Health Advice

/

Health

/

ArcaMax

Peña family/KFF Health News/TNS

Bill of the Month: Blurry line between medical and vision insurance leaves patient with unexpected bill

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Barbara Tuszynski was concerned about her vision but confident in her insurance coverage when she went to an eye clinic last May.

The retiree, 70, was diagnosed with glaucoma in her right eye in 2019. She had a laser procedure to treat it in 2022, and she uses medicated drops in both eyes to prevent more damage. She is supposed to be checked ...Read more

How do you spell the keys to living younger longer? FFFF, PPP, AA

When The Jackson 5 sang "A B C, it's easy as 1 2 3," they were talking about the pleasure of falling in love. When I say, "Living younger longer is as easy as FFFF, PPP, AA," I'm giving you the 1-2-3 steps you need to fall in love with your quality of life.

FFFF stands for: 1. Fast Exercise -- 10 minutes of intense movement improves your ...Read more

Browsing Different Treatment Options For Summer Depression

Health Advice / Keith Roach /

DEAR DR. ROACH: I read your answer to a recent question about seasonal affective disorder (SAD). You mentioned that folks can get SAD in the summer but didn't discuss treatment options. I've tried caffeine and alcohol; they don't seem to work!

More seriously, I've discussed moving hemispheres with my wife so that we could have an endless ...Read more

University of Maryland seeks testers for nasal spray during cold and flu season

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

BALTIMORE — With only a snort a week, a new drug might keep patients safe from several viruses — and the University of Maryland is willing to pay more than $1,000 for people willing to test it.

The nasal-spray medicine called INNA-051 may boost immune defenses, reducing illness from respiratory viruses, and researchers at the university’s...Read more

Joe Raedle/Getty Images North America/TNS

Sticker shock: 92,000 Pennsylvanians drop Obamacare health insurance in 2026

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Roughly 1-in-5 Pennsylvania Obamacare plan enrollees dropped health coverage for 2026 due to "unprecedented cost increases," the state's online health insurance marketplace reported Monday.

Enrollment in the Affordable Care Act health insurance plans, also called Obamacare, totaled about 486,000 for 2026, with about 92,000 dropping their health...Read more

Andi Purnomo/Dreamstime/TNS

Ask the Pediatrician: Your child's first crush

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Do you remember the first time you looked at a classmate and your heart pounded just a little bit harder? For most people, that moment comes during the teen years, but for some children, feelings or romantic interest can begin well before puberty. While this may catch parents by surprise, it is a normal part of social and emotional development. ...Read more

Christine Mai-Duc/KFF Health News/TNS

Newsom walks thin line on immigrant health as he eyes presidential bid

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who is eyeing a presidential bid, has incensed both Democrats and Republicans over immigrant health care in his home state, underscoring the delicate political path ahead.

For a second year, the Democrat has asked state lawmakers to roll back coverage for some immigrants in the face of federal Medicaid spending ...Read more

Your new waist loss plan

Let's explore new ways to evaluate if you have excess, health-damaging fat on your body. Using your BMI is outdated. Instead, you want to determine your waist size by measuring your circumference at your belly button as you suck in your core. Low risk is 37 inches or less for men, 31.5 inches for women. You also want your waist size to be less ...Read more

Case Of Anaphylactic Shock Might Be Due To Methocarbamol

Health Advice / Keith Roach /

DEAR DR. ROACH: My question is about methocarbamol (Robaxin). My relative has been taking this for about two years for back pain. He then developed a sudden severe allergic reaction and went into anaphylactic shock. He fought it all night, not knowing what was happening, and by morning, he had to go to the hospital. Could this be due to ...Read more

DREAMSTIME/TNS

California mushroom poisonings are on the rise. Here's what's being done to curb exposure

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

David Yturralde arrived at the mushroom talk in Newport Beach recently armed with a pen and paper and a host of questions. The goal, he said, was to demystify those fascinating fungi that popped up on his grass after heavy winter rain.

He's long been interested in the mushrooms that sprout on the front lawn of his San Clemente home, but he's ...Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

Editorial: ACA fraud is real. It's time to get serious about fixing it

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

In a series of YouTube ads viewed more than 195 million times, a red-lipped Taylor Swift tells viewers about a “new thing” in Florida: Just visit a website, answer two questions and the state will send you a $6,400 stimulus check.

Sound too good to be true? It was — and the narrator wasn’t Swift but an AI deepfake. The ads, since taken...Read more

Liz Rymarev/The Dallas Morning News/TNS

San Bernardino County reports first measles case since 2023 as U.S. infections continue to climb

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Health officials in San Bernardino County, California, have confirmed the first case of measles in the county since 2023.

The county's Department of Public Health said the case involves an unvaccinated child who was visiting from another state, and is unrelated to the recent case of an international traveler who visited a Disney park.

