Category: Washington Post

Swimming outdoors in winter? Some love it. But bring a swim parka.

Outdoor winter swimming in a heated pool is good exercise — wet suit optional.

Vitamin D supplements didn’t prevent kids’ broken bones, study finds

The supplements may have failed because they weren’t paired with calcium, which strengthens bones as well, researchers say.

CDC issues health alert for deadly tick-borne disease

Three deaths resulted from Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever outbreak among people who traveled or lived in Mexican border city.

FDA approves two sickle cell therapies, including the first CRISPR medicine

The therapies offer hope for a long-overlooked genetic illness that can cause excruciating pain and cut decades off people’s lives.

Toy magnets linked to 7 deaths and 2,400 hospitalizations

If swallowed, the magnets can attract to one another and cause perforations, intestinal blockages and blood poisoning, federal safety regulators warn.

White House targets drug patents in latest effort to lower prices

Under the plan, the U.S. government could step in and license patent rights to other manufacturers when certain drugs’ prices are too high.

William P. Murphy Jr., medical innovator of vinyl blood bags, dies at 100

The problem was how to replace bulky and fragile glass blood containers. Dr. Murphy tested out the new vinyl bags near the front lines of the Korean War.

Boris Johnson admits ‘mistakes’ to covid inquiry but defends record

Boris Johnson, ousted as prime minister for misleading the public over parties during lockdowns, defended his pandemic response before an independent inquiry.

Mpox surge in Congo raises concerns world will ignore warnings again

Authorities confirm the first sexual spread of mpox in Congo during a surge that has led to more deaths than last year’s global outbreak.

Scientists studied twins’ diets. Those who ate vegan saw fast results.

Stanford University researchers assigned vegan or meat diets to sets of identical twins. The results showed a large difference in health benefits.