I'm Joe Graydon.

And I'm Terry Graydon.

Welcome to this podcast of the People's Pharmacy.

You can find previous podcasts and more information on a range of health topics at

People's Pharmacy.com.

Loneliness is linked to an increased risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and dementia.

What can we do about it?

This is the People's Pharmacy with Terry and Joe Graydon.

Social isolation has become an increasingly serious problem. In the Surgeon General's recent report,

the authors write that loneliness is as dangerous as smoking. It used to be that people connected

at work around the water cooler or the break room. Now, with so many people working remotely,

work relationships have suffered. Dr. Robert

Waldinger is the director of the longest-running study on happiness. He'll share his insights on

why connecting is crucial. Coming up on the people's pharmacy, why overcoming loneliness is important

for your health.

In the People's Pharmacy Health Headlines, many Americans are starting the new year in bed with a nasty respiratory infection.

The CDC's Flu View report shows influenza cases and hospitalizations up from the previous week,

so we're well into flu season now. Most of the test results show influenza A dominating with the H1N1 strain most apparent.

Influenza is not the only germ making people sick, though. Hospitalizations for COVID-19 went up by 10% in mid-December and still appear to be rising. People who test positive whether

or not they have symptoms should stay away from others for at least five days, health officials advise.

The most common symptoms of the leading

variant, JN.1 are sore throat, fever, running nose and congestion, headache, cough, trouble

...