Category Archives: Health & Wellness

US overdose deaths fell 27% last year, the largest one-year decline ever seen

US overdose deaths fell 27% last year, the largest one-year decline ever seen

There were 30,000 fewer U.S. drug overdose deaths in 2024 than the year before — the largest one-year decline ever recorded. An estimated 80,000 people died from an overdose 2024. That’s down 27% from the 110,000 in 2023. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data released the data Wednesday. The CDC has been collecting comparable data for 45 years. The previous largest one-year drop was 4% in 2018. Experts say several things could be driving the decline. They include increased availability of the overdose-reversing drug naloxone, expanded addiction treatment and shifts in how people use drugs.… Continue Reading

Autism rates in US rise again to 1 in 31 kids, CDC says

Autism rates in US rise again to 1 in 31 kids, CDC says

ATLANTA (AP) — Newly released federal statistics show an estimated 1 in 31 U.S. children have autism, marking another jump in a long string of increases. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported the numbers on Tuesday. Its data was from 14 states and Puerto Rico in 2022. The previous estimate in 2020 was 1 in 36. Boys continue to be diagnosed more than girls, and the highest rates are among children who are Asian/Pacific Islander, American Indian/Alaska Native and Black. The CDC’s estimate is considered the most rigorous and the gold standard.… Continue Reading

The skyrocketing cost of weight-loss drugs has state Medicaid programs looking for a solution

The skyrocketing cost of weight-loss drugs has state Medicaid programs looking for a solution

Some of the more than a dozen states that cover the high cost of GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy, Ozempic and Zepbound through Medicaid or state employee insurance programs are scrambling to lessen the budgetary squeeze from fast-rising costs. In Pennsylvania alone, Medicaid coverage of the drugs is projected to cost $1.3 billion. That’s up from practically nothing several years ago. Pennsylvania and Connecticut are looking to tighten guidelines for people who want to use GLP-1s solely for weight loss. But there remains interest in covering the drugs. An Associated Press analysis using the bill-tracking software Plural shows at least a half-dozen states have bills this year proposing Medicaid coverage.… Continue Reading

Plastics are seeping into farm fields, food and eventually human bodies. Can they be stopped?

Plastics are seeping into farm fields, food and eventually human bodies. Can they be stopped?

KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — Around the world, plastics are finding their way into farm fields. Some farmers say agricultural plastic, already a necessity for many crops, is becoming even more necessary as climate change fuels extreme weather. And plastics from other industries end up in fields, too, and eventually the food grown there as well as waterways. Scientists, farmers and consumers all worry about how the plastics that enter the food supply affect health, and research is continuing to show that it’s ending up in human bodies. Researchers are looking for solutions, but industry experts say despite attempts to tackle the plastic problem, it’s difficult to know where plastic ends up or get rid of it completely, even with the best intentions of improving reuse and recycling programs.… Continue Reading

Boys with cancer can face infertility as adults. Can storing their stem cells help?

Boys with cancer can face infertility as adults. Can storing their stem cells help?

WASHINGTON (AP) — Researchers have performed the first known transplant of sperm-producing stem cells in hopes of restoring fertility in a man who survived childhood cancer. There’s no proven way to preserve boys’ future fertility if cancer strikes before puberty. But a University of Pittsburgh study for years has frozen testicular tissue and cells before boys begin treatment to see if they eventually might help. Now the first study participant has returned as an adult to reimplant those cells in hopes of one day fathering a biological child.… Continue Reading

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