Health Highlights: Jan. 16, 2023

Acts of kindness could help fight depression. Doing good deeds -- even small ones like buying a stranger a cup of coffee -- helps people focus on someone other than themselves, countering depression, new research finds. Read more

Hundreds of rural hospital threatened with closure across America. Pandemic financial assistance kept these hospitals afloat for the past couple of years, but now that funding has ended, experts say. Read more

Marijuana-linked ER visits are soaring among seniors. Experts say two factors might be fueling the trend: seniors are more susceptible to effects from cannabis, and many may not know how to use the drug safely. Read more

When states legalized marijuana, kids' asthma rates rose. Exposure to secondhand cannabis smoke is a key risk factor for asthma in young people, a new study shows. Read more

Holiday gatherings didn't spark surge in respiratory illnesses. Visits to doctors’ offices for flu-like illnesses fell for the sixth straight week, the CDC reported. Reports of RSV, a common cause of cold-like symptoms that can be serious for infants and the elderly, are also down. Read more