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Eric Harkleroad/KFF Health News/TNS

Changes at NIH give political appointees greater power to fund or block research

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

The Trump administration has given notice that political appointees, rather than scientists, will ultimately decide who gets grant money from the world’s largest biomedical research funder — the federal government’s National Institutes of Health.

In an Aug. 7 executive order, President Donald Trump announced that political officers would ...Read more

Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images North America/TNS

Commentary: The CDC is under siege. The poor will pay the price

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

The recent ouster of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Susan Monarez and the resignations of top officials mark not just an institutional crisis but the latest chapter in a political war on evidence-based public health. This purge is not reform. It is the culmination of a right-wing assault that began in President Donald Trump�...Read more

Treatment For Staghorn Calculi Includes Lithotripsy And More

Health Advice / Keith Roach /

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a 77-year-old female who recently had an abdominal and pelvic cat scan to rule out diverticulitis, and it came back showing a left staghorn calculus measured at 2-by-3 centimeters. This wasn't present in 2019. I have gas, gas pains, and diarrhea that is typical of IBS, which I have had for years. What causes this calculus,...Read more

HEPA, HEPA, hooray!

The "State of the Air" 2025 report reveals that 46% of Americans -- 156.1 million people -- live in areas with unhealthy levels of ozone and particle pollution -- especially super-small particles called PM2.5.

Short-term exposure (up to 24-hours) to these small particles from traffic, construction, industry or soot is associated with increased ...Read more

Drew Angerer/Getty Images North America/TNS

Key House committee lays groundwork for health extenders

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

WASHINGTON — The House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee is planning to mark up legislation that would extend a slate of expiring health care provisions, subcommittee Chairman Morgan Griffith said Wednesday.

Griffith, R-Va., noted the bipartisan support for legislation as members look to prevent provisions from expiring as the end of ...Read more

RJ Sangosti/The Denver Post/TNS

Colorado issues order allowing pharmacies to provide COVID vaccines without prescription

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Colorado’s top health official on Wednesday issued an order allowing pharmacists to provide COVID-19 vaccines without a prescription after two major chains announced they would limit the shots in their stores.

Dr. Ned Calonge, chief medical officer for the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, issued a “standing order” ...Read more

DANIEL HEUER/dheuer@sacbee.com/The Sacramento Bee/TNS

California, Oregon, Washington push back on Trump's CDC with West Coast Health Alliance

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California, Oregon and Washington are joining forces to insulate vaccine guidance and other public health recommendations from political interference, a direct response to turmoil at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention under President Donald Trump and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Govs. Gavin ...Read more

FREDERIC J. BROWN/Getty Images North America/TNS

As COVID wave washes over California, some health officials urge residents to mask up

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

LOS ANGELES — A COVID wave is washing over California, with the state seeing continued increases in the number of newly confirmed cases and hospitalizations as some officials urged the public to take greater precautions.

The extent of the recent increases has prompted some county-level health officials to recommend that residents once again ...Read more

Why is my first Medicare bill so high?

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

A higher-than-expected first Medicare bill can be a surprise for many people. This often happens because the bill covers more than just one month’s premium or includes additional surcharges or penalties.

It’s important to keep in mind that how much you pay for Medicare overall will depend on how much you earned two years before you sign up....Read more

Mayo Clinic Q&A: Supporting weight-loss medications with adequate, tailored nutrition

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I have a family member taking a prescription weight-loss drug. She has been successful thus far, which I know is improving her health. She admitted, though, that she often eats less than 1,000 calories per day. How can I encourage her weight-loss journey, but also ensure she is getting adequate nutrition?

ANSWER: While weight-...Read more

When should you worry about abnormal heartbeats?

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Has this ever happened? You’re relaxing at home, walking outside, or doing yard work when suddenly it feels like your heart flutters or skips a beat, or beats at a faster rate or in an irregular rhythm. These sensations, commonly called heart palpitations, frequently last only seconds but can be unsettling in the moment.

For the most part, ...Read more

6 foods that zap your energy

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Energy slumps during the day can tell you many things — they might mean that your brain needs a mental break or that you’re reeling from a rough night of sleep. Unfortunately, these slumps could also be influenced by the foods you’re eating (or not eating).

Skipping meals or snacks because you’re busy — or because you don’t have the...Read more

Old School

Health Advice / Scott LaFee /

Conventional wisdom suggests that higher levels of education directly protect against cognitive decline and brain aging. That is, if you're a college graduate, you're less likely to experience dementia compared to people with less formal education.

A new international study puts that thinking in doubt. Researchers analyzed longitudinal data ...Read more

Vaccination, Paxlovid And Metformin Can Help With Long Covid

Health Advice / Keith Roach /

DEAR DR. ROACH: Is there anything a person can do to make it less likely that a COVID infection leads to long COVID symptoms? Does activity help or harm a person in this case? -- L.B.

ANSWER: Before getting COVID in the first place, being vaccinated helps prevent a COVID infection, and even if you get infected, it probably reduces the ...Read more

French fries increase diabetes risk and complications

Depending on what survey you read, Americans consume between 17 and 29 pounds of French fries a year -- that's up to 77 large servings of McDonald's fries annually! And that's fueling the epidemic of Type 2 diabetes and its associated complications, which affect around 35 million folks in America.

Research published in BMJ reveals that for ...Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

Massachusetts reports first West Nile virus case in a human this year

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

A woman in her 70s has been infected with West Nile virus in Middlesex County, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health reported Tuesday, marking the state’s first human case of the mosquito-borne disease this year.

“West Nile virus can be a very serious disease, and its presence in mosquitoes remains high right now in Massachusetts,�...Read more

Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group/TNS

Bay Area doctor pursues cure for chronic hepatitis B as prevention falters

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Liver specialist Maurizio Bonacini is in the race for a cure for hepatitis B, one of the world’s most widespread diseases and a top cause of liver cancer around the globe.

“It’s the last frontier,” said Dr. Bonacini, a San Francisco-based clinical researcher who has spent his career studying the chronic version of ...Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

Mayo Clinic Q&A: Reconnect with exercise during cancer treatment

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I've always been active, but after being diagnosed with breast cancer and starting my treatment, I'm a little worried about getting back into my routine. Is it OK to exercise during cancer treatment?

ANSWER: Exercise decreases the risk of developing cancer. Studies have shown there is a 30%- 35% reduction in the risk of breast...Read more

Matt Kile/KFF Health News/TNS

Bill of the Month: An insurer agreed to cover her surgery. A politician's nudge got the bills paid

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

For the most part, Keyanna Jones and her husband thought they knew what to expect when their daughter Chloë had eye surgery last fall.

Even Chloë, who was in kindergarten, had a good understanding of how things would go that day. Before the procedure, a hospital worker gave her a coloring book that explained the steps of the surgery — a ...Read more

Do you have undiagnosed chronic inflammation?

About 29% of U.S. adults have undiagnosed chronic inflammation (another 125 million live with some form of chronic inflammatory disease). That's a lot of hot spots, not to mention cases of autoimmune disorders, cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes, dementia, and certain cancers. That's why it is so important to recognize the (often subtle) ...Read more

 

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