Sara Novak

2 weeks ago | medscape.com | Sara Novak

The measles outbreak that originated in Gaines County, Texas, has continued to spread with 481 cases identified since late January, almost all of them in unvaccinated individuals. In all, 56 of those patients have been hospitalized and two children — girls aged 6 years and 8 years — have died from the disease. The rise in cases is troubling as the new Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Robert F.

2 weeks ago | newscientist.com | Sara Novak

Diabetes and weight loss treatments such as Ozempic and Wegovy, known as GLP-1 agonists, could significantly reduce the risk of developing any type of dementia, according to a meta-analysis of 26 clinical trials with more than 160,000 participants. The treatments, which include medications like semaglutide, liraglutide and exenatide, have been linked to a slightly reduced dementia risk before, but this was based on observational studies looking at health records.

2 weeks ago | medscape.com | Sara Novak

On March 24, the Trump Administration closed the long-COVID office within the US Department of Health and Human Services as part of what it claimed to be the department’s reorganization. A few days later, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) went even further, terminating up to 45 grants that the Researching COVID to Enhance Recovery (RECOVER) initiative had awarded in recent years, but after pushback and protest, NIH reinstated the grants just a few days later.

3 weeks ago | discovermagazine.com | Sara Novak

Cold plunging has become all the rage. Whether in the ocean, rivers, lakes, or your own personal cold plunge bath, enthusiasts claim that the therapy has a host of benefits, both mentally and physically, from reducing anxiety to reducing brain fog and improving focus. It's also been touted for improving athletic performance, reducing inflammation and joint pain, improving immunity, and increasing metabolism. But are any of these benefits backed by science?

4 weeks ago | newscientist.com | Sara Novak

Madison Burgess decided to get serious about weight loss when the scale hit 91 kilograms (200 pounds). She began taking Ozempic. The medication worked better than she ever thought possible: even on the low starter dose, she lost more than 2 kg (5 lbs) within the first week. Problems began, however, when Burgess, a 25-year-old healthcare administrator from Bloomfield, Michigan, ramped up her intake, as per the manufacturer’s guidelines. “The higher doses were rough on me,” she says.