Health Advice

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C the difference in your skin

Americans spend hundreds of dollars annually on products to protect and improve their appearance. Around 30% of that is specifically for skincare. Well, a new study in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology may help you save big bucks and improve your skin's health. Turns out, while all the popular, vitamin C-loaded creams and treatments you ...Read more

Eric Lutzens/The Denver Post/TNS

Parents of transgender kids sue Children's Hospital Colorado for pausing gender-affirming care

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

DENVER — Parents of four transgender children sued Children’s Hospital Colorado this week, alleging its decision to suspend gender-affirming care amounts to discrimination under state law.

Both Children’s and Denver Health stopped prescribing puberty blockers and hormonal treatment to patients under 18 in late December or early January. ...Read more

Environmental Nutrition: What’s the deal with gluten-free diets?

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

A gluten-free diet excludes all forms of gluten, a protein naturally found in wheat, barley and rye. While gluten poses no harm to most people, for individuals with certain health conditions, avoiding it is essential for maintaining well-being and preventing serious complications.

The primary group who must follow a gluten-free diet are those ...Read more

The 7 worst foods to eat when you have a sore throat

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

A sore throat may be annoying, but it’s one of the most common symptoms of colds, seasonal allergies, and sickness. Regardless of the cause, the food you eat will make all the difference in your recovery time and comfort level, says registered dietitian Samantha Peterson, MS, RD. This means “choosing foods that calm inflammation and skipping...Read more

Can you increase your metabolism?

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Having a fast metabolism is a real perk when you’re trying to trim down: it allows your body to burn calories quickly. And if you use a lot more calories than you consume, you’ll likely lose pounds.

But what if you don’t have a fast metabolism? Can you turn up the fire on that furnace? Possibly. A few strategies might give your metabolism...Read more

Mayo Clinic Q&A: So you’re having a colonoscopy: What to expect

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I just turned 45 and am dreading my first colonoscopy. Why do I need to be screened if I’m not having issues? Can you walk me through the process?

ANSWER: Feeling anxious or afraid surrounding a procedure, particularly when you’ve never done it before, is completely normal. The purpose of screening is to act before someone...Read more

Soy Vey!

Health Advice / Scott LaFee /

Soybean oil is the most widely consumed cooking oil (more than 50%) in the United States and a ubiquitous ingredient in processed foods. A new study by researchers at the University of California, Riverside, now suggests it contributes to obesity, at least in mice.

Researchers fed mice a high-fat diet rich in soybean oil. Most gained ...Read more

Shalina Chatlani/Stateline/TNS

AI therapy chatbots draw new oversight as suicides raise alarm

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Editor’s note: If you or someone you know needs help, the national suicide and crisis lifeline in the U.S. is available by calling or texting 988. There is also an online chat at 988lifeline.org.

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States are passing laws to prevent artificially intelligent chatbots, such as ChatGPT, from being able to offer mental health advice to young ...Read more

DREAMSTIME/TNS

Mayo Clinic researchers use AI to predict patient falls based on core density in middle age

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Artificial intelligence applied to abdominal imaging can help predict adults at higher risk of falling as early as middle age, a new Mayo Clinic study shows. The research, published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings: Digital Health, highlights the importance of abdominal muscle quality, a component of core strength, as a key ...Read more

Asking For A Patient's Height Is Still Important Information

Health Advice / Keith Roach /

DEAR DR. ROACH: Why is it that when one sees the doctor, the nurse will take their weight and blood pressure but neglect to take their height? I find this very interesting as height is asked on medical forms when receiving a bone density test, MRI, scan, etc. How is one to know what their height is if it's never taken? Any information you ...Read more

Brittany Murray/Los Angeles Daily News/TNS

Donations sought as Red Cross laments 'severe' blood shortage

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

The Red Cross is appealing to past donors and potential new donors as it says a "severe blood shortage" could result in delays for surgeries and other medical procedures.

During a virtual news briefing Tuesday, officials said there was a 35% reduction in blood donations nationally in December. That equates to about 40,000 units of blood. More ...Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

168 chemicals found in food linked to gut damage and fertility risks, study shows

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Many everyday chemicals can impact your gut health and even male fertility, research shows. Proper food preparation, including washing and peeling fruits and vegetables, can protect from common pesticides.

Researchers from the University of Cambridge tested common chemicals, including many without known health impacts, and found 168 that could ...Read more

Alex Kormann/Minnesota Star Tribune/TNS

Minnesota doctors say ICE deters patients from seeking health care

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

ST. PAUL, Minn. — The ongoing federal immigration campaign is hurting patients too scared to attend checkup appointments, pick up prescriptions or even give birth in hospitals, doctors said at a State Capitol news conference Tuesday.

One diabetic patient rationed insulin and ran low on food to avoid leaving home, the doctors said. A pregnant ...Read more

Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune/TNS

Lurie Children's Hospital in Chicago scales back gender-affirming care, days after call for federal investigation

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

CHICAGO — Lurie Children’s Hospital is scaling back its gender-affirming care for minors, the hospital said Tuesday, days after a top federal official called for an investigation into the hospital.

The hospital will no longer offer gender-affirming medications for patients younger than 18 who have not previously been treated with the ...Read more

In 1 decade, 170 babies, kids and teens died in NC after fentanyl encounters

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — One hundred and seventy babies, kids and teens in North Carolina died after fentanyl exposure between 2015 and 2024, new state data shows.

Infants, children younger than 5 and teenagers aged 13 to 17 were the most likely to die after fentanyl exposure here during the past decade, according to updated data from the Office of ...Read more

Statins' expanding powers

In 2019, around 92 million Americans reported that they'd taken a statin at one time or another. And today, according to the American Medical Association, more than 46 million Americans could cut their risk of cardiovascular disease by taking a statin -- but only about half of them are doing that regularly! That's a shame, because anyone with ...Read more

Prognosis For Patient With 'Wet Brain' Doesn't Look Promising

Health Advice / Keith Roach /

DEAR DR. ROACH: How is "wet brain" (or Wernicke encephalopathy, WE) diagnosed? My son has been in the hospital, a rehab facility, and now an assisted living facility. Is there hope that he may walk again? He does not have any motivation and stays in bed most days playing on his phone. He hates being at a retirement home because he is 45, but he ...Read more

Defeat sore feet

You may walk more than 100,000 miles in a lifetime -- maybe double that if you get 10,000 steps a day. No wonder your feet feel sore sometimes. Foot woes, from ingrown toenails to plantar fasciitis, osteoarthritis, fallen arches and bunions, are incredibly common, but only about 25% of folks have seen a doctor about their discomfort or pain, and...Read more

Understanding Why People Can Still Die From Pneumonia

Health Advice / Keith Roach /

DEAR DR. ROACH: Why do people still die of pneumonia? With all the advances that we have seen in modern medicine, losing anyone to this ailment seems like such a waste. Is it a question of pneumonia being difficult to pin down because of the root cause, whether it's bacterial, viral or fungal? Is it due to a delayed diagnosis and/or delayed ...Read more

Alex Wong/Getty Images North America/TNS

On Nutrition: The food pyramid

Health Advice / Nutrition /

The 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans have been announced … and there are some surprises.

What’s changed in these updated recommendations for how Americans should eat? For one, the previous document from five years ago was a whopping 164 pages. Our current document has been simplified to a mere 10 pages.

Another big change: The ...Read more