Category: Science and Health

In his later years the renowned Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch, suddenly announced that he was going to Switzerland to climb in the Alps. “Why?” asked his astonished students. “Because when I come face to face with the Creator of the universe,” mused Hirsch, “I know He will look down at me and say ‘So, Shimshon, did you […]

All patients who undergo procedures requiring anesthesia – including surgery – should be asked about whether they use cannabis, medicinally or recreationally, according to new guidelines released by the American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine (ASRA Pain Medicine).  The first American guidelines on cannabis use in relation to surgery also note that regular […]

The Omicron-adapted COVID-19 vaccine booster developed by Pfizer Inc PFE.N and BioNTech SE 22UAy.DEsharply reduced hospitalizations among older patients, Israeli researchers said on Monday, in some of the first evidence of the jab’s real-world effectiveness. The study by researchers from healthcare provider Clalit, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and Sapir College has not yet been […]

For those who exercise regularly, eating almonds every day immediately increases the level of beneficial fats in their blood and boosts muscle recovery among “weekend warriors” who participate in physically strenuous activity only on weekends or part-time. A randomized controlled trial published in the journal Frontiers in Nutrition under the title “Almond intake alters the […]

We learned yesterday that a husband can only nullify his wife’s vows once she’s made them; he can’t annul them in advance. But how long does he have to annul these vows once they’ve been made? The Torah has two statements on this: But if her husband does annul them on the day he finds out, […]

Scientists from the University of Copenhagen and the University of Rochester have discovered a new membrane that surrounds and protects the brain, according to a new peer-reviewed study published in the journal Science on Thursday. The traditional view is that the brain is surrounded by three layers: the dura, arachnoid and pia mater. However, a […]

A new form of PTSD treatment is making its way throughout Israel which could change the way PTSD is managed and perceived by both those who suffer from it as well as those who treat it.  The treatment, dubbed the “Stellate Ganglion Block,” was developed by Dr. Eugene Lipov and is offered by US-based medical […]

After facing down a pathogen, does the immune system return to its baseline, or does a single infection change how it will respond – not only to a familiar virus, but to the next new viral or bacterial threat it faces as well? The long-term effects of infection on the immune system have long intrigued […]

If you want to reduce your risk of cancer and other chronic diseases, get more exercise and increase your consumption of fiber, join your neighbors in community gardening. This is the surprising conclusion of a study funded by the American Cancer Society at the University of Colorado at Boulder. It was the first-ever, randomized, controlled […]

A new coronavirus variant known as XBB.1.5 has begun taking over in the US in recent weeks, with the World Health Organization (WHO) calling it “the most transmissible variant that has been detected yet” on Wednesday. According to the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC), XBB.1.5 is projected to account for about 27.6% of cases […]