The days of most Americans choosing a casket and traditional graveside ceremony for their funerals are over. Cremation became the top choice in 2015 and has been climbing in popularity ever since. According to statistics from the National Funeral Directors Association, or NFDA, more than half of all Americans who die this year will be…… MORE
When the patriarch of a Boston-area family was diagnosed with stage 3 pancreatic cancer, the family was told he needed to start treatment immediately. But at the first oncology appointment at Newton-Wellesley Hospital earlier this month, the family was told he couldn’t have the procedure right away, the man’s son-in-law told CNN affiliate WBZ. The…… MORE
Marie Antoinette’s hair suddenly turned white before the ill-fated French queen was taken to the guillotine to have her head chopped off, according to some historical accounts. More modern reports refer to hair turning prematurely white in survivors of bomb attacks during World War II, while an Australian airline pilot saw his hair go gray…… MORE
What started as a mystery virus last month in Wuhan, China, has now killed at least 17 people and infected hundreds more around the world. In the US, the first case of Wuhan coronavirus was confirmed Tuesday in Washington state — stoking fears of an outbreak in this country. So what are officials doing in…… MORE
Pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline says it has temporarily discontinued two types of Excedrin items as a precautionary measure. The company has suspended production and distribution of its Excedrin Extra Strength and Excedrin Migraine products, it said. “Through routine quality control and assurance measures, we discovered inconsistencies in how we transfer and weigh ingredients for Excedrin Extra…… MORE
How does your neighborhood rank in terms of opportunity for your child to grow into a healthy, well-educated and employable adult? If you live in one of the thousands of neighborhoods examined in the Child Opportunity Index 2.0, where two-thirds of all American children live, then you can look for yourself. The index, funded by…… MORE
The United States has its first confirmed case of a new virus that appeared in Wuhan, China, last month, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Tuesday. The coronavirus has already sickened hundreds and killed six people in Asia. CDC officials said the United States will be more strict about health screenings of…… MORE
Sperm donations from dead men is “ethically permissible,” say doctors seeking to tackle the shortage of living donors in the UK. A study published in the Journal of Medical Ethics Monday proposed that men should be able to “register their desire to donate their sperm after death for use by strangers.” Such a procedure would…… MORE
After a single application, a total of seven chemicals commonly found in sunscreens can be absorbed into the bloodstream at levels that exceed safety thresholds, according to studies by the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, an arm of the US Food and Drug Administration. “What is most alarming about these findings is that chemicals…… MORE
Governments around the world have always struggled to stop the spread of disease, from the deadly swine flu which struck the globe in 2009, to ongoing attempts to rein in Ebola in West Africa. No health authority has ever tackled the challenge currently faced by China, however, as the country grapples with a new coronavirus…… MORE
