Glyphosate is a chemical found in herbicides to regulate the growth of weeds and grasses. It is among the most widely used pesticides in the world with applications in agriculture, forestry, and lawn and garden care. Glyphosate (in products such as RoundUpTM) use in the United States has increased rapidly since the introduction of glyphosate-tolerant crops in 1996 and continues to grow.

Hoarding Disorder is a condition marked by continuing difficulty in discarding possessions regardless of their monetary value due to a perceived need to save the objects. As a result, numerous items accumulate in the household leading to substantial distress and deleterious effects on health, safety, and social and occupational functioning. Since 2013, this disorder has been listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V) as a stand-alone disorder while previously it was clubbed with obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Hedonic eating refers to consuming food primarily for pleasure and not to maintain energy balance; eating constantly adds to body weight.

A total of 15 cases of Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) or Sleeping Sickness reported in 2024 thus far in the United States is causing alarm because this disease is very rare in the US. Prior to 2024 the previous cases were in 2015 and were very few. It is a viral disease caused by mosquito bite and can have very serious sequelae. Typical mosquitoes that are infected with EEE include Aedes, Culex, and Coquillettidia. EEE virus is sustained in nature through a cycle between the Culiseta melanura mosquitoes and birds.

Every year the United States reverts its time by one hour in Fall and forward in Spring. This year daylight saving time (DST) ends on November 3, 2024. This shift hurts health in several ways. The impact is more pronounced in Spring and Fall is somewhat less troublesome. However, both time adjustments are problematic.

A recent report by The Lancet Public Health Commission has brought to the forefront the growing debate on the epidemic of gambling worldwide. The Report estimated that 46.2% of adults and 17.9% of adolescents had engaged in gambling of some sort in the previous year at the global level.

More than a dozen researchers collaborated on a report for Lancet that deems gambling as a public health threat on the same level as alcohol and tobacco. Manoj Sharma is a professor of social and behavioral health at UNLV who worked on the Lancet’s commission and explains the findings. He speaks with host Carolyn Beeler.

Diabesity is a term used to describe the blending of obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus. The adverse health effects of these two conditions have commonalities. The term was first coined by Sims and colleagues in the 1970s, to highlight the close connection between type 2 diabetes and obesity. This condition is also referred to as obesity-dependent diabetes.