Health

GLP-1: The Unexpected Weapon Against Knee Osteoarthritis

Knee osteoarthritis is a condition that makes descending stairs painful, limits leisurely walks, slows athletes, and affects millions worldwide. Treatment options remain limited: painkillers, anti-inflammatories, occasional injections, and, in severe cases, joint replacement surgery. To date, no therapy has been able to truly halt cartilage wear, ...

White House Fires US Health Agency Head After she Refused to Quit

The Trump administration confirmed Wednesday it had fired the head of the top US public health agency after she refused to step down during a standoff with vaccine skeptic Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The escalating dispute over Kennedy's sweeping overhaul of US vaccine policy also led to five other senior officials at the Centers for ...

Covid-19 Returns Amid Lebanon’s Health Inertia

While some countries are experiencing a new surge in Covid-19 cases, the virus continues to mutate and spread. In Israel, health authorities recently reported a nearly 30% rise in cases over just a few weeks. In France, pharmacies are also noticing an increase in positive tests, particularly among holidaymakers. In Lebanon, the situation remains ...

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

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?

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

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

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)

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)

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)

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?

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 ...