Blog

By Andrew Kantor

Take a warming climate, a wet spring, and the fact that it's, well, spring, and you have the recipe for a fun-filled allergy season. And by "fun-filled" we mean not fun at all — sniffles, sneezes, watery eyes, and all the joy that comes with an immune system lashing out like a berserk warrior in a role-playing game.

Some cities, though, are better for allergy sufferers than others — looking at you, Akron, Ohio, (where you'll find the lowest 'allergy burden' among major US cities).

On the other end of the spectrum, send some thoughts and prayers to Wichita, Kans., which is the worst city to live in if you have seasonal allergies. That's based on "pollen scores for tree, grass, and weed pollen, over-the-counter medication use (allergy), and number of allergy specialists," in

By Andrew Kantor

Most people think of menopause as a hormonal event. Sure, it can have a lot of effects on a woman's body — hot flashes and mood swings are probably what you think of — but it turns out there's a bigger danger lurking behind the scenes: heart problems.

A new study out of Harbor-UCLA Medical Center found that "A woman's cardiovascular risk can rise sharply after she goes through menopause" — so high, in fact, that it's on par with men of a certain age.

It's almost certainly about the estrogen. Lower levels after menopause seem to increase the buildup of coronary artery calcium (CAC), aka plaque. And plaque levels don't just increase — the buildup accelerates, "indicating that many women experience a steep rise in the risk of heart problems."

This doesn't