Giving your child a tablet at this age can have bad consequences: study

Giving your child a tablet at this age can have bad consequences: study

They’ve become iPad pros. Preschoolers who use a tablet to entertain themselves may not learn to manage their emotions, leading to angry outbursts, which prompt their parents to give them a tablet to quiet them down. Researchers from the Université de Sherbrooke in Canada detailed this “deleterious” cycle Monday in JAMA Pediatrics. The study authors … Read more

Man develops fatal bacterial infection after taking ‘widely used’ probiotic

Man develops fatal bacterial infection after taking ‘widely used’ probiotic

An elderly man in Japan developed a fatal bacterial infection after taking a probiotic as part of his treatment for severe COVID-19. The unidentified patient was first brought to the emergency room after being discovered on the floor of his home. He had a history of colon cancer, chest pain, high blood pressure and pancreatic … Read more

COVID-19 no longer a top cause of US death — here’s what’s replaced it

COVID-19 no longer a top cause of US death — here’s what’s replaced it

COVID-19 is no longer a top cause of death for Americans, dropping from fourth place in 2022 to 10th place last year. The virus was listed on 49,928 death certificates in 2023 — down from 186,552 in 2022 and a peak of 416,893 in 2021. A resident funeral director at an NYC funeral home moves … Read more

Dear Abby: My daughter’s biological mother told her I’m not her ‘real mom’

Dear Abby: My daughter’s biological mother told her I’m not her ‘real mom’

DEAR ABBY: We adopted our daughter, “Opal,” at the age of 2. She is 6 now. Opal lived with us off and on as a newborn, but by age 1, she lived permanently with us. We live in a small community, so everyone knows everyone. Opal lived with her biological mom prior to adoption.  We … Read more

Dear Abby: My tenant isn’t vaccinated for COVID, what do I do?

Dear Abby: My tenant isn’t vaccinated for COVID, what do I do?

DEAR ABBY: Several months ago, I let the 49-year-old son of a dear friend move into my basement. “Jason” pays me rent plus utilities.  Last week, he informed me that he is not vaccinated for COVID. He was drinking at the time. Since my husband passed away with COVID in his system two years ago, … Read more

Dear Abby: I’ve been dating my boyfriend for 6 years and he hasn’t proposed

Dear Abby: I’ve been dating my boyfriend for 6 years and he hasn’t proposed

DEAR ABBY: I have been dating “Gary” for six years, but he has never proposed. I’m very independent. My husband died when my kids were small, and I had to raise them and keep a roof over our heads, which made me even more independent. In fact, there are times I don’t think I even … Read more

Dear Abby: My younger boyfriend and his new girlfriend live with me — he won’t have sex with me anymore

Dear Abby: My younger boyfriend and his new girlfriend live with me — he won’t have sex with me anymore

DEAR ABBY: My boyfriend is 18 years younger than I am. Our relationship hasn’t been perfect, but I love him to death. Unfortunately, I’m going through menopause and have all the side effects. Long story short, he found another girl. It was just supposed to be for sex, and he told me he wouldn’t get … Read more

72-year-old patient had COVID for record 613 days, accumulated over 50 mutations from virus before it killed him

72-year-old patient had COVID for record 613 days, accumulated over 50 mutations from virus before it killed him

A Dutch man with the longest case of COVID infection ever recorded suffered from the sickness for a record 613 days, with the ailment mutating into a unique new variant that baffled medical researchers. The 72-year-old unnamed patient was diagnosed with the omicron variant in February 2022, according to Time, citing research from the University of Amsterdam. … Read more

Tuberculosis cases at highest level in a decade in US: report

Tuberculosis cases at highest level in a decade in US: report

The number of U.S. tuberculosis cases in 2023 was the highest in a decade, according to a new government report. Forty states reported an increase in TB, and rates were up among all age groups, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday. More than 9,600 cases were reported, a 16% increase from 2022 and … Read more

Post-pandemic marriage rates are climbing as divorce rates are falling: new CDC data

Post-pandemic marriage rates are climbing as divorce rates are falling: new CDC data

Here comes the bride — and there go the divorce papers. Marriages have been on the rise since weddings and dates were put on pause during the COVID-19 pandemic. The number of marriages jumped from 5.1 per 1,000 people in 2020 to 6.2 by 2022 — the highest rate observed since 2018 — according to … Read more

Lucky couple gets VIP ‘private jet’ treatment as the only passengers on plane: ‘Like winning the lottery’

