It’s a habitual claim often made by social media influencers, or in wellness blogs and self-help books. Namely, that it takes 21 days to imprint a new habit on your mind so that it becomes almost automatic. New research indicates that a one-word technical term might be used to describe the accuracy of this claim: Hogwash. Try 59 to 66 days. That’s …

Your family physician might throw the yellow penalty flag over the food advertised during televised professional football games. Millions of Americans watch NFL games every fall and winter. Football is the nation’s most popular sport, and advertisers want to tap the millions of people focused on every pass and tackle. A recent study in JAMA Network…

Is an energy bar truly workout fuel? If you look at the nutrition facts, most bars seem healthy. But many don’t deliver as well as you might expect. Energy comes from calories. All carbohydrates are converted into glucose, a sugar that is used by cells for energy. Simple carbs, such as sugar and white flour, are broken down fastest by your body. Th…

If you thought it wasn’t possible to speed up your metabolism in a week, check this out: New research has found that elderberry juice can significantly improve metabolism and blood sugar regulation in just seven days. Elderberry has long been used in traditional medicine to treat conditions like colds and flu, skin infections, urinary tract infecti…

A ‘boom’ of post-World War II babies once filled American nurseries, expanding the population. And as these baby boomers age, they’re expanding a population of a different sort: the ranks of people diagnosed with dementia. A new National Institutes of Health-funded study offers troubling news for Americans. The risk of developing dementia after age…

Sometimes nature can feel cruel, but humans can step in to help out. Scarlet macaws lay up to four eggs per clutch — that’s the group of eggs produced during one nesting event. But whether in the wild or in captivity, the parents routinely feed only one or two of the chicks, leaving the others to starve. This happens to healthy chicks and whether f…

It’s not unusual for people to prioritize their pet’s health over their own. That’s especially true for vulnerable folks with limited means. But one university is taking a unique approach to people who neglect their own care in lieu of addressing their pets’ needs. The University of Minnesota’s One Health Clinic is a pilot program that will provide…

In November 2024, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued warning letters to six companies selling unapproved drugs said to control seizures in dogs and cats. The products were sold online without requiring a prescription or veterinary oversight. The letter cautioned that animals taking anti-seizure drugs should be supervised by a licensed vet…

Have you ever wondered why cats’ claws retract and dogs’ claws don’t? It all has to do with function dictating form. Cats are solitary hunters that surprise their prey. Retracting claws let their footpads support them in silence. They also use their claws to kill their prey, so they must keep them sharp. If a cat’s claws were always extended, surfa…

What is it about cats and closed doors? Why do so many of our feline friends swipe, scratch and paw to get under or through them? There are likely several reasons. Feline FOMO is one of them — their fear of missing out. Cats are very curious by nature, and they want to keep tabs on everything happening in their ’hood. In the wild, they’re both prey…

The bird flu doesn’t only affect birds — cats are vulnerable to it as well. Since 2022, over 80 cases of bird flu have been reported in domestic cats. Most of those cats were from dairy farms, but some were indoor cats with no known exposure to animals shedding the virus. It is surmised that they may have consumed virus-contaminated raw diets or un…

Mexico is on the verge of joining other regions in eliminating dog-transmitted rabies. These include the U.S., Western Europe, Canada, Japan, and some Latin American countries. Other places, like Australia and many Pacific islands, have never had the problem. But make no mistake. Nearly 60,000 people around the world still die from rabies every yea…

If you’re a pooch parent, your ears likely prick up at the mention of canine kennel cough. But what is it, and how can you best protect your dog? Kennel cough isn’t just one disease, it’s a group of viral and bacterial diseases collectively known as canine infectious respiratory disease complex. The classic sign of kennel cough is a persistent honk…

One new example of a designer pet is the so-called bully cat. They’re meant to be feline versions of American bully XL dogs, like pit bulls but stockier and with shorter coats. Bully cats are produced by mutant breeding, which combines specific genetic mutations to achieve a certain look. Here, a mutation causing hairlessness in sphinx cats is cros…

If you have backyard chickens and are confused about the bird flu, you’re not alone. The bird flu in the news these days refers to highly pathogenic avian influenza, or HPAI. It’s spread by the H5N1 virus that you’ve been hearing about. Waterfowl can spread H5N1 in their saliva and droppings even if they don’t look sick. But the bird flu is rapidly…

During Colorado’s Marshall Fire in 2021, about 1,000 pets died, including many that were home alone. That prompted the development of an app to help other pets avoid similar fates. Now that free app, Pet Help & Rescue, is available in iPhone and Android app stores. It’s a messaging app that allows trusted neighbors to enter your home and evacuate y…

