ArcaMax

The average person ingests approximately 100 milligrams (0.003 ounces) of dust and dirt each day. Doesn't sound like much, but in an average lifetime, it adds up to six pounds. It gets worse: Scientists have estimated that the average person inhales around 50 billion dust particles an hour. Over a lifetime, that works out to 45 pounds.

...Read more

New research indicates that when temperatures climb above 100 F, heat can cause restricted blood flow and boost heart attack risk.

In a study, volunteers wore special suits that slowly raised the surrounding temperature. All the participants experienced increased blood flow with more heat, a sign that their hearts were working harder, in part...Read more

Legislators in nine states, from California to Massachusetts, are considering bans on the sale of unregulated diet pills and supplements to minors. Only New York currently has a ban in place.

Nearly 1 in 10 adolescents reportedly uses some type of poorly regulated, nonprescription weight loss product. The products, which broadly behave like ...Read more

Remarkably and somewhat appallingly, pregnancy and childbirth remain more dangerous for mother and child in the United States than in any other high-income nation.

Some numbers, reported by STAT:

The U.S. maternal mortality rate is 22 deaths per 100,000 live births -- triple what some other high-income countries see. For Black women in the U...Read more

The mental health crisis that seems to be afflicting many of us has found a new target: our best friends. Veterinarians across the country report rising prescriptions of Prozac for dogs, along with various mood stabilizers for separation anxiety, socialization fears, biting habits or other problematic behaviors.

The phenomenon reflects the ...Read more

A new study suggests that patients whose doctors are more empathetic to their suffering tend to feel less lower back pain than patients whose doctors don't create much of an emotional connection.

Levels of improvement among patients reporting the most empathetic care were higher than for such treatments as exercise therapy, yoga, massage, ...Read more

Rising rates of colorectal cancer in younger people have prompted calls for screening at an earlier age. A new study looked at the question of when people are old enough to no longer require follow-up colonoscopies, when the procedure no longer makes long-term health sense.

In a cross-sectional study of 10,000 patients aged 70 to 85 who had ...Read more

"Latchkey incontinence" refers to the repeated, sudden need to use the bathroom when you arrive home. It's believed to be a form of brain conditioning. According to Dr. Joseph Salhab, a Florida-based gastroenterologist known as "The Stomach Doc" on TikTok, that urge to purge also occurs when one is shopping.

He suggests two reasons.

No. 1: ...Read more

Air pollution exposure is a known risk factor for strokes because inhaled particulates can cause pulmonary blood vessel inflammation. A new study suggests outdoor light pollution at night may also boost stroke risk.

The theory is that too much light at night may interfere with melatonin production and the sound sleep it induces.

Body of ...Read more

Is the idiomatic suggestion that it's best to "rip off a Band-Aid" actually good advice?

Is one quick OUCH! better than a series of smaller ows?

Researchers in Australia recruited 65 students to determine which bandage removal approach was less painful: quick or slow. Using an 11-point pain scale (0 for no pain, 10 for extreme pain), the ...Read more

More than 11% of American households use tooth-whitening products, according to U.S. Census data and the Simmons National Consumer Survey. In nearly all commercial products, from at-home strips to mouthwashes, the key ingredient is hydrogen peroxide, which is generally safe but should be used with a few caveats.

First, hydrogen peroxide's ...Read more

The idea of erecting a pane of clear glass or plastic between open trays of food and self-serving diners, aka "a sneeze guard," dates to at least the early 1950s, albeit to mixed reactions. The first patented sneeze guard debuted in 1959, and in the '60s, the Food and Drug Administration began mandating their use around the launch of the self-...Read more

Between 2011 and 2018, the number of women hospitalized for heart attacks declined at a greater rate compared to men in a study of six different high-income countries. However, in all six countries, women had higher mortality rates and were less likely to receive cardiac interventions, such as catheterization or treatment to restore blood flow...Read more