Ralph Ellis

Atlanta, Decatur

Contract Writer at Freelance

Writer at WebMD

Author of “The Accident Report.” Freelance writer and recovering cynic. Atlantan and greyhound lover. Opinions my own.

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Articles

New Study Says Measles Could Become Endemic: 3 Key Takeaways

2 months ago | webmd.com | Ralph Ellis

April 25, 2025 – Back in 2000, health experts declared measles had been eliminated from the United States thanks to an ambitious measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccination program for children. But as vaccination rates decline, measles is making a troubling comeback. As of Friday, the CDC says that nearly 900 measles cases have been reported in at least 29 states this year.
Is Marriage Making You (or Your Husband) Gain Weight?

Mar 13, 2025 | webmd.com | Ralph Ellis

March 13, 2025 – Marriage has long been linked to better health and a longer life for men, but new research out of Poland challenges that assumption. According to findings from the National Institute of Cardiology in Warsaw, married men have triple the risk of obesity, compared to unmarried men. The study, which has yet to be published, analyzed medical data from 2,405 people in Poland with an average age of 50.
New COVID-19 strain has reached the U.S.

Feb 21, 2025 | mdedge.com | Ralph Ellis

A strain of COVID-19 first reported in Japan surfaced at a Kentucky nursing home in the spring. Deadline, citing a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report, said 26 residents and 20 workers tested positive for COVID-19 at a skilled care nursing home. The facility has 83 residents and 116 employees. On March 1, 28 specimens that had been subjected to whole genome sequencing were found to have “mutations aligning with the R.1 lineage,” Deadline said.
Measles Outbreaks in U.S. Are Growing: How to Protect Yourself

Feb 21, 2025 | webmd.com | Ralph Ellis

Feb. 21, 2025 — Cases of measles are rising across the United States, with the largest outbreak reported in Texas. The Texas Department of State Health Services says 90 cases have been discovered in the South Plains region of the state since late January, with 16 patients needing hospitalization. Gaines County has reported 57 cases, the highest number in the state so far.
Yogurt May Help Lower Your Colon Cancer Risk: Study

Feb 14, 2025 | webmd.com | Ralph Ellis

Feb. 14, 2025 — Grab a spoon: Eating at least two servings of yogurt a week may help protect you from cancer in a particular part of the colon. According to a new study in the journal Gut Microbes, people who ate two or more servings of yogurt per week tended to have lower rates of proximal colon cancer positive for Bifidobacterium, a type of bacteria found in yogurt.
Medicare to Negotiate Lower Prices for Wegovy and Ozempic

Jan 17, 2025 | webmd.com | Ralph Ellis

Jan. 17, 2025 – Medicare will negotiate the prices of weight loss drugs Wegovy and Ozempic with drug companies, a move that could create big savings for seniors who take the drugs, the Biden administration announced Friday. The weight loss drugs were on a list of 15 medicines whose prices will be negotiated directly between the government and drugmakers. The negotiations will fall to the incoming Trump administration, but it’s unclear if the incoming president supports the price negotiations.
Your Protein Powder May Contain Harmful Metals

Jan 9, 2025 | webmd.com | Ralph Ellis

Jan. 10, 2025 -- Over-the-counter protein powders have levels of lead and heavy metals like cadmium that exceed government food safety regulations, according to a report issued by the Clean Label Project, a consumer safety nonprofit. On average, organic protein powders that were tested showed three times more lead and twice the amount of cadmium than non-organic products, the report said.
U.S. Life Expectancy to Fall Behind That of Global Peers by 2050

Dec 5, 2024 | webmd.com | Ralph Ellis

Dec. 6. 2024 – Life expectancy in the United States is improving a little, but not as much as that of many other high-income and some middle-income nations, a new study says. U.S. life expectancy is expected to go from 78.3 years in 2022, to 79.9 years in 2035, to 80.4 years in 2050, according to forecasting models from the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. But the U.S. is not keeping pace with peer nations.
Over 160,000 Pounds of Ground Beef Recalled for E. coli Risk

Nov 22, 2024 | webmd.com | Ralph Ellis

Nov. 22, 2024 -- Wolverine Packing Co. of Detroit has recalled about 167,277 pounds of ground beef products because of possible E. coli contamination, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced. The recall was launched after the Minnesota Department of Agriculture notified the FSIS that people who consumed ground beef had become sick, the FSIS said in a news release. The FSIS reported that they identified 15 cases of illness from Nov. 2 to Nov. 10.
How Walking More Could Add 11 Years to Your Life

Nov 14, 2024 | webmd.com | Ralph Ellis

Nov. 15, 2024 – Stepping up your activity level could add some serious gains to your lifespan, especially if you’re among the many Americans who fall short on exercise. In the U.S., the least active 25% of the population over 40 could add 11 years to their average life expectancy if they were as physically active as the top 25%, according to a new study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.