Health

Widowed and divorced men are at higher risk of dying from serious heart conditions than women in the same situation, according to new research. Experts found that men whose wives had died were 11 percent more likely to die from a heart attack than women who had lost their husbands. …

Patients who have had a stroke caused by bleeding in the brain can safely take aspirin to cut their risk of future strokes and heart problems, according to a new study. Aspirin thins the blood and so doctors have been cautious about giving it, fearing it could make bleeds worse. …

Malaria has been eliminated from Algeria and Argentina, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday, an important milestone in fighting the mosquito-borne disease. WHO said there were now 38 countries and territories that have been declared free of the disease, which has been making a comeback globally. “Algeria has …

It is universally recognized that insects or arachnids found burrowing, laying eggs or otherwise setting up camp inside a human’s head is a shuddersome prospect, but one we all find profoundly compelling. The latest example of this genre of news comes to us from Jiangsu province in east China, where …

Can scarfing carrots really help you see better in the dark? In the dead of night, just how did the British Air Force manage to gun down German aircraft during World War II? Eating carrots was the key to the pilots’ success, according to the U.K. Ministry of Food. The …

A new drug could be used to target previously “untreatable” childhood brain cancer, scientists have said. The drug could also help patients who suffer from the rare but deadly inherited disease “stone man syndrome“, in which their muscles and ligaments turn to bone. The study, led by the Institute of …

The hugely popular video game Mortal Kombat is notorious for extremely graphic in-game violence, setting the industry standard, but now one developer claims they were diagnosed with PTSD after working on the game. Physics-defying gory finishing moves called ‘fatalities’, replete with gratuitous blood spatter and bone splintering attacks, have become …

German Health Minister Jens Spahn has drawn up draft legislation to oblige parents to get their children vaccinated against measles or else face fines and their exclusion from daycare. Spahn’s initiative comes amid a highly charged debate in Germany about whether the measles vaccine should be obligatory, and as the …

Over 1,000 people have died in an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) – the second deadliest in history. With efforts to bring it under control are hampered by civil war and mistrust, health minister Oly Ilunga said 1,008 lives have been claimed by the virus, which …

Cocaine deaths have been rising in the United States, amid the nation’s deadliest drug overdose epidemic, US health officials have said in a new report. After several years of decline, overdose deaths involving cocaine began rising around 2012 and they jumped by more than a third between 2016 and 2017, …

Tobacco giant Philip Morris International (PMI) is setting up a UK life insurance venture which will see it offer significant discounts to smokers who quit or switch to one of its alternative products. The new firm, Reviti, is wholly owned by PMI and will offer customers a programme of health …

When you finish a workout, you fall into one of two camps: You’re ravenous for food, or you shy away from it. But those in the latter group may need to rethink their fueling strategy, as it could be sabotaging your weight loss or fitness-related goals. (If you’re in the …

Hundreds of drones will begin delivering life-saving vaccines, blood, and medicines to patients in Ghana this week in the largest scheme of its kind, the global vaccine alliance GAVI said on Wednesday. Medics will place orders by text message when supplies run dry, said GAVI chief executive Seth Berkley. Drones …

The first medical device to treat childhood attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, was OK’d Friday by the US Food and Drug Administration. Designated for children ages 7 to 12 who are not currently on medication for the disorder, the device delivers a low-level electrical pulse to the parts of …

US scientists say they used HIV to make a gene therapy that cured eight infants of severe combined immunodeficiency, or “bubble boy” disease. Results of the research, developed at a Tennessee hospital, were published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The babies, born with little to no immune protection, …

Hopes for a male contraceptive pill have increased after a trial showed a once-daily capsule appeared to work with no significant side-effects. The drug aims to suppress levels of hormones that drive the production of sperm and testosterone in the testes. In the month-long study, doctors found that levels of …

An outbreak of measles has killed more than 1,200 people on the island of Madagascar. The country is facing its largest measles outbreak in history, with the number of recorded cases growing beyond 115,000. Measles cases are rising in the US and elsewhere, with New York City battling to halt …

The Swiss government wants to put an end to its emergency stockpile of coffee after declaring that it is “not essential” for human survival. Switzerland began storing emergency reserves of coffee between World War One and World War Two in preparation for potential shortages. It continued in subsequent decades to …

A good-natured Scottish pensioner who experiences virtually no pain has superhuman healing and remains unflappable in life-threatening situations may sound like a Marvel spin-off but has just been reported in a leading scientific journal. UK researchers have discovered Jo Cameron’s, now 71, remarkable abilities are apparently down to a previously …

Diets lacking in healthy food are responsible for more deaths across the globe than smoking, a major new study has concluded. The research, published in the British journal The Lancet, claims that around 11 million deaths per year — or one in five — are a result of a poor …