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CDC warns of extreme heat dangers amid ‘record-breaking high temperatures’

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CDC warns of extreme heat dangers amid ‘record-breaking high temperatures’

Many regions across the United States experienced “record-breaking high temperatures” in 2023 due to extreme heat, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Emergency room visits due to heat-related illness peaked in several regions in the U.S. and remained elevated for a prolonged duration compared to visits between 2018 and 2022, the agency’s recent Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report noted.

More males went to the emergency room for heat-related illnesses than females – especially those between 18 and 64 years old.

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Americans are experiencing “longer, hotter and more frequent episodes of extreme heat,” the report states.

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Is extreme heat a public threat?

“Extreme heat could be considered an invisible killer in so much as many people become exposed and vulnerable to its dangers quickly and often without warning,” Patrick McHugh, M.D., an emergency medicine physician at Cleveland Clinic Akron General in Akron, Ohio, told Fox News Digital.

Many regions across the United States experienced “record-breaking high temperatures” in 2023 due to extreme heat, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (iStock)

Although McHugh said Americans “shouldn’t worry,” he emphasized the need to “be aware and prepared for the dangers of heat waves.”

An EPA spokesperson told Fox News Digital, “As average temperatures rise due to climate change, the risk of extreme temperatures, heat waves and record-breaking temperatures increases.”

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Here’s what to know about extreme heat and how to stay safe.

What is extreme heat?

“Extreme heat can be defined depending on a variety of factors, including location, weather conditions (such as cloud cover, humidity and temperature), and the time of year,” said an EPA spokesperson in an email.

It typically occurs when the weather is much hotter and/or more humid than average in a particular area, the agency added.

Man on stretcher

Emergency room visits due to heat-related illness peaked in several regions in the U.S. and remained elevated for a prolonged duration compared to visits between 2018 and 2022. (iStock)

While summertime temperatures of 100 degrees Fahrenheit might be normal for Phoenix, Arizona, for example — the same temperatures are considered extreme for Boston, Massachusetts.

“Where in the U.S. people are most susceptible to heat depends on what is normal for a given location and the type of infrastructure (such as access to air conditioning),” the EPA spokesperson noted.

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“Extreme heat is becoming more common in places that have not historically experienced extreme heat … and don’t have the infrastructure to keep people cool, which has major consequences for health and safety.”

“Extreme heat could be considered an invisible killer … as many people become exposed and vulnerable to its dangers quickly and often without warning.”

A heat wave is typically defined as a “prolonged period of abnormally hot weather, usually lasting more than two days in a row,” the EPA spokesperson said.

Heat waves can occur with or without humidity.

The average global temperature has risen by more than 2 degrees Fahrenheit since the mid-1800s, according to McHugh.

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Man on stretcher

Elderly adults, infants, individuals taking certain medications and people with disabilities are at greater risk of heat-related illnesses. (iStock)

“This results in greater extreme heat temperatures, increased variability in temperatures and an increase in the risk of heat illness,” he told Fox News Digital.

The EPA’s Heat Waves indicator, which monitors trends in heat waves for 50 cities across the U.S. over the past 60 years, shows that heat waves are occurring more often over a longer period of time — both in average number of days and season length — and are also becoming hotter over time.

Risk factors for extreme heat effects

Elderly adults, infants, individuals taking certain medications and people with disabilities are at greater risk of heat-related illnesses, according to McHugh, who has a specialty in wilderness medicine.

These individuals may not have adequate resources to escape the heat and protect themselves, he warned.

Thermometer - heat wave

“Extreme heat is becoming more common in places that have not historically experienced extreme heat … and don’t have the infrastructure to keep people cool, which has major consequences for health and safety,” an EPA spokesperson said. (iStock)

“Many schools in northern parts of the U.S. do not have air conditioning, so when heat waves happen in May/June or [in] September, students and teachers can be at risk,” the EPA spokesperson noted.

