This is Beirut

Tradition, Temperature, and the Parisian Home: The A/C Dilemma

This is Beirut, 09/08 10:30 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Climate A/C Health Climate Change France Culture

As summer temperatures rise, many Parisians are warming to the idea of installing air conditioning in their apartments, ending a longstanding resistance to what is considered a basic comfort in many capitals elsewhere. Although commonplace in the French capital's modern office buildings and large stores, air conditioning has never been the norm ...

Why Is Everyone Getting Sick This Summer?

Yara Germany, 07/08 11:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Covid-19 rotavirus virus Lebanon Health

Sore throat, vomiting, diarrhea, high fever. It feels like everyone knows someone who's down with something. COVID is back, stomach bugs are spreading and even flu-like symptoms are making a summer comeback. To understand why so many people are falling ill in Lebanon this summer, and how to stay protected, we spoke with Dr. Rola Husni Samaha, ...

Lebanon Launches First National Campaign to Prevent Drowning

This is Beirut, 01/08 19:45 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Drowning Lebanon prevention awareness safety health

Lebanon launched its first National Drowning Prevention Awareness Campaign on Friday, aiming to address a leading yet preventable public health issue. The campaign was motivated by the statistics related to drownings in Lebanon. A recent study by Dr. Samar El Hajj from the American University of Beirut, using data from the Internal Security ...

Vaccine Against Cavities? Researchers Reach a Milestone

Bélinda Ibrahim, 23/07 14:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Vaccine Cavities Dentists Science Research Health

What if, in the near future, simply applying a product to your teeth could protect you from cavities? A scenario that once seemed like science fiction is becoming increasingly plausible as research advances. For years, scientists have been working on a vaccine against dental cavities, the world’s most common chronic infectious disease. Now, ...

Cosmetic Counterfeits: Lebanon Grapples with the Surge of Fake Beauty Products (2/3)

Bélinda Ibrahim, 15/07 21:16 - Reading : 6 minute(s)

Lebanon Cosmetic Counterfeits Beauty Products Skin Care Health

On Instagram, just a few clicks on reseller accounts or sponsored stories plunge you into a sleek, alluring world where top brands — Lancôme, Estée Lauder, Guerlain, Dior, La Roche-Posay — are sold at slashed prices. Descriptions sound convincing: “imported from the US,” “end-of-line stock before ...

Anti-Counterfeit Guide: How to Spot Fake Skincare and Shop Safely (3/3)

Bélinda Ibrahim, 13/07 18:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Counterfeit Cosmetics Skin care Lebanon Beauty Health Awereness

Today’s counterfeit cosmetics are almost indistinguishable to the naked eye: they have the same bottle, same typography and nearly the same texture as genuine ones. Moisturizers, serums, sunscreens, micellar waters, foundations, luxury sets — no category is spared. And no country, either. From the US to Lebanon, France to South Korea, ...

Fake Beauty, Real Risks: Investigating Cosmetic Counterfeits (1/3)

Bélinda Ibrahim, 11/07 19:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Beauty Care Black Market Health Sunscreens Cosmetic Counterfeits

Same logo, same packaging, same “high protection” claim… but sometimes, the contents are just water and thickeners. In a recent investigation led by journalist Hugo Clément and pharmacist Laurence Coiffard (for “Sur le Front,” France 5, June 2025), several counterfeit sunscreens were lab tested. Findings were alarming: some products ...

"Mirror Bacteria": Could Lab-Created Life Trigger the Next Pandemic?

Bélinda Ibrahim, 26/06 12:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Mirror Bacteria Pandemic Lab-Created Health Chirality

What if a completely foreign form of life—built according to rules opposite to our own—were to emerge from a laboratory? Long confined to the realm of science fiction, the idea is gaining new relevance with recent advances in synthetic biology. At the heart of the concern is the possible creation of a “mirror bacterium,” an organism based ...

Golden Skin, Hidden Risks: The Nutrition and Beauty Truths Behind Tanning

Bélinda Ibrahim, 15/06 19:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Tanning Health Skin Sun

Just like sugar, the sun carries a double edge—it caresses the skin, then leaves its mark. In summer, tanning becomes a quiet ritual: pursued on beaches, flaunted on Instagram and sustained by a booming cosmetic and wellness market. But the glow we chase rests on a false promise—the belief that bronzed skin signals health and beauty. In truth, ...

Segmented Sleep: Rethinking the Myth of Uninterrupted Rest

This is Beirut, 04/06 12:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Segmented Sleep Health Naps Sleep Patterns

For decades, the standard was clear: a good night’s sleep had to be long, uninterrupted and last between seven and nine hours. This is what we call monophasic sleep. Yet, this way of sleeping is neither as universal nor as natural as we might think. In reality, our ancestors didn’t sleep the way we do, and recent research suggests that ...

Lebanon Regains WHO Voting Rights, Pledges Health Reforms

This is Beirut, 23/05 19:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Lebanon WHO Health Reform Geneva Refugees

Lebanon has regained its voting rights at the World Health Organization (WHO) after a two-year suspension due to unpaid membership fees. Speaking from the 78th World Health Assembly in Geneva, Minister of Public Health Dr. Rakan Nassereddine said the reinstatement “restores Lebanon’s influential role in the organization’s discussions and ...

The Anti-Inflammatory Power of Food

Bélinda Ibrahim, 18/05 17:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Inflammations Food Health Well-Being

Inflammation is, in itself, a natural defense mechanism. When a foreign body, infection, or injury occurs, the body mobilizes immune cells to repair tissue. Redness, swelling, heat—these are signs that the body is healing. But there is another, more insidious and damaging form: chronic inflammation. Invisible to the eye and symptom-free for a ...

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