Tobacco users have an increased risk of becoming very sick if they contract the virus that causes COVID-19. If you use tobacco and want to stop, consider World No Tobacco Day on Sunday, May 31 as a start date.

"During this time when the COVID-19 pandemic has made maintaining the health of ourselves and our families top of mind, is the best time...Read more

SAN DIEGO -- Advocates and experts on domestic violence likely saw this coming: the response to keep people safe from COVID-19 would result in greater harm for victims of domestic violence. All of that time isolated and at home alone with an abusive partner has meant that the severity of the abuse can increase.

According to Futures Without ...Read more

Opioid overdose patients with private insurance are rarely connected to addiction treatment after visiting the emergency department, a new national study from the University of Pennsylvania has found.

And the problem is particularly severe among black and Hispanic patients, more evidence of deep racial disparities in health care generally and ...Read more

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- This was to be a celebratory spring for Alison Cruise.

The UNC Charlotte alumna learned last summer that the U.S. Air Force would promote her to major this May, and she was excited by the prospect of her 3-year-old daughter Shiloh pinning the new rank insignia on her uniform in a formal military ceremony full of pomp and ...Read more

PITTSBURGH -- For much of the 20th century, most people thought that stress caused stomach ulcers.

But that belief was largely dismissed 38 years ago when a study, that led to a Nobel Prize in 2016, described the bacterium that generates inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract and causes peptic ulcers and gastritis.

"The history of the idea...Read more

By studying sewage at a New Haven wastewater treatment facility, a team of Yale researchers has determined that genetic code embedded in feces could be used as an early warning sign of COVID-19 outbreaks.

The team, led by Jordan Peccia of the Yale School of Engineering and Applied Science, tested daily samples of sludge for bits of coronavirus ...Read more

ST. LOUIS -- The past few years have shown signs that alarmingly high childhood obesity rates in the U.S. may finally be stabilizing. But that may change if school closures continue into December, according to a new study by Washington University.

The childhood obesity rate may increase 2.4% -- equal to 1.27 million children -- if school ...Read more

Newly published research reveals sleep has its benefits over remaining sedentary.

The findings, published by the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, reveal that replacing long periods spent sitting with sleeping is linked to reduced stress levels, improved mood and lower body mass index (BMI). Researchers also discovered replacing sitting ...Read more

A recent study shows that the people most likely to be affected by heart disease -- older adults and women -- are the least represented in randomized clinical trials for cholesterol-lowering medications.

Older adults are more likely than young adults to have heart and vascular disease while the leading cause of death in women is heart disease, ...Read more

As you age, there are many things you can do to maintain your health. While eating well and staying active are some of the more obvious tips, others may not be so plain to see.

Below are five tips BIC Magazine compiled from WebMD and Healthline that you can incorporate to remain healthy while getting older.

Load up on healthy foods

Rather ...Read more

Researchers at the University of Texas, Southwestern mapped brain changes after a year of aerobic workouts and uncovered a potentially critical process: Exercise boosts blood flow into two key regions of the brain associated with memory.

The study, published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, showed "this blood flow can help even older ...Read more

MEXICO CITY -- The emergency room doctor shielded his wife and son from his growing unease about a lack of safety gear at the public hospital where he regularly treated coronavirus patients.

He focused on caring for the sick while insulating his family, following a strict regimen for cleanliness at home -- leaving shoes outside the house, ...Read more

Cuba has sent more than 2,000 health workers to other countries to treat patients with COVID-19, and the government says the island is a "medical powerhouse."

But in recent years, the government slashed the budget for public health, closed hospitals in rural areas and sent thousands of community doctors to "missions" abroad, through a program ...Read more

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- Jenny Morones and Courtney Marrs are both working mothers. Both labor to raise three children on low incomes. Both fled abusive relationships.

But because Morones lives in California -- a state that expanded its safety net through the Affordable Care Act -- she has health coverage. It protected her from financial ruin ...Read more

Week after week, the coronavirus lockdown has caused growing stress and anxiety as social connections and routines are broken and re-arranged.

Santa Clara University psychology professor Thomas Plante has been a close observer of the psychological burdens mounting on the community: distracted students, struggling patients, and others ...Read more

Sure you're wearing that mask correctly?

It might not seem that complicated.

But you could be doing it wrong.

And perhaps worse, you might accidentally expose yourself further to the possibility of catching the coronavirus without the proper safety precautions.

Thankfully, "Mask Wearing 101" is not that difficult of a course to pass.

But it...Read more

One of the biggest mysteries of the new coronavirus is its relative harmlessness in most children who get infected.

At least part of the explanation may be in the cells lining their noses, according to a new study by researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City.

The researchers started with archived samples of ...Read more

The return of the summer cookout brings with it the risk for sickness from a bacteria that can end up spoiling more than one meal. Cook hamburgers incorrectly, and you could end up with a case of E. coli.

"E. coli stands for Escherichia coli, which is a type of bacteria," says Dr. Nipunie Rajapakse, a Mayo Clinic infectious diseases specialist....Read more