ArcaMax

We’re still asking people with COVID to jump through far too many hoops to get their hands on Pfizer Inc.’s Paxlovid.

I experienced the barriers first-hand this month after my mother texted to say that this summer’s COVID wave had finally caught up with her. My first thought was to make sure she quickly started taking the antiviral. You�...Read more

With legalization of cannabis sweeping the nation — Ohio the most recent convert, starting sales of recreational pot in August — use of the drug has been increasing too. With this uptick in use and a widespread acceptance of cannabis, however, also come reports of misuse: Data show cannabis use disorder is more prevalent than ever.

A study ...Read more

Pfizer Inc.’s experimental drug for cancer weight loss was shown to help patients regain weight in a mid-stage study, offering fresh promise for treating the dangerous muscle-wasting condition.

In cancer patients, a syndrome called cachexia causes changes in metabolism and appetite. It can lead to the loss of critical skeletal muscle and fat ...Read more

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — State and federal officials have identified new cases of Avian influenza at three Central Valley dairies as the number of infected cows continues to climb in California.

The virus, known as Avian influenza or H5N1, has made its way across the U.S. since March, striking 14 states and infecting 200 dairy herds.

California ...Read more

WASHINGTON — Eighteen U.S. states have enacted laws that exclude mental health or risk of suicide among the medical reasons a woman can have an abortion.

But women who spoke to CQ Roll Call faced obstacles finding answers on how to treat mental illness during pregnancy even when they were not considering abortion.

The Food and Drug ...Read more

A recent column about breastfeeding brought some varied responses. Dan G. from the Monterey Peninsula writes: “Not sure about humans but with cattle the essential ingredient is colostrum. My parents and I ran a cow/calf operation in central Montana for 20 years. Once the newborn was up and got the colostrum, it was almost indestructible. If ...Read more

When celebrities go public with their diagnoses of cancer or other diseases, they’re often lauded as courageous for raising awareness and making people who share their diagnosis feel less alone. Other times, they’re chastised in the media for setting a bad example.

The latest famous cancer case involves supermodel Elle Macpherson, age 60, ...Read more

LONDON — Menopause affects women all the way to their bones, and that is why building skeletal health is especially important during perimenopause and after menopause, says May Al-Araji, MBChB, a women’s health and family medicine expert at Mayo Clinic Healthcare in London. This is a good time to add strength-training activities such as ...Read more

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — The number of Floridians who died from drugs last year decreased across the state, but one synthetic drug was noticeably on the rise and fentanyl is still the deadliest drug of all, according to a statewide report released this summer.

Both occurrences of and deaths caused by synthetic cathinones increased by over 100%...Read more

One July evening, Allison Rosenthal, D.O., received a flurry of texts with exclamations like, “Yo, my doctor friend is famous!”

“What is going on?” she thought.

She soon learned that her patient, MLB pitcher Liam Hendriks, had just thanked her while accepting ESPN’s Jimmy V Award for Perseverance at the 2023 ESPYs, with more than 2.3...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Thomas VanCott compares his son Jake’s experience with autism to life on a tightrope. Upset the delicate balance and Jake, 18, plunges into frustration, slapping himself and twisting his neck in seemingly painful ways.

Like many families with children on the autism spectrum, Jake’s parents sought treatments beyond ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — For nearly a decade, John Baackes has led L.A. Care Health Plan, a publicly run insurer primarily serving low-income Los Angeles County residents on Medi-Cal. It is by far the largest Medi-Cal plan in the state.

Baackes, 78, who will retire after the end of the year, helped transform L.A. Care into a major market player ...Read more

Mercedes Dodge was raised by first-generation immigrant parents from Peru in a modest home in a rural part of southeastern Texas, where there weren’t many health care providers. Sometimes they had to travel to Houston, over an hour and a half away, to get basic health care.

Partly because of that experience, Dodge became a physician assistant...Read more

CLARKSBURG, Calif. — On a sunny August morning in this agricultural town, before temperatures soared to 103 degrees, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra stood outside the small public library.

He came to talk about the Biden administration’s efforts to protect farmworkers from extreme heat and wildfire smoke, two ...Read more