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Most women not seeking treatment for menopause, new survey finds

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Despite more than a third of women reporting moderate to severe menopause symptoms in 2021, few sought treatment, according to a new study by Mayo Clinic researchers published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings.

Women reported being too busy, unaware of effective treatment and concerned about the safety of hormone therapy as reasons why they didn't ...Read more

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AI vs. AI: Patients deploy bots to battle health insurers that deny care

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

As states strive to curb health insurers’ use of artificial intelligence, patients and doctors are arming themselves with AI tools to fight claims denials, prior authorizations and soaring medical bills.

Several businesses and nonprofits have launched AI-powered tools to help patients get their insurance claims paid and navigate byzantine ...Read more

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Ticked off over preauthorization: Walk-in patient avoided Lyme disease but not a surprise bill

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Leah Kovitch was pulling invasive plants in the meadow near her home one weekend in late April when a tick latched onto her leg.

She didn’t notice the tiny bug until Monday, when her calf muscle began to feel sore. She made an appointment that morning with a telehealth doctor — one recommended by her health insurance plan — who prescribed...Read more

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Subsidizing insurance just props up dysfunction. Empower consumers instead

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Congress ended its impasse to reopen the government, but the Democrats’ reason for the shutdown remains unresolved: the renewal of expiring subsidies for insurance premiums under the Affordable Care Act.

Republicans offered an olive branch to end the standoff by proposing to make payments into Americans’ health savings accounts or flexible ...Read more

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Many Californians face huge health care premium increases. Can Congress or Trump help?

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

WASHINGTON —Californians using Obamacare-inspired health care plans and facing huge premium increases at the start of next year got some hope this week that cost-cutting subsidies will continue.

Efforts by Reps. Kevin Kiley, R-Roseville, and Sam Liccardo, D-San Jose, to push for a two-year extension have gotten backing from bipartisan members...Read more

How much caffeine is in matcha?

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Matcha is having a moment. Matcha-flavored foods and drinks seem to be everywhere (Matcha soft serve! Matcha lemonade! Matcha soda! Matcha noodles!), but traditionally, the finely ground green tea powder is enjoyed as a hot beverage in Japan.

To make matcha, the tea is whisked with a small bit of hot water until smooth, and then more hot water ...Read more

Environmental Nutrition: Debunking dietary deceptions: Is a vegetarian or vegan diet automatically healthy?

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

With all the praise for plant-based diets, it’s easy to think that a vegan or vegetarian diet guarantees that your diet is healthful and nutritious. But does it? The research in support of plant-based diets is bountiful, which is likely because they include higher levels of vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients and fiber and lower levels of ...Read more

Mayo Clinic Q&A: Living kidney donation may be option for those with Type 2 diabetes

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I was surprised to learn that even though I have Type 2 diabetes, I possibly could be a candidate to donate a kidney to my husband who has end-stage kidney disease. Would donating a kidney be safe for me and my husband? I thought diabetes could cause kidney failure.

ANSWER: Thank you for considering the gift of life through ...Read more

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Is AI making some people delusional? Families and experts are worried

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Generative artificial intelligence has quickly permeated much of what we do online, proving helpful for many. But for a small minority of the hundreds of millions of people who use it daily, AI may be too supportive, mental health experts say, and can sometimes even exacerbate delusional and dangerous behavior.

Instances of emotional dependence...Read more

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A hidden health crisis following natural disasters: Mold growth in homes

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — After returning from what felt like the best internship of her life, Danae Daniels was excited to unwind and settle into a new semester at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University. But when she opened the door to her off-campus apartment, she was met with an overwhelming smell — and a devastating reality.

“There ...Read more

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Jefferson Health has been sued for violating federal rules during recent layoff of hundreds

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

A lawsuit filed Tuesday in Philadelphia accused Jefferson Health of violating federal labor rules when it laid off 1% of its 65,000 employees in October and this month without providing a 60-day notice.

The purported class action lawsuit says the proposed lead plaintiff, Ciara Brice, lost her job as a medical assistant on Nov. 12 with no notice...Read more

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California braces for early, sharper flu season as virus mutation outpaces vaccine, experts say

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

LOS ANGELES — California could see an early start to the annual flu season, as a combination of low vaccination rates and late mutations to the virus may leave the state particularly exposed to transmission, health experts say.

Already, there are warning signs. Los Angeles County recently reported its first flu death of the season, and other ...Read more

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Kennedy sharpens vaccine attacks, without scientific backing

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

As the federal government prepares for the next meeting of its Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has intensified his attacks on aluminum vaccine components used in many shots to boost the body’s immune response.

Kennedy, a longtime anti-vaccine activist before seeking ...Read more

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A 3-year-old's epilepsy care is uncertain due to UnitedHealth-Fairview dispute

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

CHANHASSEN, Minnesota — Keeping Parker McEnaney smiling has required well over a dozen expensive drugs, a medevac flight to California and the expertise of just about every specialty team at M Health Fairview Masonic Children’s Hospital in Minneapolis.

A cord snaking into the 3-year-old’s grippy sock connects to a device reading her pulse...Read more

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US cancer registries, constrained by Trump policies, to recognize only 'male' or 'female' patients

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

The top authorities of U.S. cancer statistics will soon have to classify the sex of patients strictly as male, female, or unknown, a change scientists and advocates say will harm the health of transgender people, one of the nation’s most marginalized populations.

Scientists and advocates for trans rights say the change will make it much ...Read more

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Canada measles outbreak shows that vigilance must not slip

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

The next outbreak of serious disease is merely “a plane ride away,” public health officials have long warned. The current crop of measles cases in Canada proves that point.

A traveler infected with measles visited a community in New Brunswick with a low vaccination rate, sparking a national outbreak of the disease in 2024. About 50 people ...Read more

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Trump still working on health care proposal, White House says

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is still working on a proposal to address a spike in Obamacare health insurance premiums, but the eventual plan may differ significantly from details reported over the weekend, the White House said Monday.

“As you all know, sometimes you report things and then President Trump comes out with an ...Read more

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Complaints about gaps in Medicare Advantage networks are common. Federal enforcement is rare

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Along with the occasional aches and pains, growing older can bring surprise setbacks and serious diseases. Longtime relationships with doctors people trust often make even bad news more tolerable. Losing that support — especially during a health crisis — can be terrifying. That’s why little-known federal requirements are supposed to ...Read more

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Waning immunity and falling vaccination rates fuel pertussis outbreaks

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Rates of pertussis, also known as whooping cough, are surging in Texas, Florida, California, Oregon, and other states and localities across the country.

The outbreaks are fueled by falling vaccination rates, fading immunity, and delays in public health tracking systems, according to interviews with state and federal health officials. Babies too...Read more

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Ask the Pediatrician: Emergency medical services

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

If your child breaks a bone, struggles to breathe or suffers frightening thoughts that tell them life isn't worth living, will you know how to help them?

These are examples of medical emergencies that parents and caregivers must be ready to manage.

A medical emergency is defined as any point when a sudden injury or illness could end a child's ...Read more