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Certain factors can also increase someone’s risk of developing a heat-related illness, including fever, dehydration, prescription drug use, alcohol use or sunburn, according to the CDC.

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Healthy people can be at risk if they engage in strenuous physical activity when it’s very hot outside — which means it’s important to balance activities with actions that cool the body to prevent heat-related illness, the EPA advised.

Certain settings — such as inside cars, construction worksites and homes with little to no air conditioning — can also put people at greater risk, according to the CDC.

Heat island effect

Some urban areas experience higher temperatures compared to outlying areas.

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“Structures such as buildings, roads and other infrastructure absorb and re-emit the sun’s heat more than natural landscapes like forests and water bodies,” the EPA spokesperson said.

These highly concentrated areas, which have limited greenery, become “islands” of higher temperatures relative to outlying areas.

It’s important to balance activities with actions that cool the body to prevent heat-related illness, the EPA advised. (iStock)

“Daytime temperatures in urban areas are about 1 to 7 [degrees Fahrenheit] higher than temperatures in outlying areas, and nighttime temperatures are about 2-5 [degrees Fahrenheit] higher,” the agency noted.

People living and working in these areas are at higher risk of heat-related illness and death.

“Prolonged exposure to high temperatures is associated with increased hospital admissions for cardiovascular, kidney and respiratory disorders.”

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As people lose control of their internal temperature amid extreme heat, they may experience a range of illnesses, including heat cramps, heat exhaustion, heat stroke and hyperthermia, according to the EPA.

“Prolonged exposure to high temperatures is associated with increased hospital admissions for cardiovascular, kidney and respiratory disorders,” the spokesperson said.

Woman hot car

A particular setting can also place people at high risk, including inside cars, construction worksites and homes with little to no air conditioning, according to the CDC. (iStock)

Some 1,220 people die of heat-related illness every year in the United States due to extreme heat, per CDC estimates.

“Heat islands also increase energy demand for cooling, which can increase greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution and can be a financial burden for many people — particularly low- or fixed-income households,” the EPA spokesperson said.

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Everyone should have a plan in case of extreme heat, McHugh advised. “Either an air-conditioned home or building where shelter from the heat is easily available should be used.”

Extreme cold is dangerous, too 

Those who counter climate change claims warn of extreme temperatures at both ends of the spectrum.

Most studies have shown that extreme cold causes about 10 times more excess deaths than extreme heat, according to William Happer, PhD, professor emeritus of physics at Princeton University in New Jersey and a prominent critic of climate extremism.

Extreme cold

Most studies have shown that extreme cold causes about 10 times more excess deaths than extreme heat, according to a physics professor. (iStock)

A 2015 international study that analyzed deaths between 1985 and 2012 in 13 countries, including the U.S., found that most of the deaths due to adverse temperatures were attributable to cold weather.

The study, which was published in The Lancet, also revealed that most deaths were caused not by extreme temperatures, but by exposure to moderately hot and cold temperatures. 

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A more recent study published in The Lancet Planetary Health in 2021 found that for every death associated with heat, nine were connected to cold.

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“No one knows how much of the modest recent warming, around 1 [degree Celsius] over the past century, has been due to greenhouse gases and how much is natural,” Happer told Fox News Digital.

He estimates that less than half of the warming is from increasing greenhouse gases.  

“Whatever the cause, observations clearly show that there has been very little change in daily high temperatures,” Happer noted.

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Cold front

A more recent study published in The Lancet Planetary Health in 2021 found that for every death associated with heat, nine were connected to cold. (Credit: Fox News)

“The warming is almost all due to warmer minimum temperatures at night and in the winter.”

Compared to lives lost due to the extreme heat, the warming should have saved more lives that would have been lost because of the extreme cold, he said.

For local heat and health information, the EPA spokesperson recommended using the CDC’s Heat and Health Tracker. 

