Is intermittent fasting better than counting calories? What to know.

Is intermittent fasting better than counting calories? What to know.

As weight-loss plans go, it’s easy to see the allure of intermittent fasting: Eat what you want, but only during certain windows of time — often just eight hours a day. Instead of counting calories or measuring portions, dieters just have to pay attention to the clock, said Courtney Peterson, a nutrition researcher at the … Read more

Psychedelic drug MDMA faces questions as FDA considers approval for PTSD

Psychedelic drug MDMA faces questions as FDA considers approval for PTSD

WASHINGTON — Federal health regulators are questioning the safety and evidence behind the first bid to use MDMA, the mind-altering club drug, as a treatment for PTSD, part of a decadeslong effort by advocates to move psychedelic drugs into the medical mainstream. The Food and Drug Administration posted its initial review of the drug Friday, … Read more

Guillain-Barre syndrome ‘more common than expected’ with RSV vaccine in older people, CDC reiterates

Guillain-Barre syndrome ‘more common than expected’ with RSV vaccine in older people, CDC reiterates

NEW YORK — Reports of a rare nervous system disorder were “more common than expected” in older U.S. adults who got the new RSV vaccines, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report released Thursday that’s similar to what the organization said earlier this year. Government officials still say the benefits of the … Read more

East, Southeast Asia had record methamphetamine seizures last year. Profits remain in the billions

East, Southeast Asia had record methamphetamine seizures last year. Profits remain in the billions

BANGKOK — East and Southeast Asia are awash in record amounts of methamphetamine and other synthetic drugs, the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime said in a new report Tuesday. It traced their source largely to the cross-border region known as the Golden Triangle where Thailand, Myanmar and Laos meet. The region is historically known … Read more

A synthetic drug ravages youth in Sierra Leone. There’s little help, and some people are chained

A synthetic drug ravages youth in Sierra Leone. There’s little help, and some people are chained

FREETOWN, Sierra Leone — In Sierra Leone, a cheap, synthetic drug is ravaging youth. Trash-strewn alleys are lined with boys and young men slumped in addiction. Healthcare services are severely limited. One frustrated community has set up what it calls a treatment center, run by volunteers. But harsh measures can be used. The project in … Read more

Louisiana governor signs bill making two abortion drugs controlled dangerous substances

Louisiana governor signs bill making two abortion drugs controlled dangerous substances

NEW ORLEANS — First-of-its-kind legislation that classifies two abortion-inducing drugs as controlled and dangerous substances was signed into law Friday by Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry. The Republican governor announced his signing of the bill in Baton Rouge a day after it gained final legislative passage in the state Senate. The measure affects the drugs mifepristone … Read more

Extreme weather. A lack of lifesaving vaccines. Africa’s cholera crisis is worse than ever

Extreme weather. A lack of lifesaving vaccines. Africa’s cholera crisis is worse than ever

LILANDA, Zambia — Extreme weather events have hit parts of Africa relentlessly in the last three years, with tropical storms, floods and drought causing crises of hunger and displacement. They leave another deadly threat behind them: some of the continent’s worst outbreaks of cholera. In southern and East Africa, more than 6,000 people have died … Read more

HPV vaccines prevent cancer in men as well as women, new research suggests

HPV vaccines prevent cancer in men as well as women, new research suggests

New research suggests the HPV vaccine is preventing cancer in men, as well as in women, but fewer boys than girls are getting the shots in the United States. The HPV vaccine was developed to prevent cervical cancer in women and experts give it credit, along with screening, for lowering cervical cancer rates. Evidence that … Read more

Louisiana Legislature approves bill classifying abortion pills as controlled dangerous substances

Louisiana Legislature approves bill classifying abortion pills as controlled dangerous substances

BATON ROUGE, La. — Two abortion-inducing drugs could soon be reclassified as controlled and dangerous substances in Louisiana under a first-of-its-kind bill that received final legislative passage Thursday and is expected to be signed into law by the governor. Supporters of the reclassification of mifepristone and misoprostol, commonly known as “abortion pills,” say it would … Read more

Louisiana lawmakers advance bill to reclassify abortion drugs, worrying doctors

Louisiana lawmakers advance bill to reclassify abortion drugs, worrying doctors

BATON ROUGE, La. — Louisiana lawmakers on Tuesday advanced a bill that would make it a crime to possess two abortion-inducing drugs without a prescription, a move that doctors fear could prevent them from adequately treating their patients in a timely manner. Under the bill, which aims to reclassify mifepristone and misoprostol, pregnant patients would … Read more