When most people think of farm animals, they conjure traditional farm species, such as ruminants, poultry, swine and horses. But veterinarians also play an important role in the farming of fish and other aquatic species for food, ornamental trade and research. On this show, Dr. Ruth Francis-Floyd, a professor and extension veterinarian, will discus…

To protect against colorectal cancer, women should be sure to get enough calcium from dairy foods like milk, cheese, or yogurt. And to better their odds, drinking less alcohol and avoiding beef and processed meat helps, too. Researchers in London in a new study tracked more than 500,000 women for 16 years, analyzing their dietary habits and health …

Knowledge is power. But a new research study shows that more education may mean a longer life, too. Researchers based at the University of Washington and the National Institutes of Health found that Americans who hold a college degree can expect to live nearly 11 years longer, on average, than those who did not complete high school. In the year 200…

Let’s face it: Fat’s got a rotten reputation. Much of that is deserved, of course. Too much body fat can harm health and lead to heart disease and diabetes. But to tip the scale just a bit, let’s talk about brown fat. A new Rutgers University study has found that this distinct type of fat might be key to better aging and exercise performance. Brown…

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day — we’ve all heard it before. Yet, in the hustle and bustle of modern life, many of us opt for a quick snack in the morning or forgo the meal altogether. But science continues to illuminate the mysteries of the human body and how it interacts with nutrients. A recent study from Spain has zeroed in on w…

Got camel milk? Cows have been providing us with milk for centuries, filling our glasses with an American dietary staple. More than 80% of the milk the world drinks come from creatures that say “moo.” Guess how much camels produce? Hint: When’s the last time you spotted a herd of camels chewing the cud on a dairy farm? Less than half of 1% of globa…

We’re about two months into 2025 … how are your New Year’s resolutions holding up? Whether you have decided to save money, stick to a more consistent sleep schedule, or lose weight, you still have plenty of time to accomplish your goals this year. A common New Year’s resolution is to exercise more, but even as winter ends, the weather in many parts…

The debate over whether red wine is good for you will likely never end. But a new study has found that moderate consumption of red wine could reduce the risk of having a cardiovascular complication. Researchers from Spain studied just over 1,200 participants with an average age of 68. Of that pool, 685 had experienced a cardiovascular event in the …

It’s second-hand smoke writ large. The culprit isn’t a cigarette. It’s a forest. East Coast residents might feel confident that ever-more-frequent western wildfires pose harm only to those living close to the blaze. It might hit a lot closer to home than you’d think. Consider the summer of 2023. Canadian wildfires burned more than 40,000 acres, an …

OK, time for a pop quiz: What’s the biggest cause of throat cancer in the U.S.? Smoking would be a logical guess. So would alcohol consumption. But both would be wrong. In the past 30 years, throat cancers have increasingly been attributed to human papillomavirus [pap-uh-low-muh-virus], or HPV. HPV is now responsible for an estimated 60% to 70% of …

You may need to reconsider how you view vitamin D supplements, especially if you are north of 50 years old. That’s the message for older adults from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Task force members note while vitamin D supplements can be helpful for older adults with some medical conditions — osteoporosis, primarily — taking them does no…

Veterinarians in the military play a vital role in rebuilding and improving animal care systems in underdeveloped and war-torn countries. They also provide valuable public health capabilities through veterinary medical and surgical care, food safety and defense, and biomedical research and development. On this show, Dr. Chris Lanier, a veterinary c…

For most of us, dental caries, or tooth decay, is a routine, albeit unpleasant issue. Typically, it comes with most of the standard gripes you’d think of: dental visits, toothaches, and fervent promises to be better about flossing. But for underserved communities, tooth decay is a serious — and costly — concern. Now, new research highlights just ho…

As the debate continues over the benefits and safety of consuming raw milk, a recent study reveals a strike against drinking milk that has not been pasteurized. Researchers at Stanford University discovered that influenza, or the flu virus, can survive and remain infectious in refrigerated raw milk for up to five days. This includes bird flu. Exper…

You may not need to wash your mouth out with soap, but the rest of your body still needs a good scrub. That includes nooks and crannies like those behind your ears, between your toes, and inside your bellybutton. According to a George Washington University study, doing so keeps the microbiome, or collection of microbes living on and in the human bo…

Of the 8 billion people who inhabit our planet, nearly 1 billion of them have a painful infection that’s existed since the antiquities but still has no cure: herpes. Herpes simplex virus, or HSV-1, mostly causes oral infection in the form of cold sores. HSV-2 causes genital ulcers. Both are contagious. The World Health Organization research used so…

It might not just be your waistline that thins if you embark on an intermittent fast. Those lost pounds might take a few hairs with them. That’s what Chinese scientists suggest in a new study. They report that this style of fasting significantly delays hair regeneration. Intermittent fasting comes in several flavors. It can involve eating normally …