Americans can also visit their local National Weather Service (NWS) Forecast Offices for real-time heat-related warnings.

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Fox Weather can also be consulted on a regular basis for up-to-date weather information and news. 

For more Health articles, visit www.foxnews.com/health.

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California doctor reveals the 10 big ‘lies’ the medical community is telling patients

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California doctor reveals the 10 big ‘lies’ the medical community is telling patients

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A California doctor wants people to know that, in his view and experience, the medical community doesn’t always tell patients the truth.

Dr. Robert Lufkin, a physician and father of two young children, has been diagnosed with four chronic diseases — the same ones that claimed his father’s life.

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Inspired by his own medical struggles, Lufkin decided to write a book exposing what he calls “medical lies” that contribute to the risk of chronic disease in the U.S. – some of which he says he himself once taught as a professor at UCLA and USC.

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While Lufkin is critical of the medical establishment, he pointed out that he is also still part of it himself.

“I’ve written hundreds of peer-reviewed articles and 10 textbooks, and also have the honor and privilege of teaching doctors and other health care professionals, as well as seeing patients,” Lufkin told Fox News Digital during an interview.  

Dr. Robert Lufkin, pictured at left, was diagnosed with four chronic diseases, which inspired him to write a book, “Lies I Taught in Medical School.” (Dr. Robert Lufkin/iStock)

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His own diagnoses, Lufkin said, “woke him up” to the flaws in the medical system.

First, he developed a type of arthritis called gout. 

“Next, I developed hypertension, which practically half of adults have,” he said.

“Unless we address the metabolic cause … the diseases will only continue to get worse and worse.”

Then came pre-diabetes, followed by dyslipidemia — “which is sort of abnormal blood lipids.”

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The doctor noted that he’s actually a “big fan” of Western medicine in general — “I think it’s transformed our lives and made the world a better place,” he said — but that in the 21st century, a “new class of diseases” has posed a challenge.

Dr. Robert Lufkin

Dr. Robert Lufkin, a physician and father of two children, said Western medicine has “made the world a better place,” though he warns of widespread misinformation. (Dr. Robert Lufkin)

“The diseases were present before, but now they’re exploding,” he said.

These include obesity, diabetes, hypertension, cancer, cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s disease and even mental illness, Lufkin said. 

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“Up to 80% of our resources are now spent on these chronic diseases.”

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The problem, according to the doctor, is that the tools that were so effective in the 20th century — “the pills and surgeries” — might save lives in the moment.

But they only address the symptoms of these chronic diseases — not their root causes.

"Lies I Taught in Medical School"

In his book, “Lies I Taught in Medical School,” Lufkin claims that medical professionals tend to propagate 10 major misconceptions. (Dr. Robert Lufkin)

“There’s a common metabolic cause that underlies most of these diseases,” Lufkin said.

“And unless we address the metabolic cause, the pills and surgeries will not. The diseases will only continue to get worse and worse.”

‘The 10 lies’

In his book, “Lies I Taught in Medical School,” Lufkin claims that medical professionals tend to propagate 10 falsehoods.

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He listed these situations and includes separate chapters on them in his book, labeled this way: 

1. The Metabolic Lie: “Metabolism Is Just the Body’s Way of Digesting Food”

2. The Obesity Lie: “To Lose Weight, Just Exercise More and Eat Less”

3. The Diabetes Lie: “Sugar is Harmless, Other Than Causing Weight Gain and Tooth Decay”

4. The Fatty Liver Lie: “There Is No Treatment for Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease”

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5. The Hypertension Lie: “High Blood Pressure Is Best Treated with Drugs”

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6. The Cardiovascular Disease Lie: “Statins Are a Good Choice to Prevent Heart Disease”

7. The Cancer Lie: “Most Cancer Is Caused by Accumulated DNA Damage”

8. The Alzheimer’s Lie: “Alzheimer’s Disease Is a Progressive, Untreatable Disease Caused by Beta-Amyloid Accumulation”

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9. The Mental Health Lie: “Metabolism Has Little Effect on Mental Health”

10. The Longevity Lie: “Aging Is the Inevitable Result of Accumulated Wear and Tear”

“In each chapter,” said Lufkin, “we go through each of those chronic diseases that determine our life span — and we talk about what the lies are and what the truth is.” 