The ...Read more

AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post/TNS

After sponsor lambastes RFK Jr., Colorado bill aiming to increase vaccine access passes Senate

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

DENVER — The Colorado Senate this week approved a bill that would expand the list of who can authorize and prescribe vaccines and, in the words of the sponsor, sidestep “the dysfunction coming out of Washington, D.C.”

Senate Bill 32 would allow pharmacists to prescribe vaccines independently. It would also authorize the state Board of ...Read more

CDC/ Allison M. Maiuri, MPH, CHES/TNS/TNS

South Carolina nears 1,000 cases of measles in Upstate outbreak

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina is reporting nearly four dozen new cases of the measles virus, public health officials said Friday.

This brings the state’s total reported cases close to topping 1,000.

There have been 44 new cases of the measles, the South Carolina Department of Public Health announced Friday. That brings the total number ...Read more

The vast majority of people who get measles are not vaccinated against the measles virus.   Andrzej Rostek/istock via Getty Images Plus

US experiencing largest measles outbreak since 2000 – 5 essential reads on the risks, what to do and what’s coming next

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

The measles outbreak in South Carolina reached 876 cases on Feb. 3, 2026. That number surpasses the 2025 outbreak in Texas and hits the unfortunate milestone of being the largest outbreak in the U.S. since 2000, when the disease was declared eliminated here.

The outbreak is exposing the breadth of dangers the disease can pose. South ...Read more

David Cargo, a Dungeons & Dragons player, dressed as one of his characters named Thorn Woodson, browses through board games at Portland Comic Expo on Oct. 27, 2019, in Portland, Ore.  Ariana van den Akker/Portland Press Herald via Getty Images

Whether it’s yoga, rock climbing or Dungeons & Dragons, taking leisure to a high level can be good for your well-being

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

What do collecting old editions of Dungeons & Dragons monster manuals, securing the same tailgate spot for over 20 years and mastering yoga postures have in common? They are all forms of “serious leisure.”

These pursuits are different from casual hobbies in several ways. They require participation over longer periods, which ...Read more

DREAMSTIME/TNS

Mayo Clinic uses gene editing to reverse inherited kidney disease in preclinical study

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Mayo Clinic researchers have developed a promising gene-editing therapy that directly corrects a genetic mutation responsible for autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD), the most common inherited kidney disorder.

A single treatment of the gene therapy slowed kidney cyst growth, improved heart and liver health,...Read more

Artisticco Llc/Dreamstime/TNS

On Nutrition: Reader comments

Health Advice / Nutrition /

In a recent column, I described myself as a “nutrition nerd” regarding my fascination with the human body’s ability to process food into substances we need to maintain health.

Outlining how food is digested, I wrote: “As food nears the stomach, it arrives at a security gate called the esophageal sphincter that opens just long enough for...Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

Is Charlotte at risk for bigger measles outbreak as cases climb in the Carolinas?

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The spread of a highly contagious disease is creeping into the Charlotte region. But experts say there are steps the community can take to prevent the kind of widespread outbreaks springing up in other parts of the country.

Mecklenburg County in recent weeks reported three cases of measles. Nearby Union County sent out more ...Read more

Patient With Superficial Spreading Melanoma Asks For Guidance

Health Advice / Keith Roach /

DEAR DR. ROACH: I was recently diagnosed with superficial spreading melanoma. I had a wide excision and was told to follow up with a dermatologist. The dermatologist says to follow up every six months; is this frequent enough? It was found during a routine annual skin check, and I never expected this outcome.

I am amazed at the number of ...Read more

 

Related Channels

Amy Dickinson

Ask Amy

By Amy Dickinson
R. Eric Thomas

Asking Eric

By R. Eric Thomas
Billy Graham

Billy Graham

By Billy Graham
Chuck Norris

Chuck Norris

By Chuck Norris
Abigail Van Buren

Dear Abby

By Abigail Van Buren
Annie Lane

Dear Annie

By Annie Lane
Dr. Michael Roizen

Dr. Michael Roizen

By Dr. Michael Roizen
Rabbi Marc Gellman

God Squad

By Rabbi Marc Gellman
Keith Roach, M.D.

Keith Roach

By Keith Roach, M.D.
Judith Martin, Nicholas Ivor Martin and Jacobina Martin

Miss Manners

By Judith Martin, Nicholas Ivor Martin and Jacobina Martin
Cassie McClure

My So-Called Millienial Life

By Cassie McClure
Marilyn Murray Willison

Positive Aging

By Marilyn Murray Willison
Scott LaFee

Scott LaFee

By Scott LaFee
Harriette Cole

Sense & Sensitivity

By Harriette Cole
Susan Dietz

Single File

By Susan Dietz
Tom Margenau

Social Security and You

By Tom Margenau
Toni King

Toni Says

By Toni King

Comics

Tim Campbell Breaking Cat News Dogs of C-Kennel Hi and Lois 1 and Done Cul de Sac