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Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP/Getty Images North America/TNS

Republicans are eyeing cuts to Medicaid. What's Medicaid, again?

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

In January, during a congressional hearing on his way to becoming secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. got basic details wrong about Medicaid — a program he now oversees.

He said that Medicaid is fully funded by the federal government (it’s not) and that many enrollees are unsatisfied with high out...Read more

Parents, doctors, medical researchers seek treatment for disease with no name

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

ATLANTA — There may never be a name for 9-year-old Ireland Tolbert’s diagnosis, but one day soon, n-Lorem, a medical research and development nonprofit, hopes to provide a medication that will improve her quality of life.

Shanna Tolbert always wanted to be a mother. She had a dreamy, healthy pregnancy with Ireland, her first child, and an ...Read more

Oona Zenda/KFF Health News/TNS

Pain clinics made millions from 'unnecessary' injections into 'human pin cushions'

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

McMINNVILLE, Tenn. — Each month, Michelle Shaw went to a pain clinic to get the shots that made her back feel worse — so she could get the pills that made her back feel better.

Shaw, 56, who has been dependent on opioid painkillers since she injured her back in a fall a decade ago, said in both an interview with KFF Health News and in sworn...Read more

PPIs Aren't Necessary If Reflux Symptoms Aren't Severe

Health Advice / Keith Roach /

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a 71-year-old male in good health. I read your recent column on the use of proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs). About eight years ago, I was hospitalized for 10 days due to a severe case of pancreatitis. The pain was beyond horrible. A scan indicated that I had a severe infection. It was finally determined that it was caused by ...Read more

Compounding the problem

Shortages and the sky-high cost of the new weight loss drugs has led to an explosion of compounded alternatives sold online, through telehealth sites and in compounding pharmacies. Unfortunately, most of these products haven't been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration for safety, effectiveness, or quality. A new study in JAMA found that...Read more

Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP/Getty Images North America/TNS

RFK Jr. and Trump's new commission targets mental health medication

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Washington state health care professionals who treat children are bracing as a new commission launched by President Donald Trump's administration takes aim at psychiatric drugs.

Last Thursday, an executive order from the White House established a new "Make America Healthy Again Commission," chaired by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert ...Read more

Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune/TNS

Medical misconduct: Read the investigation on sexual abuse by providers

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Multiple well-known Illinois health systems have allowed workers accused of sexually abusing patients to keep providing care, a yearlong Tribune investigation has found.

And while some medical systems in other states have reckoned publicly with their failures, Illinois health care providers have quietly settled lawsuits, entered into ...Read more

How medical treatments devised for war can quickly be implemented in US hospitals to save lives

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

For decades, military doctors faced a critical challenge: What’s the best way to safely and effectively deliver oxygen to patients in remote combat zones, rural hospitals or disaster-stricken areas?

Oxygen tanks are heavy, costly and dangerous in combat zones. A direct hit from a missile or a bullet can turn a lifesaving resource ...Read more

Environmental Nutrition: The magic of magnesium in human health

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Magnesium is an essential mineral that plays a critical role in many of the body’s functions but is often overlooked in daily diets. Found in a variety of foods, magnesium is vital for maintaining health and wellness. From supporting heart function to energy production, this article will explore the importance of magnesium, daily needs, and ...Read more

Dietitians say this is the ideal time to eat dinner

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

After a long day of work and errands, planning dinner can be a drag. This is especially true if you’re a busy bee, or your schedule is constantly changing. As a result, you might find yourself eating dinner at a different time each day — but does it actually matter? Ahead, dietitians explain the best time to eat dinner, and whether it’s ...Read more

Is the portfolio diet the best diet ever?

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

News flash: What we eat can play a pivotal role in warding off — or treating — disease and enhancing quality of life. You may already believe this, and certainly mounting evidence supports that idea. But on the cluttered shelf of diets claiming top health benefits, which one ranks as the absolute best?

That’s a trick question. In fact, ...Read more

Mayo Clinic Q&A: What is Merkel cell carcinoma?

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I recently heard about a type of skin cancer called Merkel cell carcinoma. I’m not familiar with this condition. Can you explain what it is? Do I need to do anything different to protect myself?

ANSWER: Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the U.S. The American Academy of Dermatology estimates that 1 in every 5 people ...Read more

Running Out of Breath

Health Advice / Scott LaFee /

Researchers analyzed 16 years of race results from nine major marathons across the United States and found that races run on days with greater air pollution were associated with slower average finish times.

The concentration of an air pollutant is measured in micrograms per cubic meter of air. Analyzing all finish times, the researchers found...Read more

DREAMSTIME/TNS

5 things parents should know – and do – to keep kids' hearts healthy

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Keeping kids healthy can be a big job. From the day their children are born, parents ferry them to and from medical offices, getting their immune systems boosted, teeth cleaned, eyes checked and stuffy noses decongested.

But experts say there's one body part parents and health care professionals may be overlooking: the heart.

"As a ...Read more

Tenderness Develops In Man's Breast After Taking Finasteride

Health Advice / Keith Roach /

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am an 88-year-old male who has been taking tamsulosin twice daily for several years because of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). In October 2023, my urologist added finasteride once daily. One year later, in October 2024, I developed extreme tenderness on my left breast that wrapped around my left side.

I had a routine ...Read more

Acute kidney injury, aka AKI

Meet mild, reversible acute kidney injury (AKI) -- a sudden loss of kidney function that can go away within 24 hours or, if unchecked, can lead to chronic kidney failure, dialysis or transplant! It can be triggered by dehydration, reduced blood flow to the kidneys caused by heart failure, blocked urine flow, or damage to the kidneys from ...Read more

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images North America/TNS

9/11 health program staff cuts are 'insulting,' 'un-American': Schumer, Gillibrand

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Federal cuts to the World Trade Center Health Program have resulted in a 23% reduction in the agency’s staffing and could put 9/11 survivors at risk, critics said Tuesday.

New York Sens. Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand have already reached out to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., demanding the “insulting” and...Read more

Rich Sugg/The Kansas City Star/TNS

Trans minors in Kansas will no longer have access to care after Legislature overrides veto

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Transgender youth in Kansas will soon be prohibited from receiving medically approved gender-affirming care within state borders.

The Kansas House and Senate both voted Tuesday to override Gov. Laura Kelly’s veto of the care ban, capping off a bitter three-year fight over whether trans minors should be allowed access to treatment options that...Read more

Many gluten-free foods are high in calories and sugar, low on fiber and protein, and they cost more − new research

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

U.S. consumers often pay more for gluten-free products, yet these items typically provide less protein and more sugar and calories compared with gluten-containing alternatives. That is the key finding of my new study, published in the journal Plant Foods for Human Nutrition.

This study compared gluten-free products with their gluten-...Read more

Trans people affirmed their gender without medical help in medieval Europe − history shows how identity transcends medicine and law

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Restrictions on medical care for transgender youth assume that without the ability to medically transition, trans people will vanish.

As of 2024, 26 U.S. states have banned gender-affirming care for young people. Less than a month into office, President Donald Trump issued numerous executive orders targeting transgender people, ...Read more

 

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