The doctor then presents a plan for making healthier lifestyle choices.

Healthy living

In his book, Dr. Lufkin also shares recommendations for healthy lifestyle choices to help prevent disease. (iStock)

“We talk about the nutrition, sleep, exercise, stress and how we can craft our own lifestyles to reverse those diseases,” he said.

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In the excerpt below, Lufkin explains the first two of these “lies.”

Read an excerpt from ‘Lies I Taught in Medical School’

The Obesity Lie: ‘A Calorie Is Just a Calorie’

Dr. Robert Lufkin: We are now experiencing the worst global epidemic of obesity in history. Statistics show that 42.5% of adults age 20 and over are obese, and 73.6% are at least overweight. 

Almost half of Americans are now obese, and most are overweight. Obesity is unhealthy and a marker for metabolic dysfunction, which manifests as hypertension, diabetes, heart attack, stroke, Alzheimer’s, cancer and other chronic diseases.

“We are now experiencing the worst global epidemic of obesity in history.”

Our understanding of the causes of this epidemic and the approaches to treating it is based on a simple lie: that “a calorie is a calorie,” implying that obesity is caused by eating too many calories.

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Man with doctor

“Obesity is unhealthy and a marker for metabolic dysfunction, which manifests as hypertension, diabetes, heart attack, stroke, Alzheimer’s, cancer and other chronic diseases,” a doctor writes in his book. (iStock)

As a physician, I know from personal experience that I can make anyone gain weight or fat just by giving them extra insulin. This is seen in both type 1 and type 2 diabetics as soon as they begin taking extra insulin as a medication.

To put it another way, calories are necessary, but not sufficient to drive obesity. Insulin is required. Obesity is not just a calorie problem; it’s an insulin problem. 

If all foods stimulated insulin equally, then a calorie would just be a calorie. That’s not a lie. But all foods don’t trigger insulin the same way.

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The truth here is that in order to lose (or gain) weight, the most important thing is not the number of calories consumed, but rather the types of calories that affect insulin levels and direct our bodies to store energy as fat. 

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As every rancher knows, to fatten livestock, simply feed them large amounts of refined carbohydrates that will turn on insulin and drive energy storage into fat. 

Feeding livestock fatty foods will not have the same effect.

The Diabetes Lie: ‘Sugar is Harmless, Other Than Causing Weight Gain and Tooth Decay’

We are currently at the beginning of the worst diabetes epidemic the world has ever known. Ten percent of American adults have type 2 diabetes, and about 38% have prediabetes. This means that for the first time in history, 48% — or nearly half the population — have the same metabolic disease!

diabetes glucometer

“We are currently at the beginning of the worst diabetes epidemic the world has ever known,” Dr. Robert Lufkin writes in his new book.  (iStock)

The diabetes lie declares that the best way to treat type 2 diabetes is with insulin. 

Giving insulin will help control the immediate effects of too much glucose in the blood by telling our cells to remove that blood glucose and store it as fat. 

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However, it will also raise the body’s overall insulin levels, worsening insulin resistance, the underlying cause of type 2 diabetes. Additionally, elevated insulin levels drive other chronic diseases.

“Many people would rather take a pill or a shot instead of changing their lifestyles.”

Our health care system is sadly much more optimized to deliver prescriptions for insulin and other drugs for managing type 2 diabetes than giving instructions on how to reverse it by changing our nutrition to avoid the causes. 

To be fair, many people would rather take a pill or a shot instead of changing their lifestyles. But most people don’t know how powerful and effective lifestyle choices can be.

