Forecasters say it will bypass a direct hit on the continental U.S., but the first hurricane of 2025 — Erin — is a strong reminder to have an emergency plan and know what to do if severe weather strikes. Hurricane season runs through Nov. 30.  The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reminds Americans that high winds and rain on the coast can cause pose severe risks to people hundreds of miles from the shore.  That’s why it’s essential to understand what National Weather Service alerts mean and to be prepared ahead of time. That means filling your car’s gas tank and having an emergency kit at the ready.  Make sure everyone in your household knows what to do if they aren’t home and an emergency is declared, the National Weather Service (NWS) urges. Whether you plan to evacuate or ride out a storm at home, it’s essential to have enough water, food and emergency supplies to last for several days. Don’t wait until a warning is issued and stores are empty or closed. Your emergency kit should be ready in case you have to leave your home quickly, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Emergency kit: The basics include 1 gallon of water per person for several days; several days’ supply of canned or non-perishable food; battery-powered or hand crank radio;…  read on >  read on >

Diabetes risk appears to cluster in households, a new study says. Three-quarters of people at risk for developing type 2 diabetes are living under the same roof as another person who either already has diabetes or carries risk factors for the condition, researchers will report at the upcoming annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes. “Many of these people will have been diagnosed with prediabetes or type 2 diabetes, but a significant number could be unaware of their diagnosis,” lead researcher Tainayah Thomas, an assistant professor of epidemiology and population health at Stanford University, said in a news release. “If even only a small proportion of these are newly diagnosed, this would make a significant public health impact,” Thomas said. For the new study, researchers analyzed the health records of people sharing a home with a patient diagnosed with prediabetes — a condition in which blood sugar is elevated, increasing risk of developing type 2 diabetes. The people all were being treated by Kaiser Permanente Northern California, a health care system for about 4.5 million patients. The researchers identified more than 356,000 people with prediabetes, and of those, about half (52%) were living with other people. Results show that more than 75% of people with prediabetes had at least one other household member with one or more diabetes risk factors. Overall,…  read on >  read on >

Diabetes risk appears to cluster in households, a new study says. Three-quarters of people at risk for developing type 2 diabetes are living under the same roof as another person who either already has diabetes or carries risk factors for the condition, researchers will report at the upcoming annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes. “Many of these people will have been diagnosed with prediabetes or type 2 diabetes, but a significant number could be unaware of their diagnosis,” lead researcher Tainayah Thomas, an assistant professor of epidemiology and population health at Stanford University, said in a news release. “If even only a small proportion of these are newly diagnosed, this would make a significant public health impact,” Thomas said. For the new study, researchers analyzed the health records of people sharing a home with a patient diagnosed with prediabetes — a condition in which blood sugar is elevated, increasing risk of developing type 2 diabetes. The people all were being treated by Kaiser Permanente Northern California, a health care system for about 4.5 million patients. The researchers identified more than 356,000 people with prediabetes, and of those, about half (52%) were living with other people. Results show that more than 75% of people with prediabetes had at least one other household member with one or more diabetes risk factors. Overall,…  read on >  read on >

Folks fighting an addiction can boost their chances of success if they also drop the smokes, a new study says. Addicts who quit smoking have up to 42% better odds of recovery, researchers reported Aug. 13 in JAMA Psychiatry. These results indicate that smoking cessation programs should be made part of virtually all substance abuse treatment, researchers concluded. “We now have strong evidence from a national sample that quitting cigarette smoking predicts improved recovery from other substance use disorders,” Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), said in a news release.  “It underscores the importance of addressing different addictions together, rather than in isolation,” added Volkow, who was not involved in the research. NIDA partly funded the study. For the study, researchers analyzed data for nearly 2,700 adults with a history of substance use disorder who were tracked from 2013 to 2018. These folks were asked every year about whether they smoked or used illicit drugs. Analysis showed that quitting smoking was associated with 42% better odds of a person being in recovery from their drug addiction. Even after researchers accounted for other factors, dropping cigarettes was linked with 30% better odds of addiction recovery. “Although the health benefits of quitting smoking are well-known, smoking cessation has not been seen as a high priority in drug addiction treatment programs,” senior…  read on >  read on >

Folks fighting an addiction can boost their chances of success if they also drop the smokes, a new study says. Addicts who quit smoking have up to 42% better odds of recovery, researchers reported Aug. 13 in JAMA Psychiatry. These results indicate that smoking cessation programs should be made part of virtually all substance abuse treatment, researchers concluded. “We now have strong evidence from a national sample that quitting cigarette smoking predicts improved recovery from other substance use disorders,” Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), said in a news release.  “It underscores the importance of addressing different addictions together, rather than in isolation,” added Volkow, who was not involved in the research. NIDA partly funded the study. For the study, researchers analyzed data for nearly 2,700 adults with a history of substance use disorder who were tracked from 2013 to 2018. These folks were asked every year about whether they smoked or used illicit drugs. Analysis showed that quitting smoking was associated with 42% better odds of a person being in recovery from their drug addiction. Even after researchers accounted for other factors, dropping cigarettes was linked with 30% better odds of addiction recovery. “Although the health benefits of quitting smoking are well-known, smoking cessation has not been seen as a high priority in drug addiction treatment programs,” senior…  read on >  read on >