Last week, Hurricane Beryl caused at least eleven deaths and devastating damage as it moved through the Caribbean and Mexico. It now holds the title as the strongest hurricane on record in the month of July. Experts say Beryl gained strength quickly because the water in the Atlantic was unusually warm. Usually, major hurricanes that intensify quickly don’t form until later in the summer and early fall, when the water in the tropical Atlantic is at its warmest and hurricane activity is at its highest. On July 8, 2024, Beryl made its third and final landfall in Texas as a Category 1 storm.

When a natural disaster occurs, you must stay alert and be ready to leave your home at a moment’s notice. It’s also important to listen to updates and instructions from local authorities about how to respond to emergencies in your area.

According to a new study published in the medical journal Pediatrics, doctors believe there may be a connection between teens with hypertension (high blood pressure) and a lack of quality sleep. The major risk factors for hypertension in kids and teens typically include being overweight, not getting enough physical activity, and a poor diet. However, not getting enough sleep has also been linked to numerous heart problems, including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart attack, obesity, diabetes, and stroke. Dr. Amy Kogon, an assistant professor at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, says health officials typically focus on diet and exercise but rarely consider how sleep might play a role in a teen’s cardiovascular health. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 1 in 7 young people ages 12 to 19 have hypertension, and nearly 60 percent of middle school students and more than 70 percent of high school students aren’t getting enough sleep.

In a recent study published in the medical journal JAMA Network Open, Wenquan Niu, a professor at the Capital Institute of Pediatrics in Beijing, China, demonstrated that a measurement known as the body roundness index (BRI) offers a more accurate method for assessing obesity than the traditional body mass index (BMI).

While BMI relies solely on height and weight measurements to gauge body fat, BRI takes into account additional factors such as hip and waist circumferences. This method gives a more detailed estimate of total fat and visceral fat (the deep belly fat around organs that can lead to greater health risks). A significant criticism of BMI is that it doesn’t look at how much of a person’s weight is fat, and where the fat is distributed around the body. BMI also overlooks various other components that contribute to a person’s body composition, such as muscle, bone, water, and organs.

The U.S. National Alliance on Mental Health (NAMI), recently conducted a survey with teens ages 12–17 about their mental health. The majority of the teens surveyed said they felt comfortable talking to people close to them, but only 48 percent talk regularly with their parents about mental health concerns and only 22 percent talk regularly with their friends. The teens also said they wanted their schools to play a bigger role in their mental health, including where and how to seek treatment, and 67 percent thought their school should offer days off for mental health.

Sixteen-year-old Aniston Barnette of Bristol, Tennessee, is a student-athlete and the American Heart Association’s 2024 National Teen of Impact Winner. Barnette got involved with the American Heart Association because she had family members who had suffered and died from heart disease. She earned a CPR certification, raised funds for heart disease research and education, and led Hands-Only CPR activities in her community.

Now, Barnette plans to use her Teen of Impact platform to raise awareness about cardiac arrest, the leading cause of death for student-athletes. "Embracing this opportunity was a natural choice," Barnette said. “I look forward to advocating for CPR education and access to AEDs [automated external defibrillators] in schools to ensure the next generation—my peers—become part of a Nation of Lifesavers and know what to do in the event of a cardiac emergency.”

Earlier this year, Breiny Lipskier, 18, of Glendale, Wisconsin, launched her podcast Wish You Knew as part of her internship at Friendship Circle of Wisconsin, a nonprofit organization. Helping those who feel lonely or isolated is one of Friendship Circle’s missions, and Lipskier’s podcast provides a platform where teens can share their stories with their peers. “I think that for a teen who struggles alone, which is unfortunately very common, they have this as an outlet to hear that they are not alone,” Lipskier said. “Something that I’ve gained—and I think a lot of people gain—is that you realize how much you don’t know about what’s going on in other people’s lives... I think that when everybody really realizes that, it just creates so much more kindness and empathy towards people.” Wish You Knew episodes are reviewed by mental health professionals before they are released and are available on Friendship Circle of Wisconsin’s site and most podcast apps.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) recently announced that it is seeking to downgrade cannabis from its current classification as a Schedule I drug (alongside drugs like heroin, LSD, and ecstasy) to a Schedule III controlled substance (alongside ketamine and some anabolic steroids). This change, recommended by U.S. health regulators, would recognize the medical uses of cannabis and make it easier to conduct research on cannabis products, but wouldn’t legalize marijuana for recreational use at the federal level. It would also lessen or potentially do away with the criminal penalty for possession.

A recent study funded by the sportswear brand ASICS found a direct link between exercising in teenage years and improved mental wellbeing in adulthood. The study, which included more than 26,000 people, examines the relationship between exercise and state of mind across the world.

Researchers found that the ages between 15–17 are critical for establishing lifelong exercise habits. Fifty-eight percent of study participants who exercised regularly between those ages still exercised regularly in later life, versus 53 percent of participants who did not. People who stopped exercise before the age of 15 displayed the lowest mental wellbeing later in life, including being less focused, less confident, less calm, and less composed as adults, than those who were regularly active during ages 15–17. The study also found that each additional year a teenager remained engaged in exercise was associated with improved mental health in adulthood.

Nicotine pouches are a type of smokeless tobacco product that has become increasingly popular with teens and young adults. They contain nicotine and other fillers, and come in mint, fruit, and candy flavors. Users place the pouch under their upper lip and the nicotine is absorbed through their gums and saliva. Last year, the CDC’s National Youth Tobacco Survey estimated that about 1.5 percent of middle and high school students had used nicotine pouches.

Nicotine pouches are often marketed as a healthy alternative to smoking, but they can still be harmful. Nicotine is highly addictive and can increase the risk of heart disease and stroke. Additionally, the pouches contain chemicals and additives that can irritate the mouth and gums, and potentially lead to issues like periodontal disease or even oral cancer. The long-term consequences of using nicotine pouches are not yet fully understood.

The avian flu, also known as bird flu, is a type of influenza virus that typically infects birds, such as chickens, ducks, and geese. This virus can sometimes spread to humans, but it is not easily transmitted from person to person. Last month, highly pathogenic avian flu—a type of influenza A known as H5N1—was identified in at least a dozen cattle herds in Texas, Ohio, New Mexico, Kansas, Michigan, and Idaho on the Canadian border. On April 1, 2024, a person in Texas became ill with bird flu after contact with infected dairy cattle. It’s the first human case of the highly pathogenic strain of avian influenza in Texas, and the second recorded in the United States.