Introduction Adolescence is a time of significant change. Teens navigate new social dynamics, academic pressures, and personal growth while their brains continue developing. For many adolescents, this period also brings challenges to mental health. When mental health struggles emerge during these years, they often intersect with substance use in ways that complicate both conditions. Mental health issues can make teens more vulnerable to substance use, while substance use can

Palo Mayombe is an ancient African religion that has been documented as parallel to “Santería”; it was developed in Cuba primarily by enslaved communities, and today it is preserved as an active, yet dangerous, practice. The Chemical Reality of Ritual Practice Not exactly because of the possibility of angering some ancestral spirit; I am referring to exposure to ritual mixtures that are used daily with a variety of extremely toxic, reactive, and dangerous substances ranging

Plastics: The Beginning of Disposable Consumption Plastics have been used commercially for well over 100 years. The first fully synthetic plastic, Bakelite, was invented in 1907 by Leo Baekeland and served not only as a very effective insulator, but was also well suited for production due to its high durability and ease of being molded. Bakelite was revolutionary for its time and set the stage for a new era of plastic manufacturing. By the 1940s, plastic use exploded. World W

The preamble to the constitution of the World Health Organization states “Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” Health as the Foundation of Wealth - Some thoughts on Well-Being as a supreme value by Catherina Pascale Introduction The enduring expression “health is wealth” is not just a good rhyme. It reflects a fundamental truth grounded in medical science, economics, and public health: physic

​ Hantavirus is a family of viruses that is caused by contact with rodents such as mice and rats. Humans can contract hantavirus by getting exposed through saliva, droppings, and urine from these rodents. Hantavirus can distinctly cause two different symptoms: hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) and hantavirus pulmonary syndrome HPS. HFRS predominantly affects the kidneys; symptoms of this specific strand include nausea,blurred vision, intestinal headaches, and fev

Over the past week, reports of a Hantavirus outbreak aboard a cruise ship in the Atlantic have sparked a familiar wave of “next pandemic” headlines. It is understandable. Terms like “outbreak” and “fatalities” tend to raise alarm. However, a closer look at the situation, particularly the nature of the Andes virus (ANDV), shows that while this is a serious medical concern for those affected, it is not a cause for global panic. What’s Actually Happening? The current focus is on

Yellow fever is a mosquito-borne viral disease that has shaped human history across sub- Saharan Africa and tropical South America for centuries. Despite the availability of one of the most effective vaccines ever developed, yellow fever continues to cause outbreaks, and unvaccinated travellers remain at real risk (1). In 2024 alone, 61 confirmed human cases were reported in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Guyana, and Peru, with a case fatality rate of approximately 50%. By May 20

INDEX 1.0 Patient Guide to Understanding Malaria 1.1 Introduction 2.0 Causes 3.0 How Malaria Is Transmitted 4.0 Who Is Most at Risk of Malaria? 4.1 Children Under 5 (Highest Mortality Group) 4.2 Pregnant Women 4.3 People Living with HIV/AIDS 4.4 Travelers and Non-Immune Individuals 4.5 Older Adults 5.0 Geographic Risk 6.0 Genetic and Physiological Factors 7.0 Symptoms of Malaria 8.0 How Malaria Is Tested 8.1 Blood Smear Microscopy 8.2 Rapid Diagnostic Tests (RDTs) 8.3 Molecul

Yellow fever is a mosquito-borne viral disease that has shaped human history across sub-Saharan Africa and tropical South America for centuries. Despite the availability of one of the most effective vaccines ever developed, yellow fever continues to cause outbreaks, and unvaccinated travellers remain at real risk (1). In 2024 alone, 61 confirmed human cases were reported in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Guyana, and Peru, with a case fatality rate of approximately 50%. By May 202

