Odds of dying from accidental opioid overdose in the U.S. surpass those of dying in car accident

Tuesday, January 15, 2019

(CNN) - For the first time on record the odds of accidentally dying from an opioid overdose in the United States are now greater than those of dying in an automobile accident.The grim finding comes from the National Safety Council which analyzed preventable injury and fatality statistics from 2017.The NSC also found the lifetime odds of death for this form of overdose were greater than the risk of death from falls, pedestrian incidents, drowning and fire.Examining a variety of federal and state data the NSC found the lifetime odds of... (Continue Reading)

Surgeon general warns against e-cigarettes, vaping

Tuesday, December 18, 2018

(WASHINGTON) -- The U.S. surgeon general is warning against the use of e-cigarettes, declaring Tuesday that any "use among young people is unsafe" and telling parents to be on the lookout for vaping devices that look like computer flash drives.It's a considerably sterner and more specific warning than in 2016, when the same federal office identified vaping as an emerging public health concern. Since then, studies have shown a sharp uptick among young people using the devices and companies that sell the liquid nicotine in flavors that appeal to teens.U.S.... (Continue Reading)

U.S. life expectancy declines again, a dismal trend not seen since World War I

Thursday, November 29, 2018

Life expectancy in the United States declined again in 2017, the government said Thursday in a bleak series of reports that showed a nation still in the grip of escalating drug and suicide crises. The data continued the longest sustained decline in expected life span at birth in a century, an appalling performance not seen in the United States since 1915 through 1918. That four-year period included World War I and a flu pandemic that killed 675,000 people in the United States and perhaps 50 million worldwide. Public health and... (Continue Reading)

Prescription Opioids: Even When Prescribed by a Doctor

Wednesday, September 19, 2018

Alcohol is a leading cause of death, disease worldwide, study says

Saturday, August 25, 2018

Alcohol is killing more people globally than we originally thought, according to a new study. The study, published Thursday in the peer-reviewed medical journal The Lancet, found that alcohol, such as beer and wine, is a leading risk factor for death and disease, associated with 2.8 million deaths each year and the seventh-leading risk factor for premature death and disability globally in 2016. Researchers used 694 studies to estimate worldwide drinking patterns and used 592 studies plus 28 million people to learn about alcohol's health risks between 1990 and 2016 in 195 countries.They found drinking... (Continue Reading)