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Multivitamins Have Been Shown To Be Contaminated With Metals
DEAR DR. ROACH: My family doctor said to stay away from multivitamins because they contain metal contaminants. Is this true, and is it good advice? -- J.K.
ANSWER: Your doctor is correct that many multivitamins have been shown to be contaminated with heavy metals. For example, in a recent article on prenatal vitamin and folic acid supplements...Read more
3-D: IBD, dementia and vitamin D
Vitamin D is really a hormone. That's why it helps protect bone strength, increases the calories that go into muscles versus fat, and has an impact on immune, endocrine, gastrointestinal and cardiovascular health. But that's not all. Vitamin D's do-good abilities just keep expanding.
A study in Alzheimer's & Dementia found that those who took ...Read more

COVID shots for kids still recommended by US pediatric group in break with CDC
The American Academy of Pediatrics updated its recommendations for immunizations Tuesday, including calling for COVID shots for healthy kids, diverging from controversial advice from the federal government.
The group said it recommends the COVID shot for children ages 6 months to 23 months. Earlier this year, Health and Human Services Secretary...Read more

Vaccine Integrity Project seeks to counter federal inaction, misinformation
The Minnesota-based Vaccine Integrity Project followed through Tuesday on a promise to provide scientific data on vaccine safety and effectiveness ― even though it contradicts President Donald Trump’s federal health advisers.
The project collected results from 590 existing studies and pooled them to see what they collectively show about the...Read more

Colorado urges US Supreme Court to uphold state's ban on conversion therapy for minors
Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser is urging the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold the state’s law banning counselors from practicing “dangerous” conversion therapy on LGBTQ+ kids.
Weiser’s office filed an 83-page brief Tuesday that argues conversion therapy — a medically discredited practice in which medical professionals try to change...Read more

Commentary: RFK Jr. is sabotaging President Trump's health legacy
For leaders in business, failing to learn the lessons of a crisis can be disastrous. For leaders in government, when millions of lives are at risk, such disasters can be catastrophic. Unfortunately, that’s where the US is heading, thanks to the disagreement that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has with his boss, President Donald Trump.
A little ...Read more

South Florida childhood vaccination rates plunge. Who is vulnerable, and why?
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Despite an outbreak of measles last year in a Weston elementary school, Broward County saw a dramatic drop in its immunization rate for kindergartners in 2025.
In Broward, only 82.2% of 2024-25 kindergartners got their required vaccinations — the lowest level in 15 years. The public health goal is a vaccination rate ...Read more
Coffee myths and more mighty benefits
You know I'm a coffee lover -- and that solid research backs up the health benefits of both high-test and decaf coffee (as long as they're brewed in an unbleached filter and served without added sugars or fatty creamers). But some new info -- all good -- has emerged recently that's worth giving some time in the spotlight.
First: It's a myth ...Read more
Eligard Injections Cause Man To Develop Breast Tissue
DEAR DR. ROACH: I have been treated for prostate cancer and stopped my semiannual Eligard injections three years ago. I'm 75 years old and about 5 feet, 9 inches tall. Before treatment, I weighed 227 pounds; I currently weigh 209 pounds. My testosterone level is 49.6 ng/dL. My breasts have become somewhat feminine.
My question is: Will they ...Read more

Trump's health agency streamlining goals hit roadblock
WASHINGTON — Five months after the Trump administration rolled out its grand plans for a signature “Make America Healthy Again” agency, Congress has shied away from taking steps to bring the new agency to fruition.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced his plan for the agency in March amid a wide-scale ...Read more

Patient numbers at NIH hospital have plummeted under Trump, jeopardizing care
The number of people receiving treatment at the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center — the renowned research hospital that cares for patients with rare or life-threatening diseases — has tumbled under the second Trump administration, according to government documents and interviews with current and former NIH employees.
NIH ...Read more

Experts say rural emergency rooms are increasingly run without doctors
EKALAKA, Mont. — There was no doctor on-site when a patient arrived in early June at the emergency room in the small hospital at the intersection of two dirt roads in this town of 400 residents.
There never is.
Dahl Memorial’s three-bed emergency department — a two-hour drive from the closest hospital with more advanced services — ...Read more

Mayo Clinic Q&A: Strategies for calming back-to-school anxiety
DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I have two sons, ages 5 and 11. My eldest is always excited to start school and have new adventures. My younger son will begin kindergarten this year. Although he went to child care part-time, my younger son has begun to express concern about being away from me all day and is showing increased anxiety as we talk about school. ...Read more

Ask the Pediatrician: Amblyopia (lazy eye) treatment: Eye patching, drops, digital therapies and more
Amblyopia, also known as "lazy eye," is a common eye condition in kids that develops when a child has an eye that does not see well. This is caused by a poor connection between the eye to the brain, which can happen for a variety of different reasons. Amblyopia is more common in one eye but can also happen in both eyes.
To restore normal vision...Read more
Two-timing diabetes
Bob Wills sang, "Texas two-step ... Spin me around/You got to hold me up/When you dip me down." You could also say a "diabetes two-step" can spin you around and dip your risks down. That's the finding of two recent studies.
The first, presented at ENDO 2025, took a look at intermittent energy restriction (IER), time-restricted eating and ...Read more
Head Constantly Leans Forward After A Compression Fracture
DEAR DR. ROACH: My mom had a compression fracture to her L2 vertebrae due to osteoporosis. Her head leans forward constantly. It has created difficulty for her when looking forward while walking and sleeping. Do you have anything that you can suggest for her to do? -- J.F.
ANSWER: Compression fractures of the neck, chest and lower spine are ...Read more

Kratom faces increasing scrutiny from states and the feds
For years, state lawmakers have taken the lead on regulating kratom — the controversial herbal supplement used for pain relief, anxiety and opioid withdrawal symptoms. Some states have banned it entirely. Others have passed laws requiring age limits, labeling and lab testing.
At least half of the states and the District of Columbia have ...Read more

COVID-19 surges nationwide with highest rates in Southwest as students return to school
COVID-19 rates in the Southwestern United States reached 12.5% — the highest in the nation — according to new data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released this week. Meanwhile, Los Angeles County recorded the highest COVID-19 levels in its wastewater since February.
Combined, California Nevada and Arizona clocked ...Read more

Early lead exposure could result in memory issues later in life
PITTSBURGH — A new study has found that people who lived in areas with high levels of leaded gasoline emissions in the 1960s and '70s are more likely to report memory problems today — a finding that researchers say could deepen our understanding of environmental risks tied to dementia.
The study and others presented in July at the 2025 ...Read more

COVID-19 cases surge in Maryland as summer ends and school begins
BALTIMORE – COVID-19 hospitalizations in Maryland are up 123% over the last two weeks, the most hospitalizations in a month since April. While the state has typically seen a surge in COVID-19 cases during summer, this one is coming later than usual.
According to data from Maryland Department of Health Vital Statistics Administration, newly ...Read more
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