Free Republic

After Huey Lewis learned that a syndrome of the inner ear called Ménière’s disease had caused him significant hearing loss and left him unable to play or hear music, he faced the difficult task of having to tell his friends and peers..... Lewis had already halted his performing career before he went public with his diagnosis in 2020. But while his relationship to his art has fundamentally changed, he has continued to work on a new Broadway musical, “The Heart of Rock and Roll,” which is built around many of the songs he made famous with Huey Lewis and the...

Eating more dietary fiber may help prevent type 2 diabetes by promoting beneficial gut bacteria and substances produced during metabolism, according to research. The study looked at data from up to 11,000-plus participants in the ongoing Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos. The researchers found that higher fiber intake was associated with specific "good" gut bacteria and certain favorable metabolites in the blood—some of which were actually produced by gut bacteria. Those gut microbes and metabolites were associated with lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes during an average follow-up of six years. According to federal dietary guidelines, the majority...

Research suggests that a cup of tea can help in the fight against COVID-19. Findings demonstrate how certain teas inactivate SARS-CoV-2 in saliva—in some cases by up to 99.9%. This is important because the virus infects and replicates inside the oral cavity, passing through the oropharynx before reaching the lungs. "Inactivating SARS-CoV-2 in the mouth and the throat matters because that potentially reduces the introduction of the virus to the lower respiratory system," Esseili said. Esseili and Julianna Morris studied 24 different types of commercially available teas, some of which claim to aid in respiratory health. Of those, they found...