Health care practitioners rarely measure or ask about a patient’s physical activity during annual wellness exams. But they should. A new study from the University of Iowa suggests that because a lack of exercise is known to increase risk for many chronic diseases and early death, asking about exercise should be as routine for practitioners as slipp…

Now that 24 states have legalized the recreational use of marijuana, many people have access to cannabis products. But when it comes to dogs, THC — the psychoactive agent in cannabis — doesn’t produce a high. It just makes them sick. Put simply, any amount of THC is toxic to dogs. It targets their nervous system, causing characteristic signs within…

Microchips are key to reuniting lost pets with their families, but they only work if they’re correctly enrolled with a microchip registry. Unfortunately, over 40 percent of all microchips are unregistered because of faulty enrollment. A big reason for this is scams involving microchip registries. Legitimate microchip registration is never free, so …

Mammary cancer — akin to breast cancer in people — is one of the most common cancers affecting female dogs and cats. The outcome depends on early detection and timely intervention — both of which can rely on a pet parent’s keen powers of observation. Although a minority of mammary tumors are benign, up to 90 percent are cancerous and will spread wi…

Nearly one in four dogs will develop cancer during their lifetime. Less is known about the cancer risks in cats, but one thing’s for certain — as our pets live longer lives, their risk of cancer increases. Cancer treatment for pets relies primarily on surgery, chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy. And now, some advances in cancer treatment for peo…

You might have seen videos of drunk dogs meant to elicit laughs. But alcohol poisoning is no laughing matter. It’s deadly serious for pets. Our beasty buddies aren’t able to metabolize alcohol as efficiently as we can. Within thirty minutes of ingesting beer or liquor, they can exhibit symptoms ranging from difficulty walking to trouble breathing a…

Hamsters are often touted as “starter pets,” but that’s as inaccurate as it is callous. In reality, it takes lots of work to care for them properly. It’s important to know that hamsters are nocturnal and solitary. Each requires a well-ventilated, escape-proof cage with space for daytime sleeping and an exercise wheel for use at night. Soft absorben…

For over three decades, frog populations worldwide have been decimated by a fungal organism called Bd for short. While spreading like wildfire through every continent except Antarctica, Bd has caused the possible extinction of up to 200 frog species. Now, researchers are cautiously optimistic that the tide may be turning. Some frogs appear to be de…

The US Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, recently approved a generic version of florfenicol, called Paqflor [PACK-floor], for certain species of freshwater-reared fish. The medication contains the same active ingredient as the brand name drug, Aquaflor. Paqflor, like all medically important antibiotics for animals, requires oversight by a veter…

Our canine companions can suffer from their own form of seasonal depression if we don’t tend to their needs during the winter. While you may prefer to hole up indoors, your dog counts on the exercise of outdoor walks all year round. Outdoor time is mentally stimulating too. In fact, you might consider sniffing a canine form of social media. Just ma…

In efforts to enhance the welfare of racing Thoroughbreds, the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority has developed a digital tool to assist regulatory veterinarians. Called Horse-in-Sight, it combines aspects of a horse’s racing career with the animal’s medical history to help track veterinarians make timely decisions. The tool graphs an indiv…

How many times have you pampered your pooch by offering a rawhide treat? Chances are, you weren’t aware of the risks involved. Rawhide is animal skin — usually from a cow — that’s been chemically dried and then flavored. Although chewing rawhide is generally safe for a dog’s teeth, there are other potential dangers that should give you pause. Chief…

Feline infectious peritonitis, or FIP, has been a characteristically fatal viral disease for at least half a century. Using previous therapies, cat parents had little hope that their stricken cats would survive. But now, there’s a novel compound that could change all that. GS-441524 — the active metabolite of the antiviral, remdesivir [rehm-DEHS-ah…

One of the most common heart problems seen by veterinary cardiologists is degenerative mitral valve disease. Although any breed of dog can be afflicted with the disease, certain small-breed dogs are more prone to it, and the likelihood of developing the ailment grows as dogs age. The progressive nature of mitral valve disease means that many dogs w…

Being in a relationship is known to have positive health benefits, like reducing anxiety and boosting longevity. But it can also increase the odds of having something less desirable in common: high blood pressure. When one partner or spouse has hypertension, it’s more likely that the other partner does, too. That’s the takeaway from a recent study …

As Valentine’s Day approaches, and some of us start sweating thoughtful gifts for our loved ones, a new study may put your mind at ease. Research from the University of Bath shows that personalization can transform a simple present into a powerful experience that boosts self-esteem and makes the recipient feel truly valued. In a series of studies c…

If you need an excuse to buy more chocolate on Valentine’s Day, this is it. A new study has found that eating dark chocolate might be associated with a lower risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. Researchers from Boston tracked 192,000 health care professionals who had no initial history of cancer, heart disease, or diabetes for an average of 25 year…