The coronavirus pandemic has dominated the headlines, and our daily lives, for most of this year. Medical News Today has covered this fast-moving, complex story with live updates on the latest news and potential treatments, interviews with experts, and an ongoing investigation into the deep racial disparities that the disease has unmasked.
This hasn’t stopped us publishing hundreds of fascinating stories on a myriad of other topics. Readers have been captivated by subjects as diverse as rare blood types, apple cider vinegar, and rumbling stomachs, as well as articles on covert narcissism and why it’s always better to turn off the TV and get up off the couch.
Here are ten recent stories that you may have missed amid all the COVID-19 fervor.
1. What are the rarest and most common blood types?
Our most popular article over the past week featured in a collection we published to mark World Blood Donor Day last Sunday. There are eight common blood groups, but 36 human blood groups in total. The most common type varies by ethnicity, but some are exceedingly rare, with only 1 in 6 million people sharing one type.
Learn more here.
2. Does apple cider vinegar help with weight loss?
Our next most-popular article took a close look at the properties of apple cider vinegar. There is some evidence to suggest that apple cider vinegar may support weight loss. We examine whether this is true, recommend the best ways to use it, and consider the possible side effects of consuming too much.
Learn more here.
3. Scientists unravel the mystery of anesthesia
We teased you with this article in last week’s Recovery Room, but now we can reveal all. New research has helped solve a 150-year-old mystery by delving into the neurological mechanisms that explain the effect of general anesthetics. As well as being of medical interest, these same mechanisms may give us clues about the nature of consciousness and sleep, as well as conditions that affect them.
Learn more here.
4. Everything you need to know about white fragility
During a period of intense self-reflection about race relations, and further revelations about the scale of racial disparity in health outcomes, this article emerged as one of the week’s most-read stories. We look at the definition of white fragility, where it comes from, and why it is a problem.
Learn more here.
5. What to know about computer vision syndrome
Smartphones, laptops, tablets, and TVs have each staked a significant claim on our visual attention. Never have so many people looked at so many screens for so long, but what are the consequences for our eye health, in particular?
This new article examines computer vision syndrome (CVS), the term for a group of eye and vision-related problems that develop following the prolonged use of devices with digital screens.
Learn more here.
6. Signs of covert narcissism
This was one of the articles our readers spent the most time with this week, nearly 5 minutes each on average. Information about whether people are drawn to reading it because they are covert narcissists or simply because it’s an interesting topic is not available.
Learn more here.
7. Stomach noises after eating: Causes and treatment
Another popular article, with over 3,000 readers since publication on Monday, covers the mysterious utterances that sometimes come from our innards. It isn’t actually your stomach that’s doing all that rumbling, and you’ll also discover the fantastic medical term for this phenomenon.
Learn more here.
8. Sedentary? Feel happier with sleep or light activity instead
Researchers found that adults in America spend around 75% of their waking hours sitting down, and even active adults are 32% more likely to be sedentary during lockdown. The study also found that getting up off the couch and doing something — including light housework or even going to bed rather than watching TV — improves your mood and sleep quality.
Learn more here.
9. Link between dementia and repetitive negative thinking identified
The concept of cognitive debt is explored in this article, as new research establishes a link between repetitive negative thoughts (RNT) and dementia. The lead author, Dr. Natalie Marchant, hopes that the findings “could be used to develop strategies to lower people’s risk of dementia by helping them to reduce their negative thinking patterns.”
This article is proving to be of great interest to our readers, with over 2,250 people spending an average of 5 minutes 30 seconds with this article in recent days.
Learn more here.
10. Men’s Health Week
We marked Men’s Health Week by creating this resource, covering topics, such as the male menopause (and whether or not it’s real), sexual health, depression, and how to get checked out for cancer. Medical News Today has a program of dedicated resources covering major health and medicine topics to look out for this year.
Learn more here.
We hope that this has given you a taste of the range of stories we cover on Medical News Today. We’ll be back with a new selection next week.
Coming soon: a sneak preview of what’s in our drafts folder
We publish hundreds of new articles every month. Here are some upcoming articles that you may be interested in:
- How being happy helps your gut
- The discovery of beneficial bacteria in the human nose
- How human awareness of colors may be more limited than we thought
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