Kaiser Health News – Page 25

Nearly 9 out of 10 African American smokers prefer mentholated cigarettes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Flavor bans multiply, but menthol continues to divide

November 20, 2019 at 3:01 a.m.

As states and communities rush to ban the sale of flavored tobacco products linked to vaping, Carol McGruder races from town to town, urging officials to include what she calls...

A small scale, plastic containers, a funnel, nicotine mix and artificial flavors sit on Danielle Jones? dining table. Jones makes her own vape juice and orders the supplies she needs online.

More vapers are making their own juice, but not without risks

November 15, 2019 at 10:50 a.m.

Danielle Jones sits at her dining room table, studying the recipe for Nerd Lyfe (v2) vape juice. The supplies she's ordered online are arrayed before her: a plastic jug of...

THC vape cartridges are a popular product in Washington's legal marijuana shops. The Washington State Board of Health recently passed a four-month emergency ban on flavored vaping products. It applies to products that contain either THC or nicotine.

As states with legal weed embrace vaping bans, black-market risks linger

November 8, 2019 at 10:48 a.m.

Cannabis shops around Washington state are now required to hang signs warning customers of "severe lung injuries" and "deaths" associated with vaping. Kevin Heiderich, a co-owner of one such shop,...

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently reported 9,933 cases in 2018 of Legionellosis, which includes both Legionnaires' disease and Pontiac fever. Legionnaires' disease made up the vast majority of cases, according to the CDC.

Record number of Legionnaires’ cases in 2018 risk lives, cause cleanup headaches

November 8, 2019 at 1:00 a.m.

Cases of Legionnaires' disease reached a record high in 2018 — a more than eight-fold increase since the numbers began to climb nearly two decades ago. The Centers for Disease...

Compression garments can ease lymphedema. Covering costs? Not so easy.

November 5, 2019 at 3:00 a.m.

Every morning, Britta Vander Linden dons compression stockings, a cumbersome process she calls "putting on my legs." She relies on the garments to stand and walk without intense leg pain...

Teens' use of e-cigarettes has doubled since 2017, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, with 1 in 4 high school seniors reporting use of a vape in the previous month.

For generation Juul, nicotine addiction happens fast and is hard to shake

November 1, 2019 at 4:00 a.m.

When Will tried his first vape during his sophomore year, he didn't know what to expect. It was just something he had vaguely heard about at his high school. "I...

As the technology continues to change, researchers are finding more evidence that the way vaping devices and e-liquids interact could harm consumers.

As vaping devices evolve, new potential hazards scrutinized

October 30, 2019 at 11:12 a.m.

The smokeless tobacco industry that began with low-voltage cigarette look-alikes has evolved to include customizable, high-wattage machines capable of generating enormous clouds of vapor — and potentially toxic substances. As...

A Kaiser Health News investigation found that manufacturers, hospitals, doctors and some patient advocates have put their marketing muscle — and millions of dollars — behind 3D mammograms, even though the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force says they haven't been shown to be more effective than traditional mammograms.

A million-dollar marketing juggernaut pushes 3D mammograms

November 5, 2019 at 4:10 p.m.

When Dr. Worta McCaskill-Stevens made an appointment for a mammogram last year, she expected a simple breast cancer screening — not a heavy-handed sales pitch. A receptionist asked if she...

In Hamburg, ‘gesundheit’ means more than a wish for good health

October 23, 2019 at 10:45 a.m.

Researchers around the world hail Germany for its robust health care system: universal coverage, plentiful primary care, low drug prices and minimal out-of-pocket costs for residents. Unlike in the U.S.,...

Even though "quitlines" were designed to help people kick cigarette habits, calls and texts from people who use e-cigarettes are climbing as more people fall ill with a mysterious and devastating respiratory illness linked to vaping.

As vaping illnesses rise, so do pleas to quit-smoking help lines

October 22, 2019 at 4:00 a.m.

"I stopped for a few days and then I ended up buying new pods. The withdrawals got to me." "My friends are the ones who got me into vaping. And...

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