When people ask me why I am a stay-at-home dad, I’ve usually been pretty busy. One time I was wiping dried formula off my shirt. Another time I was chasing a potty-training toddler into the wrong bathroom, and I remember another time when I was helping at the school carnival. Thirteen years after my wife…
Health News
It has been 500 days since the first known US death from Covid-19. Variants and low vaccination rates threaten to prolong the pandemic
As the United States continues on a path to near pre-pandemic normalcy, experts remain concerned over low vaccination rates and the spread of variants, which could potentially exacerbate a pandemic that has upended life for more than a year and inflicted a damaging toll on Americans and the world. New York and California, which were…
They lost their loved ones to Covid. Then they heard from them again
They never ran out of things to talk about. It was obvious from the start. He was a brawny former Maine lobsterman with a booming baritone. She was a redhead with freckles from Wisconsin who worked in corporate recruiting. They talked about everything from sci-fi movies and her love for the rock group Bon Jovi…
What to do to stay safe around water this summer at the pool or beach
With summer in full swing and excessive heat waves rolling through parts of the country, taking a dip in water can be a refreshing way to cool off. Whether you’re diving into your family’s backyard pool or floating in the ocean, staying safe around water is crucial, said Dr. Sarah Denny, lead author for the…
This woman is a chess champion. And she’s blind
Jessica Lauser is relentless on the chess board. She plays quickly, applying constant pressure on her opponents. She attacks constantly, not unlike the Beth Harmon character from the Netflix television series, “The Queen’s Gambit.” She baits her opponents out of their comfort zones, then leverages the element of surprise. Her success in the game has…
The US marks a vaccine milestone, but one expert warns that the coronavirus Delta variant has a worrying impact on patients
As President Joe Biden celebrated America’s 300 million vaccine dose milestone Friday, experts warned that the spread of coronavirus variants could spur a surge in troubling new cases if more people don’t get inoculated. Overall, Covid-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths in the US have declined significantly in recent months. But virus variants, particularly the Delta…
Summer is the season that reminds us to come alive
Welcome to the start of summer! Now slow down. You don’t want to miss anything by hurrying past it. And there is no need to sweat even more, unless you’re also having fun while doing it. That’s the wisdom of summer. It teaches us to be fully awake, engaged and open to everything around us.…
Bring the ‘dad jokes,’ we need ’em. (Warning: This story contains actual dad jokes)
In September 2019, just ahead of the Covid-19 pandemic — so roughly before-anyone-can-remember ago — Merriam-Webster added the term “dad joke” to the dictionary, to little fanfare. As it turns out, the official addition to our vocabulary was just in time to remind us of the value of instantly available humor, especially among freaked-out family…
It’s not just Delta — other coronavirus variants worry scientists, also
Coronavirus variants are what keep Dr. Scott Lindquist, an epidemiologist for Washington state, up at night. “I have got to be honest — last thing I think about before I go to bed are the variants and the first thing I think about in the morning are the variants,” Lindquist told a briefing this week.…
As the pandemic in the US slows, the fight against ‘long haul’ Covid is on
Dr. Michael Saag normally cares for Covid-19 patients, but early in the pandemic, he became a patient. Now, he has joined the ranks with lingering symptoms from a condition doctors are still trying to understand. In Saag’s case, Covid-19 was never so bad he had to be hospitalized, but he spent 15 days isolated in…
Poor sleep linked to dementia and early death, study finds
Older adults who have significant difficulty falling asleep and who experience frequent night awakenings are at high risk for developing dementia or dying early from any cause, a new study finds. “These results contribute to existing knowledge that sleep plays a very important role, each and every night, for reducing our longer term risk for…
Sickle cell scientist fights for a cure for herself and others
Lakiea Bailey has tried to hide the pain and breathlessness she feels from her disease for most of her life. As a child, she missed weeks out of every school year because of sickle cell — a painful, genetic disease that’s believed to impact 100,000 Americans. Patients’ red blood cells are “sickle” shaped and can…
Delta variant will likely become dominant Covid-19 strain in US, CDC chief says
The Delta variant of Covid-19 is expected to become the dominant strain in this country, and it’s further reason why people need to ramp up the vaccination pace, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said Friday. The Delta variant, also known as B.1.617.2, is more transmissible than others, she said…
Heart inflammation condition looked like heart attack in kids, pediatrician says
The teenaged boys all looked like they were having heart attacks. They complained of chest pain and general discomfort, and tests looked at first as if they were suffering an acute myocardial infarction, or heart attack. But they weren’t. Instead, the seven youths ages 14 to 19 were suffering from a very rare type of…
If ‘cave syndrome’ is keeping you from going in public, here’s how to combat it
After over a year of staying at home and following strict safety guidelines, many people are understandably reluctant to step out their front door and re-enter society. For some, they’re downright terrified. Psychiatrist Dr. Arthur Bregma calls this fear “cave syndrome,” a non-medical term he’s coined. At his practice in Coral Gables, Florida, he found…
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