Rising fuel costs and supply chain hiccups are prompting some companies to pass the costs of war in Iran on to customers. While some US shippers have been transparent about new war-related charges, other fees are not so clear about how the consumer foots the company’s bill. “Companies tend to look for ways to get … Read more
Cancer statistics have reached new heights — in good and not-so-good ways. The American Cancer Society (ACS) released its annual report on cancer trends this week, showing for the first time that more people are surviving cancer than ever before. The five-year survival rate for all cancers combined in the US reached a landmark 70% … Read more
It’s a taxing time for sweethearts in China. After a 30-year exemption, the country is slapping a 13% sales tax on condoms, birth control pills and devices, hoping to boost its declining birth rates and offset the long-term impact of an aging population and declining workforce. And with contraception more expensive under the new law, which takes … Read more
Senior citizens, rejoice. While getting older has long been linked to higher cancer risk, new research suggests that after a certain age, the odds don’t just plateau — they may actually drop. “The implications of this story could be huge,” Dr. Dmitri Petrov, senior author of the paper and a biology professor at Stanford University, … Read more
The Change is causing big changes in marriages. While the divorce rate overall has been steadily declining over the past few decades, divorce among adults aged 50 and older is rising. As women go through menopause, some feel as though getting help for their symptoms, helping their partner understand menopause and talking with friends about … Read more
Don’t stall — your butt is on the line. Nearly 53,000 Americans are expected to die of colorectal cancer this year, making it one of the deadliest cancers in the US. Though the death rate has been declining in older adults, it has been steadily rising among people younger than 55 since the 1990s. Because of this … Read more
U.S. kindergarten vaccination rates inched down again last year and the share of children with exemptions rose to an all-time high, according to federal data posted Thursday. The fraction of kids exempted from vaccine requirements rose to 4.1%, up from 3.7% the year before. It’s the third record-breaking year in a row for the exemption rate, and … Read more
A Missouri creek has allegedly led to a higher risk of cancer in neighboring residents. Coldwater Creek, a Missouri River tributary north of St. Louis, has been a known radioactive waste site since the 1980s. Researchers have now confirmed that exposure to the creek, which is said to be polluted with nuclear waste from the development of the first … Read more
It’s a growing problem. Cancer deaths tied to obesity have tripled in the US over the last two decades, according to sobering new research presented Sunday at the Endocrine Society’s annual meeting in San Francisco, California. The study analyzed more than 33,000 deaths from obesity-associated cancers between 1999 and 2020 and found that the age-adjusted … Read more
Nip/tuck nope. One board-certified plastic surgeon is speaking out about the procedures he wouldn’t recommend, including a popular facial surgery that can cause premature aging and others that just carry too many risks. “I don’t think that any of these procedures are going away since they’re all money makers for the types of providers that … Read more
A three-year exercise program improved survival in colon cancer patients and kept disease at bay, a first-of-its-kind international experiment showed. With the benefits rivaling some drugs, experts said cancer centers and insurance plans should consider making it a new standard of care for colon cancer survivors. “This is about as high a quality of evidence … Read more
Whether it’s dating apps, doom-scrolling, delayed rites of passage, lofty living expenses or straying from pro-family values, Americans are having fewer babies – and they’re not the only ones falling victim to the trend. Could phones be to blame? A recent Vox article proposed the idea in contrast with more politically-charged theories, like the one taking aim … Read more
Cervical cancer rates are on the rise among younger women, owing in part to a lack of awareness, screening and prevention. A new study found that the percentage of women screened for cervical cancer dropped from 47% in 2019 to 41% in 2023. Among the most preventable cancers, cervical cancer has been increasing in women … Read more
Obesity rates in the United States have finally started to show a decline, heading in the right direction for the first time in a decade likely due to the popularity of weight loss drugs like Ozempic. A new study published in JAMA Health Forum found that obesity numbers started to drop slightly from 46% in 2022 to … Read more
Oh, hell gnaw! As if you need another reason to avoid mice in NYC, researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine have identified a fungus in city mice that aggravates food allergies. The study authors note that there’s a high prevalence of human asthma in NYC neighborhoods with an abundance of mouse sightings, suggesting that all that … Read more
The number of people living with diabetes worldwide has quadrupled in the past two decades, with 830 million people diagnosed as of 2022, as published this week in The Lancet. That’s more than four times the number of people who had the disease in 1990, according to a Thursday announcement from the World Health Organization (WHO). Among … Read more
United States, splitting couples. While divorce rates are dropping across America, some states are still seeing marriages end in enormous numbers, according to a new study. Divorce attorneys at DivorceLawyers.ca gathered data from the 2023 US Census Bureau’s American Community Survey to determine which states had the highest number of divorces per capita — and … Read more
Young adults who develop colon cancer tend to be diagnosed at later stages of the devastating disease — and have more aggressive types of tumors, new research finds. The study authors “strongly” link colon cancer in young people to obesity, family history of the illness, inflammatory bowel disease and symptoms such as stomach pain and … Read more
The general rate of obesity among adults in the United States has stagnated, but the rate of severe obesity has increased, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A report compiled by the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics found that between August 2021 and August 2023, the rate of obesity among the nation’s adults was approximately … Read more
One night in Bangkok? Check into the so-called “best hotel in the world.” An exclusive list of just fifty elite lodgings compiled by a noted organization has been announced — and the Capella Bangkok, “a calming riverside oasis” at the heart of the “cacophonous” Thai capital has been ranked number one. The World’s 50 Best Hotels, … Read more