Psychedelic drugs can be almost as life altering as near-death experiences

Occasionally, people who suffer intense turmoil and trauma undergo a profound change. They feel a new sense of well-being, purpose and appreciation of life. Their relationships become more authentic and intimate. They feel as if they've woken up and are living in a more intense way.

Individuals with type 2 diabetes respond differently to exercise

Regular exercise helps prevent and delay the development of type 2 diabetes and its complications. Researchers at Karolinska Institutet, together with a team of international scientists, have discovered that activation of the immune system in skeletal muscle during exercise may underlie the difference in how individuals with type 2 diabetes perceive and respond to exercise. These findings are published in the journal Science Advances.

Vaccines dramatically reduce the risk of long-term effects of COVID-19

Being vaccinated with at least two doses of Pfizer vaccines dramatically reduces most of the long-term symptoms individuals reported months after contracting COVID-19, a new study shows.

Study finds damage in the lungs of chronic e-cigarette users

Chronic use of e-cigarettes, commonly known as vaping, can result in progressive small airway obstruction and asthma-like symptoms such as shortness of breath and chest pains, according to researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). In the first study to microscopically evaluate the pulmonary tissue of e-cigarette users for chronic disease, the team found in a small sample of patients fibrosis and damage in the small airways, similar to the chemical inhalation damage to the lungs typically seen in soldiers returning from overseas conflicts who had inhaled mustard or similar types of noxious gases. The study was published in New England Journal of Medicine Evidence.

Hong Kong extends digital vaccine pass to kids as young as five

Hong Kong will extend a digital vaccination pass that controls which premises residents can enter to children as young as five years old, authorities announced Thursday.

FDA panel backs much-debated ALS drug in rare, 2nd review

A panel of federal health advisers voted Wednesday to recommend approval for an experimental drug to treat Lou Gehrig's disease, a remarkable turnaround for the much-debated medication that was previously rejected by the same group earlier this year.

How to deal with sleep problems during heat waves

With heatwaves occurring more frequently, investigators from the European Insomnia Network recently explored how outdoor nighttime temperature changes affect body temperature and sleep quality. Their review of the literature, which is published in the Journal of Sleep Research, indicates that environmental temperatures outside the thermal comfort can strongly affect human sleep by disturbing the body's ability to thermoregulate.