Lucky couple gets VIP ‘private jet’ treatment as the only passengers on plane: ‘Like winning the lottery’

It was a poor man’s private jet. Commercial travel doesn’t always have to mean being crammed into a packed aircraft like sardines. A lucky UK couple became the envy of flyers everywhere after having a whole flight to themselves — essentially allowing them to enjoy the “private jet” experience for an economy price. While their … Read more

‘Polio Paul’ Alexander’s sad final days revealed as he battled COVID inside iron lung — before death at 78

‘Polio Paul’ Alexander’s sad final days revealed as he battled COVID inside iron lung — before death at 78

“Polio Paul” Alexander spent his final days battling COVID while struggling to eat and drink, his social media manager has revealed. The polio survivor, famed for spending more than 70 years inside an iron lung, died Monday in Dallas, Texas, at the age of 78. While an official cause of death hasn’t been publicly disclosed, … Read more

Excessive alcohol deaths surged 29% during COVID pandemic, CDC data reveals

Excessive alcohol deaths surged 29% during COVID pandemic, CDC data reveals

The number of deaths related to excessive alcohol surged amid the stress and isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic. The annual average number of deaths stemming from alcohol use jumped 29%, to 178,000 from 138,000, between 2016-2017 and 2020-2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revealed last month. Alcohol abuse appeared to increase during the … Read more

US ends free COVID test kit distribution — here’s the last day to place an order

US ends free COVID test kit distribution — here’s the last day to place an order

Your free trial is coming to an end. US health officials announced that Americans can no longer order free at-home COVID-19 tests after March 8. Before the upcoming deadline, Americans can order four free rapid antigen tests through COVID.gov or USPS.  Americans can no longer order free at-home COVID-19 tests after March 8. AP “ASPR (Administration for Strategic … Read more

Enthusiastic man vaccinated for COVID-19 more than 200 times — leaving scientists stunned

Enthusiastic man vaccinated for COVID-19 more than 200 times — leaving scientists stunned

He followed the science — and now the science is following him. A 62-year-old man claiming to have received more than 200 COVID-19 vaccines is being studied by experts who say they’ve been amazed by their findings thus far. Analysis of the über-cautious German, published in the journal Lancet Infectious Diseases, found that the vaccines continued … Read more

Long COVID could be the reason for your bad hangovers: research

Long COVID could be the reason for your bad hangovers: research

Long COVID could be the reason for your bad hangovers, research suggests. The study, published in the journal Cureus, looked at patients who had been dealing with lingering symptoms from a COVID infection — and all of them self-reported more severe hangovers. Four patients were recruited from the Post-Acute Covid Syndrome clinic (PACS) at Stanford … Read more

Long COVID may be triggered by low iron levels, scientists discover

Long COVID may be triggered by low iron levels, scientists discover

New research has identified iron deficiencies in the blood as a major culprit in long COVID cases. A new report from the University of Cambridge was able to connect that low iron levels contributed to inflammation and anemia and halted healthy red blood cell production in patients just two weeks after being diagnosed with COVID-19. … Read more

CDC drops 5-day isolation guidance for COVID-19 cases

CDC drops 5-day isolation guidance for COVID-19 cases

The Centers for Disease Prevention and Control on Friday rolled back its longstanding five-day isolation guidance for people who come down with COVID-19. Under the updated guidelines, the CDC says those infected with the coronavirus can return to work or the public just one full day after their fever subsides. “Today’s announcement reflects the progress … Read more

‘Worrisome’ study shows long COVID sufferers could lose up to six IQ points

‘Worrisome’ study shows long COVID sufferers could lose up to six IQ points

Long COVID can reduce a person’s IQ by up to six points, worrying research has revealed. A report in the New England Journal of Medicine found that COVID-19 was “associated with longer-term objectively measurable cognitive deficits.” Experts were attempting to learn more about the mentally straining phenomenon commonly referred to as brain fog, brought on … Read more

Dr. Phil and ‘The View’ hosts clash after he says kids suffered more from school lockdowns than COVID

Dr. Phil and ‘The View’ hosts clash after he says kids suffered more from school lockdowns than COVID

Dr Phil has unleashed on a popular TV show about the extraordinary measures enacted at American schools during the Covid-19 pandemic. The American TV personality, whose real name is Phil McGraw, appeared on a recent episode of The View when he took aim at the lockdowns that forced children across the United States to study from home … Read more