This story originally appeared on High Country News and is part of the Climate Desk collaboration. Perhaps no single Christmas custom is more ubiquitous than putting up the Christmas tree. It originated in eastern Europe more than 500 years ago, when people decorated evergreen trees with roses or apples as symbols of Eve and the … Read more
As Canada grapples with a rapidly aging demographic, experts are sounding the alarm on the increasing mental and physical health impacts of loneliness and social isolation, particularly among older people who make up a growing proportion of the population. A report by the National Institute of Ageing (NIA) released Tuesday found that around 41 per … Read more
Medical experts are warning that the U.S. could face a “syndemic” winter as respiratory viruses surge and temperatures plunge. A syndemic is not unlike the “tripledemics” that health-care systems have grappled with the past two winters — when multiple pathogens, like COVID-19, RSV and the flu converge in a population. A syndemic, however, considers how … Read more
Quebecers should be careful this holiday season as respiratory viruses are on the rise and emergency rooms grapple with overcrowding, health officials said Tuesday. Dr. Gilbert Boucher, president of the Association des spécialistes en médecine d’urgence du Québec and an emergency physician at the Montreal Heart Institute, said patients with viruses that can be treated … Read more
It’s no secret that kids and (most) parents love nursery rhymes that are as old as time. They can keep children of all ages entertained, help get them through meals without much fuss and even fall asleep. But there’s new research that suggests singing to your baby in the first few months of their life … Read more
JACI-PARANA, Brazil — Meat processing giant JBS SA and three other slaughterhouses are facing lawsuits seeking millions of dollars in environmental damages for allegedly purchasing cattle raised illegally in a protected area in the Brazilian Amazon. The lawsuits, filed December 5 to 12 by the western Brazilian state of Rondonia, target the exploitation of a … Read more
So far, only nine centers across the US are currently offering Casgevy, which may limit who gets access to it. Vertex says the number of participating sites will grow in the coming weeks and months. And despite the promise of a pain-free future, the grueling process of getting Casgevy may be a deterrent for some. … Read more
As the holiday season gets underway, the joy of gatherings with family and friends intertwines with the challenges of cold and flu season and rising COVID-19 cases in some provinces, prompting warnings from health experts for Canadians to remain vigilant. Across Canada, the percentage of weekly positive COVID-19 tests was 18.2 per cent as of … Read more
You booked this doctor’s appointment weeks in advance. You took off work, endured the trip here, filled out paperwork while a cooking show blared from a TV on the wall, and now you’re finally in the inner sanctum, awkwardly perched on an exam table and staring at a jar of tongue depressors. Your doctor comes … Read more
CHEYENNE, Wyo. — A judge in Wyoming will decide as soon as Thursday whether to strike down, affirm or hold a trial over the state’s abortion bans, including its first-in-the-nation explicit prohibition on the use of medication to end pregnancy. Any decision on the bans during or after a pretrial conference before Teton County District … Read more
