Health Headlines for Wednesday, October 12

Generation Adderall

New York Times Magazine

Like many of my friends, I spent years using prescription stimulants to get through school and start my career. Then I tried to get off them.

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Tax sugary drinks to fight obesity, WHO urges governments

Reuters

Governments should tax sugary drinks to fight the global epidemics of obesity and diabetes, the World Health Organization said on Tuesday, recommendations industry swiftly branded “discriminatory” and “unproven”.

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Doctors beat online symptom checkers in diagnosis contest

Reuters

Doctors are much better than symptom-checker programs at reaching a correct diagnosis, though the humans are not perfect and might benefit from using algorithms to supplement their skills, a small study suggests.

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Health Department: Nearly one-third of New Yorkers binge drink

NY Daily News

The city that never sleeps is probably just passed out somewhere. The majority of New Yorkers drink booze at least once a month, and nearly one in three engage in dangerous bouts of “binge” drinking, according to data released by the city’s Health Department on Tuesday.

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