There's a New Set of COVID Variants Called FLiRT: What You Need to Know

The virus behind COVID has mutated again, this time producing variants nicknamed FLiRT, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported.

The variants are appearing in wastewater sampling, the CDC said, and case monitoring suggests that between April 14 and April 27, one FLiRT variant called KP.2 made up about a quart...

Drive to Be 'Perfect' Parent Isn't Healthy, Survey Finds

Parents striving to be “perfect” will never attain that goal, and the aim isn’t even healthy for their families, a new study says.

The risks of striving for perfection are such that researchers have now created a scale to help parents track their burnout and, if necessary, counter it.

The first-of-its-kind Working Parent Burnou...

How Bad Was Beethoven's Lead Poisoning?

No one knows what caused the liver and kidney disease that led to Ludwig van Beethoven’s untimely death.

But one popular theory – that high lead levels killed the great composer – should be ruled out, researchers argue in the journal Clinical Chemistry.

Analysis of samples taken from preserved locks of Beethoven’s ha...

Big Rise in Emergencies Involving Synthetic Weed Among Kids, Adults

Calls to U.S. poison centers regarding so-called synthetic cannabis jumped 88% between 2021 and 2022, as use of these legally sold products rose, research shows.

Synthetic cannabis contain varying forms of the active ingredient in marijuana, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC): delta-8 THC, delta-10 THC and THC-O acetate. 

They're banned...

How Mindfulness Could Help Folks Quit Opioids

WEDNESDAY, May 8, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Using mindfulness to help people trying to overcome opioid addiction can boost their odds of continuing treatment, new research shows.

The approach helps folks how to deal with tension, savor life and reframe their thinking, the researchers explained.

"Better treatment protocols could save ...

Study Finds Heart Damage in 'Couch Potato' Kids

Children and young adults who are couch potatoes could wind up with enlarged hearts, increasing their risk of heart attack, stroke and early death.

Sedentary behavior contributed as much as 40% to the total increase in heart size between the ages of 17 and 24, researchers found.

Further, a lack of movement helped enlarge teens’ hea...