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☆ Regular exercise is associated with less insomnia, study shows
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-26 | by ( Madeline Holcombe | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

One of the most helpful things to do might be to get some exercise, according to a new study. “It gives us an idea of something that maybe we don’t always think about for treatment of insomnia,” Paruthi said. Regular exercise was associated with significantly better sleep, the study showed. There are plenty of reasons why physical activity may help in getting a good night’s rest. Physical activity helps regulate the body’s internal clock and promotes deeper, more restorative sleep,” Björnsdóttir said.

Persons: ”, Erla, sleepiness, David Neubauer, ” Björnsdóttir, Shalini Paruthi, ” Paruthi, Neubauer, Paruthi Organizations: CNN’s, CNN, Reykjavik University, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Saint Louis University School of Medicine, American Academy of Sleep

☆ Do you have insomnia? Let’s get back to sleep
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-11 | by ( Madeline Holcombe | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

There are several useful methods to treat the condition, including fixing your sleep hygiene and engaging in cognitive behavioral therapy specifically for insomnia. What do you do on those nights where you just know sleep isn’t coming — or, at least, not without a fight? The condition affects a lot of people, but is often underestimated as a cause of insomnia, Paruthi said. Don’t let bed become a place associated with long stretches of stressing to get to sleep, said Salas, who is also a sleep neurologist at the Johns Hopkins Center for Sleep and Wellness. “The worst thing somebody with insomnia could do is stay in bed and not sleep,” she said.

Persons: Shalini, Rachel Salas, Paruthi, ”, “, ” It’s, isn’t, Salas, —, drowsy, I’m, I’ll, ’ ” Organizations: CNN, Sleep Medicine, Research, Luke’s, American Academy of Sleep, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Saint Louis University School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins Center for Sleep Locations: St, Chesterfield , Missouri, Baltimore, hyperarousal

And yet, an antiviral treatment proven to lessen the chances of severe outcomes is going underused. The drug, Paxlovid, is lauded by experts as a powerful tool that can prevent hospitalization and death from COVID-19. One Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study found that Paxlovid can decrease hospitalization risks among adults by 51%. The study by Harvard researchers found that Paxlovid was disproportionately given to Medicare patients with lower risk of severe infection. “There are very few medications and very few patients whose potential medication interaction with Paxlovid is so severe that they’re better off not taking Paxlovid,” he said.

Persons: they’ve, ”, Amesh, Paxlovid, Kurt Proctor, Celise Ballow, Ballow, “ I’m, I’m, … I’m, ” Ballow, ’ ”, Sarah George, Michael Barnett, Robert Wood Johnson Organizations: Johns Hopkins University, Disease Control, Pfizer, National Community Pharmacists Association, St, Louis University, Harvard, Associated Press Health, Science Department, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, AP Locations: COVID, U.S, Junction , Utah, Paxlovid, Harvard

☆ Elon Musk claims the first human patient has received a Neuralink brain implant
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Elon Musk claimed on X that Neuralink's first human patient received their brain implant. AdvertisementElon Musk on Monday claimed in a post on X that a Neuralink brain implant has, for the first time, been inserted into a human patient's brain. "The first human received an implant from @Neuralink yesterday and is recovering well," Musk wrote. AdvertisementMusk previously said the Neuralink device would record and stimulate brain activity, acting as a "Fitbit in your skull," and claimed the implant would eventually "solve" conditions including autism and schizophrenia . "However, any for-profit medical device company also has a vested interest in generating a consumer base, which is why they make the sometimes grandiose claims they do."

Persons: Elon Musk, Musk, —, Elon, Stephen Hawking, Hilary Brueck, Neuralink, Tesla, Lou Gehrig's, Insider's Brueck, Randy Bruno, Bruno, that's, Jason T, Eberl, Albert Gnaegi, Healthline Organizations: Service, Business, SpaceX, FDA, Reuters, Columbia University, Albert Gnaegi Center for Health, Saint Louis University

(AP) — After being in office for over a decade, Mississippi state Sen. Dean Kirby got challenged in the Republican primary. More than four-fifths of Mississippi's legislative candidates will have no major-party opposition in the Nov. 7 general election. And more than half of this year's winners will have faced no other Republicans or Democrats in either the primary or the general election. Though Mississippi represents an extreme example, it highlights a national decline in competition for state legislative seats. The DLCC is spending a few thousand dollars this year on several legislative races in the largely uncompetitive Republican-leaning states of Mississippi and Louisiana.

