant over five...
Tarentum Recreation Board hosting health fair in park
Helping people live a healthier life is the driving force behind a new health fair in Tarentum. The Tarentum Recreation Board is holding the fair from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at the Carl J. Magnetta Jr. Memorial Amphitheater in Riverview Memorial Park. “Health fairs serve a lot of...
Ohio medical board to review nearly 2,000 ‘sexual boundary’ cases
COLUMBUS, Ohio — The State Medical Board of Ohio plans to review nearly 2,000 closed cases involving alleged “sexual boundary” violations by doctors over the past 25 years to see if any involved evidence of criminal misconduct that was ignored. Gov. Mike DeWine requested such a review after learning credible...
Have it your way when making healthier fast food choices
Does following a weight-loss or healthy diet mean you must swear off fast food? Not necessarily. An occasional stop for fast food can fit into a healthy diet — if you’re careful about what you order. Consider the following tips. Keep portion sizes small If the fast-food restaurant offers several...
For chronic Lyme patients, every day can be a struggleVideo
It was bad enough that Amy Wiester of Bell Township contracted Lyme disease at age 6 after suffering a tick bite at her family’s farm. But Wiester, 36, was bitten twice more by Lyme-carrying ticks, in 2004 and 2018. The disease — and the co-infections that frequently accompany it —...
Worried? Losing sleep? It’s hard not to be stressed in 2019
Are you feeling stressed? Do your days bring more OMGs than LOLs? Do you lose sleep over finances, violence, politics or the country and planet’s future? If you have a kid(s), do the demands of parenting cause anxiety? If you are a kid, do the pressures of adolescence prompt the...
There’s no single ‘gay gene,’ according to vast DNA analysis
A new study that analyzed the DNA of nearly half a million people has found that while genetic differences play a significant role in sexual preference, there is no single gene responsible. The findings, described Thursday in the journal Science, looked at sexual behavior and not sexual identity. Still, the...
Doctors fear vaping to blame for spike in lung illnesses
Doctors in Western Pennsylvania are concerned and frustrated with an uptick in vaping-related lung illnesses diagnosed over the past few weeks. Pittsburgh joins a growing list of places that have identified people with breathing problems related to vaping. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is investigating 215 possible cases...
Greensburg rally offers message of hope on National Overdose Awareness DayVideo
At 18 years old, Nakkia Proffit had to watch as a friend fatally overdosed, and it still was not enough to keep her from making negative decisions about drugs. On Saturday, Proffit was continuing her recovery and shared her story with attendees at a rally in Greensburg’s St. Clair Park...
More vaping illnesses reported, many involving marijuana
WASHINGTON — Health officials are investigating more cases of a breathing illness associated with vaping. While the cause remains unclear, officials said Friday that many reports involve e-cigarette products that contain THC, the mind-altering substance in marijuana. Officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday they are...
Trump eyes mental institutions as answer to gun violence
WASHINGTON — When shots rang out last year at a high school in Parkland, Fla., leaving 17 people dead, President Donald Trump quickly turned his thoughts to creating more mental institutions. When back-to-back mass shootings in Dayton, Ohio, and El Paso, Texas, jolted the nation earlier this month, Trump again...
