AirPods doubling as hearing aids, NFL concussion concerns and Boar's Head discontinues liverwurst over listeria: Here's what happened in health this week
Happy Saturday! We hope you had a bad omen-free Friday the 13th yesterday. Here’s some background on why superstitions and charms have withstood the test of time — though, for the record, the Yahoo Life health team is all about science-backed cures. Here’s what you might have missed this week.
What our team has been interested in: These were some of our team’s favorite topics this week:
With public pools closing for the summer season, swimmers are headed to lakes and rivers for open-water dips. Amelia Edelman explains the appeal, and risks, of “wild swimming.”
Why do so many young adults have high blood pressure (aka hypertension)? Korin Miller takes a look at the disturbing trend.
As hurricane season ramps up, Natalie Rahhal shares how to stay safe during storms and flooding.
What’s it like to spend nine months at sea? Kaitlin Reilly spoke with passengers who just returned from Royal Caribbean's Ultimate World Cruise and learned why it wasn’t always smooth sailing.
Phenylephrine (a popular decongestant ingredient) is still included in many medications — even though advisers to the Food and Drug Administration say it doesn’t work. I asked the FDA and top pharmacies why we’re still seeing it on store shelves.
What researchers have been studying: Here are some interesting new studies that have come out:
A new study published on Wednesday looked at how female sterilization rates jumped in states that banned abortion after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.
Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, found that the irregular heartbeat known as atrial fibrillation (or A-fib) is three times more common than previously thought.
More than 20% of people over age 50 say they've used pot at least once in the past year, a new survey finds. What to know about cannabis-curious older adults.
In every U.S. state, more than 20% of Americans has obesity, according to a new report from the CDC. Our own Natalie Rahhal breaks down the agency’s latest findings.
What happened in celebrity health: Celebrities make headlines for more than just fashion and films; they can call our attention to some important health topics, too. Here’s what to know this week:
On Monday, Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales, announced that she had completed her chemotherapy treatment after being diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer. Her description of her cancer journey as “complex” and “scary” likely resonates with a lot of people, psychologists say.
Jon Bon Jovi was praised by mental health experts for helping to talk someone off the ledge of a bridge in Nashville on Tuesday. Kerry Justich shares what you can do if you encounter someone in a crisis.
Selena Gomez opened up about how she “can’t carry [her] own children” and may use other family-building methods to have kids one day. Here’s why it matters that the star is speaking out about fertility.
And finally, these were some of the biggest headline makers in health and wellness this week.
Miami Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa suffers concussion
Tua Tagovailoa, an NFL quarterback with the Miami Dolphins, left Thursday night’s game against the Buffalo Bills after a collision with Bills safety Damar Hamlin left him with a concussion. Tagovailoa’s career with the NFL has been plagued by a history of multiple head injuries, and the quarterback even considered retiring at the end of the 2022 season out of concern for his health.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that a concussion or traumatic brain injury can “lead to symptoms that may affect how a person thinks, learns, feels, acts and sleeps.” For years, many health experts and football fans alike have been concerned about the dangerous nature of the sport and the impact multiple head injuries can have on athletes — and what solutions may be available.
Boar’s Head discontinues liverwurst, closes Va. plant ‘indefinitely’
In a statement on Friday, deli meat company Boar’s Head announced that it would be indefinitely closing its Jarratt, Va. plant and permanently discontinuing its liverwurst product amid a listeria outbreak that has left nine people dead and dozens hospitalized in multiple states.
“Our investigation has identified the root cause of the contamination as a specific production process that only existed at the Jarratt facility and was used only for liverwurst. With this discovery, we have decided to permanently discontinue liverwurst,” Boar’s Head said, adding that “under these circumstances, we feel that a plant closure is the most prudent course.”
The liverwurst recall began on July 25, and was expanded days later to include 7 million more pounds of meat. Symptoms of listeria, the disease caused by listeria monocytogenes bacteria, include fever, muscle aches, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. As Yahoo Life previously reported, the bacteria has the ability to survive and grow even under refrigeration — which experts say is uncommon and makes it more difficult to manage.
“This is a dark moment in our company’s history,” Boar’s Head said, “but we intend to use this as an opportunity to enhance food safety programs not just for our company, but for the entire industry.”
Your AirPods can now double as a hearing aid
On Thursday, the FDA authorized the first over-the-counter hearing aid software device, Hearing Aid Feature, which can be used with compatible versions of the Apple AirPods Pro headphones.
The software can be customized to the user’s hearing needs, and is “intended to amplify sounds for individuals 18 years or older with perceived mild to moderate hearing impairment.”
The FDA writes that an estimated 30 million Americans suffer from mild to moderate hearing loss, due to "aging, exposure to loud noises, certain medical conditions and other factors."
Barbara Kelley, executive director of the Hearing Loss Association of America, tells CBS News that the involvement of a popular tech company like Apple will hopefully make the technology more accessible as well as affordable.
"With Apple coming in, and the way Apple does things with a big splash, it really draws attention to hearing health and treating hearing loss, which is part of overall health," Kelley says.
