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Environmental Nutrition: Pumpkin power
Pumpkin is a nutrient-rich and delicious vegetable to enjoy this season and all year long.
The folklore
Pumpkins are a beloved symbol of autumn: bright orange spheres lazing in pumpkin patches, decoratively adorning porches and tablescapes, carved into jack-o-lanterns, and savored in Thanksgiving pumpkin pie. A Mexico native, pumpkin was grown...Read more
IV therapy for vitamin replenishment: Health boost or expensive placebo?
Some days, we all wish we had a magic elixir to jolt our energy, fend off illness ... or just cure a hangover. That’s likely the appeal of intravenous (IV) vitamin therapy, a growing segment of the $15 billion, largely unregulated medical spa industry involving more than 9,000 facilities across the United States.
An IV infusion of vitamins, ...Read more
Mayo Clinic Q&A: Can robotic surgery make kidney transplants safer and less invasive?
DEAR MAYO CLINIC: A close relative needs a kidney transplant and has been reading about robots being used in surgery. What does that mean and is it safe?
ANSWER: Robotic kidney transplantation combines trusted surgical techniques with advanced technology. With the aid of a robotic system, surgeons can perform the operation through smaller ...Read more
Vegan Again
With red meat prices up nearly 10% over the past year, vegetable alternatives look more attractive, at least when it comes to greens in your wallet. They've only risen 3%.
The personal finance company WalletHub recently published its list of the 20 top cities for vegans and vegetarians, based on factors like the share of local restaurants ...Read more
Commentary: Give healthcare workers a break
I clocked out at the end of my shift, pressing my badge against the timekeeping system. When it asked me to verify that I had taken a 30-minute lunch break, I hesitated, my finger hovering over the screen before confirming that I had.
In truth, I hadn’t. Between staffing shortages, meetings and patient caseloads, my clinical responsibilities ...Read more
It pays to quit smoking
In 2022, almost 29 million U.S. adults smoked cigarettes. Around two-thirds said they wanted to quit, but only half had tried and only around 10% were successful.
Addiction to nicotine is tough to break -- and it requires help. Unfortunately, counseling and medications such as varenicline (a pill that eases withdrawal symptoms) or bupropion (an...Read more
What's The New Obsession With Drinking Water?
DEAR DR ROACH: Can you please explain to me what has changed over the years in regard to dehydration? I never remember my parents carrying bottles of water to work, and we definitely never had the ease of a disposable water bottle to carry with us wherever we went. I can't even imagine what consequences we'd have faced if we carried a cup of ...Read more
Menopause can quietly weaken bones – here’s what research reveals about protecting them
A skeleton hanging on a door or standing in your neighbor’s yard for Halloween looks like a finished structure. But the skeleton inside a living body is constantly changing. Around menopause, those changes can tip toward bone loss, often without pain or another obvious warning.
I am a skeletal biology researcher at Washington ...Read more
Pediatric palliative care addresses the unique needs of seriously ill children and their families
Pediatric medicine generally entails caring for patients at the beginning of their lives – performing newborn checkups, treating childhood illnesses and supporting adolescents in their health as they move toward adulthood.
So people are often surprised to hear about specialists like us who work in pediatric palliative care, helping ...Read more
Bill of the Month: She needed an EpiPen. But first, an urgent care asked her to pay
Stephanie Rowell was standing on her parents’ front porch in July when a wasp stung her left arm.
She said that almost immediately her arm felt like it was “on fire,” her body started itching all over, and her face became swollen and red.
Rowell, 53, took Benadryl, and her father started driving her to the nearest emergency room, about ...Read more
Complete remission of Type 2 diabetes for folks 45 and younger
The 2020 National Diabetes Statistics Report found that around 5 million Americans had Type 2 diabetes -- and 24% of them were ages 18 to 64. That means that, at a young age, they were at an increased risk of vision and nerve problems, gastro disturbances, cardiovascular traumas, and dementia. But if that's you, don't despair.
A study out of ...Read more
Covid Vaccine Misinformation Continues To Spread
DEAR DR. ROACH: I read your recent column on COVID shots. Why do you still recommend these terribly dangerous vaccines and the boosters, in light of the overwhelming evidence that they're causing heart attacks, strokes, miscarriages, cancers, blood clots and more? -- R.V.
ANSWER: People need to be very careful where they get their information...Read more
Upstate New York child dies in state's first measles death in 30 years
A child died of measles in upstate New York, marking the state’s first measles-related death in 30 years, Governor Hochul announced Monday.
“I’m heartbroken to learn that a child in Lewis County has died from measles,” Hochul said in a statement. “My heart goes out to their family and everyone who knew and loved them.”
Hochul ...Read more
New York reports first measles death in 30 years during outbreak
A child died of measles in New York amid an ongoing outbreak in the state that has infected more than 170 people, the health department said Monday.
The death occurred in Lewis County, located in the northwestern part of the state, according to a joint press release from the county and state health departments. Health officials did not provide...Read more
A GOP congressman backed Medicaid work requirements. His voters might be exempt
When U.S. Rep. David Valadao defended voting for a bill aimed at reducing Medicaid spending by billions, the Republican noted his role in securing a key provision that will require some adult beneficiaries to work — a mandate he called “not an unreasonable ask.”
But the voters in his California Central Valley district, home to one of the ...Read more
A GOP congressman backed Medicaid work requirements. His voters might be exempt
When U.S. Rep. David Valadao defended voting for a bill aimed at reducing Medicare spending by billions, the Republican noted his role in securing a key provision that will require some adult beneficiaries to work — a mandate he called “not an unreasonable ask.”
But the voters in his California Central Valley district, home to one of the ...Read more
Georgia helped inspire the Medicaid work rules. Its own rules could soon end
After years of searching for affordable health insurance, Trey Wright discovered Georgia Pathways to Coverage.
The state’s limited Medicaid expansion program allowed the 27-year-old living in the rural city of Jesup in southeastern Georgia to finally visit a primary care doctor regularly. It also covered weekly shots to manage an array of ...Read more
Remember this acronym next time you're facing a big medical decision: B.R.A.I.N.
Gina Conley, an Army veteran in Aberdeen, North Carolina, knew she wanted a low-intervention birth for her first child. But her plan started to go off the rails as soon as she got to the hospital.
“Everything that I did not want to happen had happened,” she said. “And I just remember that feeling of being just so utterly defeated.”
Her...Read more
Ask the Pediatrician: Back to sleep, tummy to play
What are two of the most important ways to keep your baby safe when they sleep and help them grow and develop when they're awake? This pair of simple daily habits can make a big difference: placing your baby on their back to sleep and giving them supervised tummy time when they're awake.
Healthy babies are safest when sleeping on their backs, ...Read more
At least 14 people died in Cook County this summer from heat. Medical professionals say it's not the whole picture
At least 14 people have died in Cook County this summer from heat-related causes, with July marking the area’s deadliest month for heat-related deaths in more than a decade, according to data from the medical examiner’s office. Successive heat waves in late June and early-to-mid-July this year pushed the heat index, a combination of ...Read more
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