Persons: JACKSON, Sen, Dean Kirby, Kirby, Jackson, “, ” Kirby, ”, Steven Rogers, ” Rogers, Rogers, Joe Biden, Abhi Rahman, ” Rahman, Barbara Blackmon, Ed Blackmon, Bradford Blackmon, Lawrence Blackmon, . Sen, Robert Jackson’s, Reginald Jackson, Andy Berry, Berry, he's, ” Berry, ___ Lieb Organizations: Republican, Democratic, Saint Louis University, The Associated Press, Ballotpedia, State Legislatures, Republicans, Democratic Legislative, ”, Three Democratic, Senate, Bradford, Mississippi Cattlemen’s Association, Mississippi Beef Council Locations: Miss, Mississippi, Though Mississippi, In Mississippi, State, Louisiana, New Jersey, Virginia, Jackson, Jefferson City , Missouri

☆ Your cold pills could be yanked off the shelf. An FDA panel just ruled some of them don't work.
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( Associated Press | Haley Tenore | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

A Food and Drug Administration panel said phenylephrine, a commonly used decongestant, doesn't work. Phenylephrine is found in dozens of over-the-counter cold medications to relieve sinus congestion. Phenylephrine versions — sometimes labeled "PE" on the packaging — make up the rest. Several other commonly purchased cold and congestion relief medications also contain phenylephrine, according to The Wall Street Journal. This time, the 16 members of the FDA panel unanimously agreed that current evidence doesn't show a benefit for the drug.

Persons: Phenylephrine, Allegra, Dayquil, Mark Dykewicz, Johnson, Jennifer Schwartzott, drugmakers Organizations: Drug Administration, Food and Drug Administration, Saint Louis University School of Medicine, FDA, Bayer, Wall Street, Allergy, University of Florida, Consumer Healthcare Products Association, Congress

The advisers also told the FDA that studying phenylephrine at higher doses was not an option because it can push blood pressure to dangerous levels. This time, the 16 members of the FDA panel unanimously agreed that current evidence doesn't show a benefit for the drug. Additionally, three larger, rigorously conducted studies published since 2016 showed no difference between phenylephrine medications and placebos for relieving congestion. Those studies were conducted by Merck and Johnson & Johnson and enrolled hundreds of patients. Like many other over-the-counter ingredients, phenylephrine was essentially grandfathered into use during a sweeping FDA review begun in the 1972.

Persons: Allegra, Dayquil, ”, Mark Dykewicz, Johnson, Paul Pisaric, “, Jennifer Schwartzott, Peter Starke, drugmakers, Theresa Michele Organizations: WASHINGTON, Food and Drug Administration, Saint Louis University School of Medicine, FDA, Bayer, Archwell Health, University of Florida, Merck, Johnson, Consumer Healthcare Products Association, Congress, Associated Press Health, Science Department, Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science, Educational Media Group, AP Locations: Oklahoma

☆ Pence Seeks to Go Where No Vice President Has Gone Before
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Peter Baker | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

“Having a former vice president contest the president he served for their party’s nomination in contested primaries is like a 234-year flood,” said Joel K. Goldstein, a specialist on the vice presidency at the St. Louis University School of Law. The broken relationship between Mr. Trump and Mr. Pence is itself a historical anomaly, of course. “The reason why no other vice president appears to have run against his president is that he was selected by the president, and there is almost always a personal bond stemming from a sense of loyalty and gratitude,” said Richard Moe, who was the chief of staff to Vice President Walter F. Mondale. In 1800, Vice President Thomas Jefferson challenged President John Adams, defeating the incumbent’s bid for a second term. Adams and Jefferson had run against each other in 1796, with Adams prevailing and Jefferson becoming vice president because he was the runner-up.

Persons: ”, Joel K, Goldstein, ” “, don’t, “, Pence, Trump, Joseph R, Biden, Mike Pence ”, Richard Moe, Walter F, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Adams, Jefferson Organizations: St, Louis University School of Law, Electoral College, Mondale, Trump

☆ I'm 43 and still have $25,000 left to pay in student loans — but now I have to take out more debt to stay in my field. This system is ridiculous.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Anne Wen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

She's paid off 75% of her student loans, but must return to school and add up to $15,000 more debt. I've been paying my student loans this entire timeI've never defaulted on my loans, even through the COVID-19 pandemic. One of my student loans was forgiven through the Perkins Loan system after I spent five years in the profession, but that was only $5,000. I could fall back on my husband, since he's wanted to help me pay off my student loans, but it concerns me. Folks believe the hype and the politicization of what it means to take out student loans, but I've been a law-abiding citizen.

☆ What happens to the human brain during a near-death experience that can trigger vivid memories and bizarre spiritual encounters
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Erin Heger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

But people who have had a near-death experience (NDE) typically report feeling peace, comfort, and calm throughout the ordeal. What a near-death experience feels likeNDEs can trigger a lot of peculiar sensations, including feeling like you're floating above your body or an out-of-body experience. What a near-death experience does to the brainThe temporal lobe, highlighted here, is responsible for language and visual memory, among other things. It might differ based on cultural or spiritual beliefs, but it is essentially the same," San Filippo said. "That leads us to believe that a near-death experience is a transpersonal experience happening outside of the brain."

☆ Hospitals rely on volunteers for $5 billion a year of free work — and some could be violating federal labor laws
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Lauren Sausser | Kaiser Health News | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

The US health system benefits from potentially over $5 billion in free volunteer labor annually. Like paid employees, hospital volunteers typically face mandatory vaccine requirements, background checks, and patient privacy training. Hedges was furloughed for the better part of six months when hospital volunteers were sent home in March 2020. Nonprofit and for-profit hospitals alike benefit from volunteersNonprofit hospitals must follow federal labor laws, too. Nonprofit hospitals are required to provide a benefit to their communities, such as offering charity care, in exchange for their special tax status.

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