CNN – Health

By Deidre McPhillips, CNN (CNN) — Nearly 49 million people in the US ages 12 and older – more than 1 in 6 – had a substance use disorder in 2022, according to survey data released Monday by the US Department of Health and Human Services. Of those, about 30 million people had an alcohol use

By Jocelyn Solis-Moreira, CNN (CNN) — When my father died of bone cancer last year, I received an outpouring of messages from friends and family sharing their condolences. While I appreciated everyone who reached out, I was especially grateful for two of my former college roommates who surprised my family with a delivery of bagels

By Deidre McPhillips, CNN (CNN) — Women in the United States can expect to live nearly six years longer than men, as disparities in deaths from Covid-19 and drug overdoses drive the life expectancy gap to the widest it’s been in decades. Overall, life expectancy in the US fell more than two and a half

By Madeline Holcombe, CNN (CNN) — Zachary Watson looked at the blueberry muffins his wife just pulled out of the oven, steam rising off the golden tops. “Are these too hot to give to the baby?” he asked her. “Immediately as that came out of my mouth, I’m thinking to myself, ‘Why the hell did

By Jocelyn Solis-Moreira, CNN (CNN) — Sign up for CNN’s Sleep, But Better newsletter series. Our seven-part guide has helpful hints to achieve better sleep. Some people might have looked forward to the extra hour of sleep after Daylight Saving Time ended recently, but for millions of people, the shorter days and longer nights are another

By Sandee LaMotte, CNN (CNN) — Cutting 1 teaspoon of salt from your diet each day can lower your top blood pressure reading just as much as a typical hypertension medication, even if you don’t have high blood pressure, a new study found. A teaspoon of salt is 2,300 milligrams — that’s the top daily

By Meg Tirrell, CNN (CNN) — Results from a landmark clinical trial this summer suggested, for the first time, that a medication given for weight loss alone could reduce the risk of heart attack, stroke or heart-related death in people with cardiovascular disease, bolstering physicians’ excitement about an already-exploding class of new medicines. Novo Nordisk’s

By Amanda Musa, CNN (CNN) — The Puerto Rico Department of Health declared an influenza epidemic Thursday, with at least 900 hospitalizations and 25,900 cases recorded since flu season began in July. It’s the first flu epidemic in the US territory since 2016, officials say. As of November 4, there have been 42 confirmed deaths

By Rob Frehse and Kristen Rogers, CNN (CNN) — Media personality and sex expert Dr. Ruth Westheimer is now New York state’s honorary ambassador to loneliness, a role that’s the first of its kind in the nation. Appointed by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul Thursday, Westheimer is aiming to help New Yorkers with social isolation,

By Sandee LaMotte, CNN (CNN) — Sign up for CNN’s Fitness, But Better newsletter series. Our seven-part guide will help you ease into a healthy routine, backed by experts. Sitting too much may send you to an early death, likely from chronic diseases such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and more, according to

By Katia Hetter, CNN (CNN) — Sign up for CNN’s Eat, But Better: Mediterranean Style. Our eight-part guide shows you a delicious expert-backed eating lifestyle that will boost your health for life. The US Food and Drug Administration has announced a proposal to revoke the nationwide regulation authorizing the use of brominated vegetable oil, or BVO, in food.

By Kristen Rogers, CNN (CNN) — If you’re visiting with loved ones this holiday season, a new study suggests you make that a habit on a regular basis, if you haven’t already. Those who don’t socialize with friends or family may see their risk of dying early increase by 39%. Many previous studies have linked

By Giri Viswanathan, CNN (CNN) — US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned Thursday of a salmonella outbreak in humans that’s linked to dry dog food. The agency issued a food safety alert, recording seven cases of salmonella across seven states that have resulted in one hospitalization. Most of those infected were infants. The

By Jen Christensen, CNN (CNN) — The US Food and Drug Administration said Thursday that it has approved the first vaccine to prevent disease caused by the chikungunya virus. The single-dose vaccine, Ixchiq, made by Valneva Austria GmbH, is approved for adults who are at an increased risk of exposure to the virus. Ixchiq was

By Amanda Musa, CNN (CNN) — The percentage of kindergartners who received their state-required vaccines for measles remained below the federal target last school year, and the rate of vaccine exemptions for children reached the highest level ever reported in the United States, according to new data published Thursday by the US Centers for Disease Control

CNN By Jacqueline Howard, CNN (CNN) — It was a moment Meagan James never expected to witness. A surgical team at NYU Langone Health in New York had performed the world’s first successful whole-eye transplant in a living person: her husband, Aaron James. After an accident at work led to the loss of his left

By Jacqueline Howard, CNN (CNN) — It was a moment Meagan James never expected to witness. A surgical team at NYU Langone Health in New York had performed the world’s first successful whole-eye transplant in a living person: her husband, Aaron James. After an accident at work led to the loss of his left eye

By Andrea Kane, CNN Editor’s note: Season 8 of the podcast Chasing Life with Dr. Sanjay Gupta gets back to basics with an in-depth examination of the brain in different states. Each episode will focus on one of those states — the distracted brain, the frightened brain, the nourished brain, etc. — to spotlight what is going

Opinion by Dr. Tom Frieden (CNN) — Editor’s note: Dr. Tom Frieden was director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from 2009 to 2017, where he oversaw responses to the H1N1 influenza, Ebola and Zika epidemics. He is president and CEO of Resolve to Save Lives and Senior Fellow for Global Health

By Sandee LaMotte, CNN (CNN) — Seventeen major food manufacturers earned an average grade of F for their lack of progress in reducing pesticides in the products they sell, according to a new analysis by As You Sow, a nonprofit specializing in shareholder advocacy. “Many companies set pesticide reduction goals of 2025 and 2030 that