Latest Health News

MONDAY, March 16, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Many U.S. teens and young adults have no idea much nicotine is in the vaping products they use, a new study says. Researchers asked 445 17- to 24-year-olds in California about their tobacco and nicotine use, especially the use of pod-based e-cigarettes, such as Juul. The devices, which resemble computer thumb drives, consist of a plastic pod of nicotine-infused fluid that snaps into a vaporizer. About 26 percent of participants had used Juul; 24% had smoked traditional cigarettes; 23% had used nonpod-based e-cigarettes; and smaller percentages had used other pod-based e-cigarettes. They didn't know how much nicotine was in the products. When the surveys were done, Juul's packaging just said "5%" on the label. That's since been changed to...

MONDAY, March 16, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Are you scared and confused over the threat of coronavirus? You're not alone: Every day, every hour, new media reports can have you worrying about worst-case scenarios. Experts say panic is a natural -- if unhelpful -- response to major crises like COVID-19. But there are ways to stay both informed and calm. It's not always easy, acknowledged psychologist Roxane Silver. "One of the most stressful aspects of this outbreak is the uncertainty and ambiguity that surrounds transmission," said Silver, who's professor of psychological science at the University of California, Irvine. "Because individuals can apparently spread the virus without exhibiting any symptoms, the threat is invisible, and anyone can be a carrier of disease," she...

MONDAY, March 16, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- You've surely seen them many times -- those folks who scurry past the sink after using a public toilet or give their hands no more than a quick, soap-free rinse. These days, that's risking public shame and disease. The rapid spread of coronavirus around the world has underscored the importance of washing your hands frequently and doing it right. But what's the best way to scrub away disease-causing germs? And how long does it take? The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends washing your hands with soap and warm water for 20 seconds. That's longer than you might think -- roughly as long as it takes to hum "Happy Birthday" twice from beginning to end. Dr. Latania Logan, a pediatric infectious diseases specialist at Rush...

MONDAY, March 16, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Many American parents haven't talked with their young children about inappropriate touching, a new poll finds. Experts recommend starting that discussion during a child's preschool years, but the nationwide poll of more than 1,100 parents of 2- to 9-year-olds found that less than half of parents of preschoolers and only one-quarter of those with elementary school-age children had had such talks. "This is a conversation parents should be having multiple times in age-appropriate ways," said Sarah Clark, co-director of the C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll at the University of Michigan, in Ann Arbor. Three in five parents agreed that preschool is the right time to talk about inappropriate touching. But 71% of preschool parents who...