Shingles has long been considered a disease that impacts the older population — people over the age of 50. In the U.S., one in 3 adults will get shingles in their lifetime, and in recent years, more and more people have been diagnosed with the disease across all age groups, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Researchers aren’t entirely sure what’s driving the change, but they do have some clues. What Is Shingles?(Credit:adtapon duangnim/Shutterstock) Shingl ...read more
On Monday, April 8, the sky’s most dramatic event occurs as the path of a total solar eclipse sweeps across the U.S. and the 2024 eclipse begins. At such times, the Moon is directly between the Sun and Earth, and it casts its shadow on our planet.Because the Sun is large, the Moon’s shadow has two parts. If you’re under the outer, lighter shadow — called the penumbra — you will see a partial eclipse. But that’s not the best place to see it. Ideally, your goal should be to stand benea ...read more
Every year over the Christmas holiday, I declutter and organize my kids’ rooms. I just can’t stand the thought of adding more clutter to their cabinets when they’re already filled to the brim with all that stuff.I separate their toys, books, and clothing into one of three piles: for donations, friends with younger children, and, finally, that which is too damaged to keep at all. The process can take hours, but when I’m done, there’s a huge weight lifted as all the clutter finds a new h ...read more
You might not give them much thought, but parasites are everywhere. Estimates vary, but it’s likely that at least 40 percent of the species on Earth are parasites, and maybe as many as half.A parasite is an organism that lives on or in another organism and lives at the expense of that organism. In other words, a parasite takes what it needs to survive from its host and gives nothing in return. Well, it can give quite a bit of suffering. Not all parasites are deadly and disgusting, but some gh ...read more
Wegovy, Ozempic and Mounjaro are weight loss and diabetes drugs that have made quite a splash in health news. They target regulatory pathways involved in both obesity and diabetes and are widely considered breakthroughs for weight loss and blood sugar control.But do these drugs point toward a root cause of metabolic disease? What inspired their development in the first place?It turns out your body produces natural versions of these drugs – also known as incretin hormones – in your gu ...read more
Author Vishay SinghPosted on Categories Discover Magazine