Tomorrow’s Health: Keep your masks, cannabis during pregnancy & hot flashes

(WWNY) - Infectious disease experts say now is not the time to stop wearing masks in health care settings and doctors recommend hormone replacement therapy for women experiencing hot flashes after menopause.

Keep those masks

Don’t ditch your masks just yet.

Infectious disease experts at George Washington University School of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health say masking should continue in health care settings.

The group cites real-world experience preventing COVID-19 transmission when patients and staffers are wearing masks.

Their newly released commentary contradicts U.S. researchers recommending an end to universal masking.

Cannabis during pregnancy

Even occasional cannabis use during the early stages of pregnancy can reduce a baby’s birth weight.

That’s according to researchers at Central Michigan University who found occasional cannabis use during the first trimester reduces birth weight significantly and that continued use through pregnancy had an even more pronounced impact on newborns.

Hot flashes

A new study suggests severe hot flashes in women after menopause increases the risk for metabolic syndrome and high blood pressure.

Researchers examined data from more than 800 healthy Greek women ages 40 to 65 who had recently gone through menopause.

They found that those with moderate to severe hot flashes were more likely to develop the conditions and are strong candidates for hormone replacement therapy.

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