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9/11 health program staff cuts are 'insulting,' 'un-American': Schumer, Gillibrand

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Federal cuts to the World Trade Center Health Program have resulted in a 23% reduction in the agency’s staffing and could put 9/11 survivors at risk, critics said Tuesday.

New York Sens. Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand have already reached out to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., demanding the “insulting” and...Read more

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Trans minors in Kansas will no longer have access to care after Legislature overrides veto

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Transgender youth in Kansas will soon be prohibited from receiving medically approved gender-affirming care within state borders.

The Kansas House and Senate both voted Tuesday to override Gov. Laura Kelly’s veto of the care ban, capping off a bitter three-year fight over whether trans minors should be allowed access to treatment options that...Read more

Many gluten-free foods are high in calories and sugar, low on fiber and protein, and they cost more − new research

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

U.S. consumers often pay more for gluten-free products, yet these items typically provide less protein and more sugar and calories compared with gluten-containing alternatives. That is the key finding of my new study, published in the journal Plant Foods for Human Nutrition.

This study compared gluten-free products with their gluten-...Read more

Trans people affirmed their gender without medical help in medieval Europe − history shows how identity transcends medicine and law

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Restrictions on medical care for transgender youth assume that without the ability to medically transition, trans people will vanish.

As of 2024, 26 U.S. states have banned gender-affirming care for young people. Less than a month into office, President Donald Trump issued numerous executive orders targeting transgender people, ...Read more

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Mayo Clinic Minute: What high triglycerides mean and why it matters to your heart

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

You may be familiar with high-density, or good cholesterol; low-density lipoproteins (LDL), or bad cholesterol; and their connections to heart health. But what about triglycerides? Often that word gets skimmed over when talking about cholesterol levels.

Dr. Regis Fernandes, a Mayo Clinic cardiologist, says triglycerides provide the body with ...Read more

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Republican states claim zero abortions. A red-state doctor calls that 'ludicrous'

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

In Arkansas, state health officials announced a stunning statistic for 2023: The total number of abortions in the state, where some 1.5 million women live, was zero.

In South Dakota, too, official records show zero abortions that year.

And in Idaho, home to abortion battles that have recently made their way to the U.S. Supreme Court, the ...Read more

Colorado has “very high” flu activity but not as bad as the rest of the country

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

DENVER — The flu is widespread in Colorado, but the virus hasn’t hit the state nearly as hard as some others.

Nationwide, confirmed flu hospitalizations and outpatient visits for flu-like illnesses both hit their highest levels since at least 2009. In California, hospitals have struggled with an influx of severely ill flu patients, and some...Read more

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Top California Democrats clash over how to rein in drug industry middlemen

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

California Gov. Gavin Newsom and state legislators in Sacramento seem to agree: Prescription drug prices are too high. But lawmakers and the second-term governor are at odds over what to do about it, and a recent proposal could trigger one of the biggest health care battles in Sacramento this year.

A California bill awaiting its first hearing ...Read more

Daniel Chang/KFF Health News/TNS

Doctor wanted: Small town offers big perks to attract a physician

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

HAVANA, Fla. — For a rural community, this town of 1,750 people has been more fortunate than most. A family doctor has practiced here for the last 30 years.

But that ended in December when Mark Newberry retired. To attract a new doctor, Havana leaders took out want ads in local newspapers, posted notices on social media, and sweetened the pot...Read more

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Ask the Pediatrician: Safety during power outages

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

When the power goes out, it can throw off all of your family's normal routines. If the power failure is in winter, the danger of extreme cold can add to the problem. Younger children—especially infants—are at risk for hypothermia. But alternative sources of heat can pose hazards. So how can you keep your kids warm—and safe—without power?...Read more

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Mayo Clinic Minute: Help for a sinus infection

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

If you catch a cold or upper respiratory infection and it lingers long enough, it may turn into a sinus infection known as sinusitis. Symptoms can include a runny nose and nasal congestion accompanied by pain, swelling, and pressure around the eyes, nose, cheeks or forehead that gets worse when bending over.

A sinus infection is inflammation ...Read more

Pennsylvania woman undergoes rare brain surgery to halt seizures

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Sitting at her dining room table, Brooke Ripper smiles as she talks about her dreams of traveling to Italy, Greece or "somewhere tropical," her classes at Point Park College and the antics of her naughty orange kitten, Archie.

Seemingly drawn by his name, 4-month-old Archie jumps into her lap, his gaze lasering in on the cupcakes on display ...Read more

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Expert explains how to improve heart health, even if your family has history of heart conditions

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

ROCHESTER, Minn. — It’s not unusual to have one or more family members with some form of heart disease. Nonetheless, some people may not even know they have heart disease until they experience a heart attack or stroke or are diagnosed with heart failure.

Despite the prevalence of heart disease, many people are still unclear about how ...Read more

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New survey reveals our confusion on heart health. Here are the supplements and meds that work

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Does fish oil truly improve heart health? How about aspirin or statins?

A newly released Cleveland Clinic online survey of 251 Florida adults found that many don’t know what can harm or improve their heart health.

While 72% of Floridians are aware that stress can negatively impact heart health, about two in five do not recognize that alcohol...Read more

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Woman hospitalized in Wyoming with H5N1 bird blu

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

LOS ANGELES — A woman in Wyoming was hospitalized with H5N1 bird flu, according to health officials who say she was likely infected by handling sickened birds in a backyard flock.

According to a statement from Wyoming's public health department, the woman is "an older adult" and has "other health conditions," which may have made her more ...Read more

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Flu cases up due to lagging vaccinations and better tests

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

ATLANTA — Flu season is well underway, and metro Atlanta hasn’t been spared.

Cases remain high, according to data from the Georgia Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But metro Atlanta doctors say it’s not too late to get vaccinated against influenza. For those who feel the flu coming on, antiviral ...Read more

Juliana Yamada/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Thousands of University of California healthcare, research employees vote to authorize strike

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Thousands of University of California healthcare, research and technical employees voted to authorize a strike, citing what they described as systemic and ongoing staffing shortages that erode patient care and hurt research operations.

The strike authorization comes amid strained negotiations between the university and University Professional...Read more

Parents can soon use QR codes to reveal heavy metal content in baby food

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Parents across the U.S. should soon be able to determine how much lead, arsenic, cadmium and mercury are in the food they feed their babies, thanks to a California law, the first of its kind, that took effect this year.

As of Jan. 1, 2025, every company that sells baby food products in California is required to test for these four ...Read more

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Health care provider bankruptcy may stick rural Georgia with state prisoners' medical bills

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

ATLANTA — Macon State Prison has become one of the bloodiest correctional facilities in Georgia, and no one knows that better than the men and woman who work for Macon County EMS.

As the violence at the prison just south of Oglethorpe has intensified, so, too, have the calls for ambulance service. And because of those calls, the county now ...Read more

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How a lung doctor copes with health threats from the California wildfire that took his home

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

The morning of Jan. 7, Dr. Reza Ronaghi and his wife, Nasim, left their home in California's Pacific Palisades with the clothes on their backs and work on their minds. They'd been putting in a lot of hours – he as a pulmonologist, she as a pediatric dentist – so they left Harlow, their fluffy Havanese, at doggie daycare. It was just another ...Read more