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The antiviral drug regimen Paxlovid can be lifesaving for people vulnerable to COVID-19’s worst effects, helping them avoid hospitalization or worse if they catch the virus.But what about adults who are young and healthy? Is there any reason they should take Paxlovid if they catch COVID-19?Right now, there’s “no proven benefit” to doing so, and even some potential downsides, says Dr. Roy Gulick, chief of infectious diseases at Cornell University’s Weill Medical College. Here’s what to know.Do low-risk people benefit at all from taking Paxlovid?Paxlovid—a five-day course of two different pills—is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for adults at high risk of developing severe COVID-19, such as those who are elderly, immunocompromised, or have underlying health conditions. (It ...

Pure, natural spring water, just as nature intended. Well, not exactly.Bottled water has long been marketed as a safer alternative to what comes out of the tap—if it doesn’t come straight from a mountain spring, it’s at least purified and chemical free. But a new study by scientists at Columbia University and Rutgers University demonstrates that bottled water may be far worse when it comes to microscopic plastic pollutants capable of passing into the bloodstream.For years scientists have raised the alarm over the global spread of microplastics, which form when plastics break down into increasingly smaller fragments. The particles, which range in size from five millimeters (1/4 of an inch) down to 1 micrometer (1 millionth of a meter, or 1/25,000th of an inch) have been found at the top of ...

If you’re trying to improve your health, the first stop is likely to be your doctor’s office. But your own office may have nearly as much influence on well-being, according to a growing body of research that suggests your job can affect everything from mental health to risk of cardiovascular disease and how long you live.“Health happens everywhere,” says Dr. Eduardo Sanchez, chief medical officer for prevention at the American Heart Association. Given that the average employed U.S. adult spends more of their waking hours working than doing just about anything else, that includes the workplace, he says.Work-related stress is one culprit for health problems, since unmanaged stress can contribute to heart disease, insomnia, gastrointestinal issues, and other chronic conditions. Long hours on ...