Your mobile phone won't give you brain cancer, superyacht case raises questions about 'dry drowning' and more health headlines you might have missed this week
Hope you all had a great first week back post-Labor Day! Maybe you’re mourning the loss of sunshine and swimsuits; or maybe (like me!) you’re more than ready to usher in some sweater weather and pumpkin spice lattes. Either way, this has been a crazy week of transitions as we celebrate the unofficial end of summer and get into back-to-school mode.
But fear not — the Yahoo health team is here to help you stay well as you navigate all the changes. Here’s the health news you might have missed.
What our team has been interested in: These were some of our team’s favorite topics this week:
A new month is an opportunity for a fresh start, and Erin Donnelly has your guide to healthy living this September: from fall-friendly activities that are good for both body and mind, to things to check off your medical to-do list — like a COVID booster and cholesterol readings.
With medications like Ozempic and Wegovy making headlines everywhere, Natalie Rahhal shares what she’s been reading to stay informed about the powerful weight loss drugs.
If the last warm days of summer are keeping you up at night, Kerry Justich shares why a cooling blanket might be the perfect solution.
Kaitlin Reilly breaks down why so many of us create DOOM piles instead of actually organizing our stuff — with tips on clearing out the clutter for good.
With the return of NFL season, Donnavan Smoot is taking a look at the pros (social connections) and cons (stress) of playing fantasy football.
Ahead of Grandparents’ Day this Sunday, Korin Miller looks at the ways in which our grandparents can affect our health — including cancer risk and aging.
What researchers have been studying: Here are some interesting new studies that have come out:
Women who received a false-positive cancer detection during a mammogram are less likely to return for their next breast cancer screening, according to a new study. Here’s how common false positives are, and what to do if it happens to you.
A new study from researchers at Harvard is shedding more light on maternal health during the COVID pandemic — including a spike in gestational diabetes and hypertensive disorders.
Did you know that young Gen Z and millennial men are more likely to smoke or vape than those of older generations? Our own Natalie Rahhal shares some of the most interesting health results from a new survey of men from different age groups by Cleveland Clinic.
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:
Model Elle Macpherson recently shared that she declined chemotherapy after being diagnosed with breast cancer seven years ago. Oncologists explain why her alternative approach may not be for everyone.
Elton John revealed on social media that a “severe eye infection” has left him “with only limited vision in one eye.”
Former Love Is Blind star Shaina Hurley opened up about what it was like to be diagnosed with cervical cancer while three months pregnant with her “miracle” baby.
And finally, these were some of the biggest headline makers in health and wellness this week.
Your mobile phone won’t give you brain cancer, researchers say
If you sleep with your phone tucked under your pillow or cradled near your face, you can continue to rest easy; after analyzing 28 years of research, a review published on Tuesday found no link between mobile phone use and brain cancer risk.
Research commissioned by the World Health Organization (WHO) looked at whether there was a connection between brain cancer and exposure to the radio frequencies used by wireless electronics like cellphones. They found no increased risk — even among people who had used cellphones for 10 years or more, or for people who spent a lot of time on their phones — and concluded that cellphone towers are not a cancer risk.
The Washington Post reports that the WHO’s cancer agency classified radio waves as a possible carcinogen to humans in 2011, but that the categorization was based on limited evidence. Ken Karipidis, a lead author of the review, said that since then, more extensive studies have come out on radio waves, which prompted the WHO and researchers to take a deeper look.
Superyacht victims died of ‘dry drowning’
Authorities say that four of the seven victims who died in a superyacht accident in Italy on Aug. 19 died of “dry drowning,” according to initial autopsy results. Local media reports say the cause of death suggests that the victims had found an air bubble in the cabin where their bodies were discovered, “and had consumed all the oxygen before the air pocket turned toxic due to carbon dioxide,” CNN reports.
“Dry drowning” isn’t a medically accepted term, but “secondary drowning” and other such phrases are used to describe patients whose condition worsens after a near-drowning incident, or who had little or no water in their lungs after drowning. As Yahoo Life previously reported, the term “dry drowning” is really a misnomer.
“By definition, drowning has to involve a liquid — it can’t be dry,” Dr. Christopher San Miguel, emergency medicine physician at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, told Yahoo Life. He added that the idea that people can seem fine for days after nearly drowning and then suddenly develop respiratory failure “simply does not happen.”
“The maximum amount of time ever witnessed between the submersion event and the onset of symptoms is eight hours, and even this is quite rare,” he said.
The self-collection alternative to Pap smears is en route
Self-collection human papillomavirus (HPV) tests that can screen for cervical cancer began shipping to doctors’ offices on Thursday, medical technology firm BD says. BD is one of two companies offering new alternatives to the often-dreaded Pap smear exam that enable female patients to collect the sample themselves before having it sent to a lab by a clinician. Biotechnology company Roche anticipates that its self-collection tool will be shipped sometime this fall.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved self-collection for HPV cervical cancer screenings in health care settings earlier this year. The New York Times reports that the self-collection option has been made possible because labs are now able to use samples taken from the vaginal walls and not just the cervix itself. Experts say this is one way that women’s pain and discomfort in health care is finally being taken more seriously, and hope that this new option will encourage more women to get screened.
