When planning for retirement, state taxes on your 401(k), pension, and Social Security benefits should be part of your strategy.

Yet while some states offer no retirement taxes on any of these sources, a zero-percent tax rate can lose its shine if you can’t get a doctor’s appointment when you need one.

After all, an average 65-year-old ...Read more

As wellness trends increasingly emphasize “natural” living, a controversial practice known as drinking “raw water” has gained attention. Proponents describe raw water as untreated, unfiltered water collected directly from natural sources such as springs, streams or wells. Advocates claim it is more “alive,” mineral-rich, and free ...Read more

Q: My doctor just ordered an MRI scan with contrast dye. Is the dye safe?

A: Yes, MRI contrast dye is generally considered safe for most people.

Typically made with metal called gadolinium and injected intravenously, contrast dye is used in up to 45% of the 40 million MRI procedures done each year in the United States. It works by magnetically...Read more

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: My dad’s favorite band is playing at a music festival this summer. I’d love to take him, but he has a heart condition. I know it could be kind of intense. Do you have any tips for making the experience safe for him?

ANSWER: Festivals can be surprisingly physically demanding. Hours spent standing, walking or dancing can put...Read more

The next foodborne illness outbreak could be much worse.

That’s the concern of food safety leaders across the U.S. who are raising alarms over federal cuts they say have made it harder to detect and stop the spread of foodborne illnesses, such as the recent outbreaks of cyclospora, which has sickened thousands in dozens of states. And they’...Read more

DENVER — A public health study found that Colorado children living within eight miles of an oil and gas well had an increased risk of developing leukemia, and the study’s authors determined current setbacks between well sites and houses may not be enough to protect kids.

The study, published in May 2025, sounded an alarm for communities ...Read more

This isn’t just a bad year for measles. It looks to be the start of a bad era. Confirmed measles cases just hit a 35-year high, and it’s only July. Together with last year, the number of cases has exceeded the combined total over the previous 25 years. The vast majority of cases stem from domestic outbreaks fueled by low rates of vaccination...Read more

BALTIMORE — A warming Chesapeake Bay may mean more days of swimming, but it brings a greater threat from a flesh-eating bacterium that thrives as the mercury rises.

Last year, the health department reported 11 deaths from Vibrio fulnificus — the so-called flesh-eating strain — including an outbreak tied to a Wicomico County crab feast. ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — As Pennsylvania grapples with a measles outbreak that has sickened 130 residents, state health officials are recommending some parents vaccinate young children early to provide extra protection against the highly contagious disease.

Children as young as 6 months who live in or whose parents plan travel to affected counties ...Read more

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear is urging Sen. Mitch McConnell to either release more details on his health condition or resign from office.

In a letter sent to McConnell’s office Monday and obtained by the Herald-Leader, Beshear called for McConnell to “directly and verbally address the people of Kentucky and provide proof of your capacity to ...Read more

DETROIT — The number of cyclosporiasis cases reported in Michigan since the outbreak began in late June rose to 9,680 on Tuesday, a 5% increase over Monday's total.

Health officials continue to investigate the state's worst-ever outbreak of the parasitic illness, which usually only affects around 50 people each year. As of Thursday, 160 ...Read more

As you may have seen in news headlines or social media memes, there’s explosive diarrhea going around. Understanding how the immune system responds to the parasite that causes the unfortunate disease called cyclosporiasis can help explain why the infection is mild in some people but can cause severe or long-lasting illness in others.

<...Read more

A tiny federal agency tasked with protecting the public from injuries caused by lawn mowers and coffeemakers is demanding that some of the nation’s biggest health systems turn over detailed, personally identifiable medical records of all patients who seek help at their emergency rooms.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission, responsible for ...Read more

THOMASVILLE, Ga. — As Earl Williams drove through a historic Black neighborhood known as Dewey City in his hometown, he hardly recognized what he saw.

Homes that once belonged to friends, family, and neighbors had siding covered in mold. Some were boarded up. Others had holes in their roofs.

Black churches once used Oquina Creek, which runs ...Read more

Pennsylvania tallied more than two dozen new cases of measles in the last week, including several in the Philadelphia region.

In Chester County, health officials confirmed 13 cases in the suburban Philadelphia county since April, with seven identified since Monday.

The rising counts come as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ...Read more

California House Republicans are asking the Trump administration to prevent Democratic state leaders from implementing a new tax on health insurers.

Six House members, including Reps. Kevin Kiley, I-Rocklin, and James Gallagher, R-Yuba City, sent a letter Friday to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — When Robert Barclay’s two daughters moved from Africa to live with him in Delaware County, getting them up-to-date on their vaccines was top of his list.

His daughters, 14-year-old Albertine and 20-year-old Ruth, were among the first clients at Delaware County Health Department’s new mobile clinic, which launched earlier ...Read more

Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to CuriousKidsUS@theconversation.com.

What makes the cells of the muscles contract? – Samarth, age 13, India

Muscles are amazing. They’re what let you strum a guitar, kick a soccer ball and high-five your ...Read more