Healthy News

Healthy -  As a parent, you might ask yourself, “What, specifically, about social media use can have a negative impact on my teen?” Dr. Murthy’s advisory was based on what it describes as a “substantial review of the available evidence.” It raises a variety of concerns, including the amount of time adolescents spend on platforms, the type of content they consume (or are exposed to), and the degree to which their online interactions disrupt activities essential for health, such as sleep and exercise. It points out that social media can also affect young users in different ways, depending on their strengths and vulnerabilities as individuals, as well as their cultural, historical, and socio-economic backgrounds. The report stresses that the brain is going through a highly sensitive period between the ages of 10 and 19, when identities and feelings of self-worth are forming. Frequent social media use may be associated with distinct changes in the developing brain, potentially affectin...

Healthy - A new COVID-19 booster shot that is expected to become available in the fall of 2023 won’t be an exact match for EG.5, but experts expect it to help since it targets Omicron offshoot XBB 1.5, a close relative.  Moderna announced that early clinical trials show that its booster shot will effectively target both the EG.5 and FL 1.5.1, another recent subvariant. This past January, two studies suggested that the updated vaccine booster offered in fall 2022 (called a bivalent booster because it covered both the original SARS-CoV-2 strain and two Omicron subvariants, BA-4 and BA-5) continued to be effective against emerging Omicron strains.  The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) published a study based on people 12 and older included in North Carolina’s state vaccine registry data that found it to be 58.7% effective against hospitalization compared to 25% for the monovalent one that preceded it; its effectiveness against infection was 61.8% compared to 24.9% for the ...

Helathy - All three of these respiratory illnesses are caused by highly contagious viruses.  They all cause cold-like symptoms, such as cough and runny nose.  However, each has unique features, such as loss of taste or smell with COVID (although the latter symptom is reported to be less frequent than it was before the Omicron variant), and wheezing in children with RSV. While many people experience mild illness from these viruses, factors like age and general health put some at higher risk for hospitalization and death.  In the case of COVID, even healthy young people have developed Long COVID, defined as signs, symptoms, and conditions that can continue for weeks, months, or years beyond the initial infection or develop later. Flu can come on fast and cause the entire body to ache within a couple of days.  COVID symptoms may appear two to 14 days after exposure to the virus, while RSV takes four to six days; in the latter two diseases, symptoms build slowly. If you...

Healthy - The most common side effects of taking Paxlovid include impaired sense of taste (for example, a metallic taste in the mouth) and diarrhea, according to the FDA.  Most people who take Paxlovid should not experience serious side effects, explains Dr. Roberts. “Paxlovid is usually very well-tolerated,” he says. But people should stop taking Paxlovid and call a health care provider right away if they experience any of the following signs of an allergic reaction: - hives - trouble swallowing or breathing - swelling of the mouth, lips, or face - throat tightness - hoarseness - skin rash Other possible side effects include: - an altered or impaired sense of taste - diarrhea - increased blood pressure - muscle aches - abdominal pain - nausea - feeling generally unwell Since Paxlovid is cleared by the kidneys, dose adjustments may be required for patients with mild-to-moderate kidney disease, explains Dr. Topal.  “For patients with severe kidney disease—or who are on dialysi...