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Stellantis employees raise health concerns after 5-day office return

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Michigan health and safety regulators inspected Stellantis NV's headquarters in Auburn Hills, Michigan, earlier this year after getting a report that "dozens" of employees in the tower part of the building were suffering from various ailments after returning to the office, records show.

Reported health issues included nose bleeds, migraines, ...Read more

COPD puts people at risk for many other adverse health conditions. AndreyPopov/iStock via Getty Images Plus

More than 140,000 Americans die from COPD each year – here’s why survival depends on more than avoiding smoking

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, caused 141,733 deaths in the United States in 2023 – the latest data that has been reported. That number reflects not just the effects of smoking, but a broader set of medical and social factors that shape who survives.

As of early 2026, COPD remains the fifth-leading cause of death ...Read more

Continuous glucose monitors once required a prescription but can now be purchased over the counter.  Jesus Rodriguez/iStock via Getty Images Plus

Wearable glucose monitors offer real-time data, but for healthy people no guidelines exist to interpret the numbers

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Keeping tabs on blood sugar throughout the day used to be the exclusive domain of people with diabetes. But in 2026, anyone can buy a user-friendly wearable device that provides minute-by-minute readouts on how their glucose levels respond to food and movement.

These glucose numbers are increasingly being tracked by people who are ...Read more

Vaccine mandates in the U.S. military are nearly as old as the country itself. jacoblund/iStock via Getty Images Plus

How the concept of ‘medical freedom’ is reshaping the military’s decades-long stance on the flu vaccine mandate − and endangering troops’ readiness

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

For the first time in almost 80 years, U.S. service members will no longer be mandated to receive the annual influenza vaccine.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the change on April 22, 2026. Citing medical autonomy and religious freedom, he described the requirement as “overly broad and not rational,” telling troops that �...Read more

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Immigration debate, upfront costs are hurdles for hepatitis C bill

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Despite bipartisan agreement on the need for testing and treatment for the life-threatening liver disease hepatitis C, potentially hundreds of thousands of Americans remain untreated or even unaware they’re infected as efforts to expand access to cures have stalled in Congress.

Legislation introduced last year has struggled to gain traction ...Read more

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Deadly liver disease, rooted out elsewhere, retains grip on US

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

​It was hailed as a “triumph of 21st century medicine” — a daily pill that cures a life-threatening liver disease in a matter of weeks with minimal side effects and a success rate of more than 95 percent.

But more than a decade after direct-acting antivirals to cure hepatitis C hit the market, potentially hundreds of thousands of ...Read more

Sarah A. Miller/Idaho Statesman/TNS

After long fight, Idaho Downwinders stricken by cancer can get compensation

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

BOISE, Idaho — Mary Alice Glen was 37 years old when she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1996. Years earlier, her mother died from ovarian cancer. One of her sisters had breast cancer. A brother had colorectal cancer.

In the early 2000s, when Glen was in remission, people in her community in Boise were having recurrences of breast cancer ...Read more

Katheryn Houghton/KFF Health News/TNS

Montana moves ahead with doula pay but warns Medicaid cuts still may come

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Montana officials said they are moving forward with plans to allow Medicaid to pay doulas, reversing a previous statement that budget problems had prompted them to pause the effort to reimburse the birth workers.

But officials warned that all optional Medicaid services are still under review as the state health department looks for cuts to ...Read more

What to know about Gov. Ron DeSantis' push this week to change Florida's vaccine mandates

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The DeSantis administration’s highly publicized plan to eliminate Florida vaccine requirements has, so far, not materialized.

Even a watered-down proposal from lawmakers to make it easier for parents to opt their children out of immunization requirements died earlier this year after the House refused to take it up.

But ...Read more

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Ask the Pediatrician: High and low blood sugar in kids: Signs, causes and how to help

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

All of the cells in our body depend on sugar in our blood -- primarily glucose as the main source of energy. This sugar comes from the foods that we eat. Certain organs in our body also make and store sugar.

