US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy has declared widespread loneliness in the United States a public health epidemic, warning that it poses health risks as deadly as smoking a dozen cigarettes daily and costs the health industry billions of dollars annually, reports NBC News.

In an 81-page report released Tuesday, Murthy revealed that about half of US adults say they've experienced loneliness. "We now know that loneliness is a common feeling that many people experience. It's like hunger or thirst. It's a feeling the body sends us when something we need for survival is missing," Murthy told The Associated Press in an interview.

The surgeon general expressed concern about the prevalence of loneliness, stating, "Millions of people in America are struggling in the shadows, and that's not right. That's why I issued this advisory to pull back the curtain on a struggle that too many people are experiencing."

Research indicates that Americans have become less engaged with worship houses, community organizations, and even their own family members in recent decades, reporting a steady increase in feelings of loneliness. The number of single households has doubled over the last 60 years.

The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the crisis, with schools and workplaces closing their doors and millions of Americans isolating at home away from relatives or friends. People reduced their friend groups and time spent with friends during this period. In 2020, Americans spent about 20 minutes a day in person with friends, down from 60 minutes daily nearly two decades earlier. Young people aged 15 to 24 have been particularly affected, reporting a 70% drop in time spent with friends during the same period.

The report highlights the severe health risks associated with loneliness. It increases the risk of premature death by nearly 30% and elevates the likelihood of stroke, heart disease, depression, anxiety, and dementia. However, Murthy did not provide specific data on deaths directly attributed to loneliness or isolation.

To address this issue, Murthy is calling on workplaces, schools, technology companies, community organizations, parents, and individuals to take steps to boost the country's connectedness. He advises people to join community groups and put down their phones when catching up with friends, urges employers to carefully consider their remote work policies, and recommends health systems provide training for doctors to recognize the health risks of loneliness.

The surgeon general pointed to technology, particularly social media, as a significant factor in the increasing loneliness problem. One study cited in the report found that people who used social media for two hours or more daily were more than twice as likely to report feeling socially isolated than those who used such apps for less than 30 minutes a day.

"There's really no substitute for in-person interaction," Murthy emphasized. "As we shifted to use technology more and more for our communication, we lost out on a lot of that in-person interaction. How do we design technology that strengthens our relationships as opposed to weaken them?"

The report suggests that technology companies implement protections for children, especially concerning their social media behavior, to mitigate the negative impacts of digital communication on real-world relationships.

The post Study: Loneliness as harmful as smoking cigarettes daily appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

One of the recurring questions that pops into our minds from time to time, and we're sure it does for you too, is "What would we do without Google?" The world's largest and most important search engine, with an average of 100 billion monthly searches, serves us for everything – from solving everyday problems to finding definitions for complex words.

But have you ever stopped to think about the phrases you should avoid searching on Google? A viral Reddit thread revealed a list of terms leading to disturbing results, most of which are related to strange medical conditions.

A word of caution – while curiosity is an important human trait, it's essential to be aware of the risks associated with certain internet searches. The terms you'll read below lead to disturbing images that may cause discomfort and trigger unpleasant reactions.

Larvae

Larvae are quite harmless creatures and a stage in the development of many insects, but this term also refers to a disturbing medical condition called myiasis, a rare but dangerous infection that occurs mainly in animals but can, in rare cases, happen in humans.

This infection occurs when flies lay eggs in open wounds. The hatching larvae feed on living tissues, which can cause significant damage. Symptoms include a feeling of itching or movement in the mouth, pain, fever, and in severe cases, breathing difficulties.

Degloving

Degloving is a severe traumatic injury where the skin and soft tissues are torn from the underlying muscles and bones. These injuries are more common in industrial accidents or road accidents and are classified according to their severity and location on the body.

Krokodil

No, this isn't a foreign word for crocodile. Krokodil, scientifically known as "desomorphine," is a synthetic opioid drug that has earned the chilling nickname "zombie drug." This drug is produced in home conditions from a variety of dangerous chemicals such as gasoline and hydrochloric acid.

Its use causes tissue necrosis around the injection site, leading to a crocodile-like skin appearance – hence its name. Addiction to Krokodil can be strong, and the damage to the body is rapid and irreversible. The average life expectancy of regular users is only about two years from the start of use.

Fournier

Fournier's gangrene is caused by a rare but life-threatening bacterial infection affecting the genital area. The disease develops rapidly and can cause extensive tissue destruction within hours. Risk factors that may lead to infection include diabetes, alcoholism, and a weakened immune system.

Treatment requires immediate surgical intervention to remove infected tissues, aggressive antibiotic treatment, and sometimes even hyperbaric chamber therapy. Despite prompt treatment, the mortality rate remains high, ranging between 20 to 30 percent.

Harlequin ichthyosis

Harlequin ichthyosis is a rare and severe genetic skin disease that appears at birth and affects the baby's skin development. Babies born with this condition are covered in thick, rigid layers of skin, with deep cracks between them.

The thick skin limits movement and makes breathing, eating, and hearing difficult. In the past, most babies with this condition did not survive beyond the first few days. Today, with intensive treatment including maintaining skin moisture, preventing infections, and retinoid medications, some patients reach adulthood. However, they need intensive daily care for life.

The post Five terms to avoid Googling at all costs appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

A statement by Israel's Health Ministry said the ‎Juul e-cigarette, which entered the Israeli market in May, contains more than the European Union limit of 20 milligrams of nicotine ‎per ‎milliliter and poses "a grave risk to public ‎health."‎

The Juul e-cigarette contains 59 milligrams of nicotine per milliliter of ‎liquid, much higher than the 6-30 milligrams per milliliter in other e-cigarettes.‎

While Israel does not regulate the amount of nicotine in e-cigarettes, the ministry said its ban is consistent with similar ‎restrictions in ‎Europe.

The ban, which goes into effect on Sept.3, was ‎‎signed by Deputy Health Minister Yakov Litzman and ‎Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who holds the ‎health portfolio.‎

Since launching in 2015, Juul's flash drive-sized ‎vaping device and its flavor pods have transformed ‎the market in the United States, where it now ‎accounts for nearly 70% percent of tracked e-cigarette sales.‎

The company is valued at $15 billion.‎

In a statement Tuesday, Juul Labs said it was ‎‎"incredibly disappointed" with what it called a ‎‎"misguided" decision by the Israeli government.‎

The San Francisco-based company said it plans to ‎‎appeal the ban before Israel's High Court of ‎‎Justice, citing "selective enforcement."

The company ‎‎maintains that its device provides smokers with "a true ‎‎alternative to combustible cigarettes."‎

The company criticized the decision as a "dangerous ‎move by the Health Ministry against the smoking ‎public."

"Every Israeli has to think – why ‎does the Health Ministry allow for the sale of ‎cancerous cigarettes and tobacco products but is ‎preventing the sale of an advanced product that has ‎been proved to be a far less harmful alternative to ‎tobacco,"‎ the company said.

A previous attempt to ban the sale of e-cigarettes in Israel was struck down by the High Court.

Juul says it targets adult smokers, but it has faced ‎scrutiny over the popularity of its products with ‎teenagers.‎

In April, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ‎launched a crackdown on the sale to minors of e-cigarettes and ‎tobacco products, particularly those ‎developed by Juul Labs.‎

The post Israel bans Juul e-cigarettes for 'grave' public ‎health risk appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.