Microplastics, tiny plastic particles, are increasingly found in drinking water worldwide. Microplastics — tiny particles less than 5 millimeters in size — have emerged as a growing concern in drinking water worldwide. Found in both tap and bottled water, these particles originate from the breakdown of larger plastics, industrial processes, and even household items. Studies suggest that humans may ingest thousands of microplastic particles each year without fully understandi

Vitamin D, the "sunshine vitamin," remains essential for bone and immune health. Vitamin D is often called the "sunshine vitamin" because the body produces it naturally when skin is exposed to sunlight. Yet, surprisingly, deficiency remains common -- even in countries that enjoy abundant sunshine year-round. Researchers estimate that nearly 50% of the global population has vitamin D insufficiency, with over 1 billion people worldwide suffering from deficiency (Kaur et al.).

Evidence of the first alcoholic beverage dates back to 7000 BC, where experts found traces of fermented rice, honey, and fruit in pottery in a Neolithic village in China. A handful of millennia later, alcohol has become deeply embedded in society and known as a social lubricant; it may be considered strange to host a party or go to a wedding without seeing alcohol served as a proverbial icebreaker. There are even entire events that completely revolve around alcohol, like win

By Kat Pachas, BSN, RN When summer arrives, many people enjoy hiking and spending time on trails, but they also know that ticks come out in warmer weather. While outdoor lovers have long known about the risk of Lyme disease from tick bites, only recently have people started hearing about a new and unusual red meat allergy linked to tick bites.​ What Is Alpha Gal Syndrome? Alpha-gal Syndrome (AGS) is a red meat allergy caused by bites from the lone star tick, and it mostly aff

Hospital at home is a healthcare model that allows people to receive hospital level care in their own homes instead of staying in a traditional hospital . This model has grown rapidly in recent years especially after the COVID-19 pandemic . Hospital at Home programs provide treatment that is just as safe and effective as regular hospital care while improving patient comfort and reducing healthcare costs . This makes it an important development for public health and the f

Introduction Throughout social media and medicine, peptides have been promoted for their role in weight loss, muscle growth, and even anti-aging. Peptides are a short chain of amino acids that function as building blocks for protein (1). They are taken via injection in either the abdomen or thigh. While peptides have been around for decades, the research behind them remains limited, and are still considered experimental. Structure and Function The most common misconception w

1.Understanding Autism Spectrum Disorder Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a lifelong neurodevelopmental condition characterized by differences in social communication, behaviour, and sensory processing. It reflects the diversity of human development rather than a single uniform condition. ASD arises from a complex interaction of genetic and environmental influences. Increasing prevalence incidence. Importantly Autism is not disease which can be fixed but has to be under

By Abby Newberry If your doctor has ordered certain medications, tests, or procedures, you may have been notified that they require Prior Authorization. Prior Authorization is a process used by insurance companies to verify that high-risk or high-dollar treatments ordered by doctors are medically appropriate and cost-effective. This can look very different for each patient, depending on what is being ordered and their individual insurance coverage. Prior Authorization may

Introduction Precision medicine is often associated with cancer care. Advances in tumor sequencing, targeted therapies, and biomarker-guided clinical trials have positioned oncology as the flagship application of this approach, shaping public perception to equate precision medicine exclusively with cancer treatment. However, what if these advancements extend beyond oncology? At its core, precision medicine is about understanding variability in genetics, environment, and lifes

Introduction Glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) agonists have transformed obesity treatment in recent years. Medications such as semaglutide have become widely used therapies, enabling weight loss that was previously only possible with invasive surgery. Their use continues to grow, with around 1 in 8 US adults reportedly prescribed these in 2025. While efficacious, a significant proportion of weight lost during GLP-1 agonist therapy is attributable to reductions in lean muscle m

In 1995 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) established the Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet), a partnership between several government agencies and healthcare sites in 10 different states to report these illnesses to the local health departments as they occur. Specifically, eight specific bacterial pathogens which cause significant burden of disease were selected for required reporting to state health departments. For the last 30 years