The body functions best when it is in balance with the correct amount of glucose in the blood, a condition called euglycemia. In this ...Read more

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At this medical respite, homeless Philadelphians get desperately needed care

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

PHILADELPHIA -- After months of living on the streets, Alexis DiBella felt she had finally turned a corner at the end of last year.

The 31-year-old had just gotten a bed in a women’s shelter. Excited to “dig into life again” after a frigid winter, she brushed off some lingering pain in her feet.

Over a few days, they grew red and swollen...Read more

Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune/TNS

Tufts Medical Center announced new living donor liver transplant program

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Tufts Medical Center has received approval to perform living donor liver transplants effective immediately, the health care provider announced.

“By offering living donor liver transplantation, we are opening new pathways to life-saving care and providing hope to patients with end-stage liver disease who might otherwise face extended — and ...Read more

Weight loss pills aren't a replacement for a healthy diet and lifestyle. JW LTD/Stone via Getty Images

Your body already has a built-in weight loss system that works like Wegovy, Ozempic and Mounjaro – food and your gut microbiome

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Wegovy, Ozempic and Mounjaro are weight loss and diabetes drugs that have made quite a splash in health news. They target regulatory pathways involved in both obesity and diabetes and are widely considered breakthroughs for weight loss and blood sugar control.

But do these drugs point toward a root cause of metabolic disease? What ...Read more

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Mayo Clinic Q&A: What is life like after an organ transplant or donation?

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: A close friend of mine recently received an organ transplant, and another acquaintance is considering becoming a living donor. What is life really like after an organ transplant or donation?

ANSWER: Organ transplantation is often described as a second chance at life, and for many people, that description is accurate. The ...Read more

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Tuberculosis vaccine shows promise as once-fatal disease evades treatment

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

BALTIMORE —Tuberculosis infected more than 8 million people in 2024 — surpassing COVID-19 and marking a record high since 1995 — as a new Johns Hopkins-developed vaccine emerges amid rising antibiotic resistance.

The nasal spray, DNA-based vaccine targets two genes to help the immune system fight drug-tolerant “persisters” that ...Read more

Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times/TNS

New COVID subvariant 'cicada' is on the rise. Here's what you need to know

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

A highly mutated COVID-19 strain is circulating in California — raising concerns that disease activity could rise heading into the summer.

The emergence of the BA.3.2 strain, nicknamed "cicada," comes amid broader uneasiness about COVID vaccination rates among seniors — who are especially susceptible to the virus — and whether complacency...Read more

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New cholesterol guidelines affect patients as young as 9

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

BALTIMORE — Updated for the first time in six years, clinical guidelines for screening and managing cholesterol now recommend earlier screenings — as young as nine years old — for those with a family history of heart disease, among other standards of care.

“Shifting the paradigm toward proactive prevention strategies earlier in life can...Read more

Liz Rymarev/The Dallas Morning News/TNS

Measles exposure reported at Boston Logan Airport

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

BOSTON — A person with measles traveled through Boston Logan Airport on April 13, the Boston Public Health Commission reported, warning exposed unvaccinated individuals to isolate and contact healthcare providers immediately.

“This case of measles underscores the continued importance of obtaining the MMR vaccine,” said Bisola Ojikutu, ...Read more

Air pollution can negatively affect the brain. Jomkwan/iStock via Getty Images Plus

HEPA air purifiers may boost brain power in adults over 40 – new research

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Using an in-home HEPA purifier for one month spurs a small but significant improvement in brain function in adults age 40 and older. That’s the result of a new study we co-authored in the journal Scientific Reports.

HEPA purifiers – HEPA stands for high efficiency particulate air – remove particulate matter from the air. ...Read more

One of rotavirus infection's main symptoms is diarrhea, which can lead to severe dehydration that needs to be treated in the hospital. hxyume/E+ via Getty Images

Rotavirus cases in children are rising – but a highly effective vaccine has slashed hospitalizations from the virus by 80% in 2 decades

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Rotavirus is a highly contagious virus that spreads easily and can make babies and young children very sick. This year, doctors have been seeing more cases earlier in the season than usual.

Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that almost 8 in 100 people tested for rotavirus have the virus. This is only a ...Read more