health
More people are purchasing health insurance – for their pets
In 2014, pet owners spent more than $15 billion ($15 billion!) on veterinary care for their pets. That’s up nearly $1 billion from 2013 – from $14.37 billion to $15.25 billion. The […]
Are you getting enough sleep?
Humans spend up to 1/3 of their lives asleep. But are you getting enough? While the standard recommendation is eight hours per night, the National Sleep Foundation recently came out with […]
Survey: Mind and body practices are widespread
The number of Americans using mind and body approaches to improve their health and well-being has remained high over the last decade. One approach’s popularity nearly doubled from 2002 to 2012: […]
The Jolie Effect
BRCA testing rates jumped nearly 40 percent after actress Angelina Jolie announced that she carried the gene mutation and opted for an elective double mastectomy. A new study by AARP Public […]
58 million people exposed to secondhand smoke
While secondhand smoke exposure has declined significantly since 1999, about 58 million nonsmokers are still exposed to secondhand smoke. And some groups – children, black people, those living in poverty and […]
More young adults say vaccines are parent’s choice
The majority of Americans think vaccines for childhood diseases should be required for all children, but younger adults are less likely than older generations to agree. A recent Pew survey examined […]
WSU Veterinary College wants to examine overweight canines
Overweight humans can have unhealthy hearts due to excessive body fat, but do overweight dogs? Maintaining an ideal body weight and fat percentage is important to human cardiac health, but is […]
E-cigarette vapor contains hidden formaldehyde
Something for the “gross” file: Researchers have discovered that e-cigarette vapor contains formaldehyde. Researchers have long known cigarette smoke contains formaldehyde and other toxic chemicals. But, at least initially, many thought […]
Health care’s dramatic cost variation
Hospitals across the U.S. charge tens of thousands of dollars more than other hospitals for the same procedures – sometimes within the same metro areas. That was a key finding of […]
Report: Alcohol poisoning kills six people every day
An average of six people die each day in the U.S. from alcohol poisoning. That’s equal to about 2,200 adults. The majority of alcohol poisoning deaths (76 percent) are among adults […]