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Plus, there is some evidence to show that merely improving glucose control with drugs, such as insulin or pills, might not prevent some of the long-term complications these patients all face.

For more Health articles, visit www.foxnews/health 

There are also financial incentives. In 2013, sales of insulin and other diabetes drugs reached $23 billion, according to data from IMS Health, a drug market research firm. 

That was more than the combined revenue of the National Football League, Major League Baseball and the National Basketball Association.

Excerpted with permission from the new book, “Lies I Told in Medical School” (BenBella Books, Inc.), by Dr. Robert Lufkin, copyright © 2024 by Dr. Robert Lufkin. All rights reserved. 

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Life after death: Take a glimpse into the world of cryonics

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Life after death: Take a glimpse into the world of cryonics

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Since the age of 13, Joseph Kowalsky has harbored a fascination with life after death, pondering ways to extend his existence indefinitely. 

Today, Kowalsky, now 59, is among some 2,000 individuals who have signed up with the Cryonics Institute in Clinton Township, Michigan, betting on a future where death is not the end.

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Chilling prospect of immortality

Cryonics, the process at the heart of Kowalsky’s hopes, involves preserving human bodies at ultra-low temperatures in the anticipation that future science will one day revive them. 

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Shortly after a person dies, organizations like the Cryonics Institute use a heart-lung resuscitator, circulate a medical-grade antifreeze in the blood and suspend the body in aluminum pods filled with liquid nitrogen. 

Dennis Kowalski, current president of the Cryonics Institute (and no relation to Joseph Kowalsky), told Fox News that over 250 individuals are currently in “suspension” at the Michigan facility.

Cryonics involves preserving human bodies at ultra-low temperatures in the anticipation that future science will one day revive them.  (Cryonics Institute)

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Could defying death be affordable?

The Cryonics Institute is just one player in a burgeoning industry. 

Alcor, the world’s oldest cryonics company, which is based in Scottsdale, Arizona, boasts a state-of-the-art facility where more than 200 individuals are preserved. 

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For those opting for whole-body preservation, the price tag is $200,000, while brain-only preservation costs $80,000. 

Alcor CEO James Arrowood dispels the notion that cryonics is solely for the wealthy, highlighting that many clients use life insurance policies to cover costs. 

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Cryonics Institute

Over 250 individuals are currently in “suspension” at the Michigan facility, the president of the Cryonics Institute told Fox News. (Cryonics Institute)

“About 80% of people who sign up are middle-class,” Arrowood told Fox News.

He pointed out that the clientele includes notable figures such as baseball legend Ted Williams, whose head and body were cryopreserved separately.

Skeptics cast doubt

Critics dismiss cryonics as speculative and unproven, labeling it an “iceberg scheme” lacking scientific backing. 

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“It’s a sad case of people being beguiled by a very understandable dream of resurrection,” Clive Coen of King’s College London told Fox News.

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The neuroscience professor raised concerns over the damage inflicted during the preservation and revival process, warning that “there will be billions of mini-strokes in every millimeter of brain tissue” due to the inability of antifreeze to traverse the brain’s complex landscape.

Hope springs eternal for death defiers

There is currently no scientific evidence or successful case of a human being revived from a cryonically preserved state. 

Cryonics Institute

For those opting for whole-body preservation, the price tag is $200,000, while brain-only preservation costs $80,000.  (Cryonics Institute)

Despite the skepticism, Joseph Kowalsky, who formerly worked with the Cryonics Institute, remains undeterred. 

“Worst-case scenario, I’m still dead … And the upside? It could be a potentially life-saving medical technique,” he said.

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For more Health articles, visit www.foxnews/health

As science and ethics continue to grapple with the implications of cryonics, individuals like Kowalsky illustrate a deep-seated hope for defying mortality, one frozen body at a time.

Andres del Aguila and Griff Jenkins contributed to this report.

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