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An Ill Wind Blowing

Health Advice / Scott LaFee /

Those gusty hand dryers installed in public bathrooms are supposed to reduce exposure to microbial menaces, such as disease-causing bacteria that may be lurking on, well, just about everything else.

But maybe not. In a report published in Applied and Environmental Microbiology a few years ago, researchers collected samples of bacterial ...Read more

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Mayo Clinic Minute: Dermatologist explains light therapy for skin

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Dermatologists advise their patients to avoid harmful ultraviolet light, which can cause skin damage, photoaging and skin cancer. But they also may prescribe light therapy to treat certain skin conditions. Light therapy is a treatment that uses different wavelengths of light to treat various skin conditions.

In this Mayo Clinic Minute, Dr. Dawn...Read more

Jardiance Prescription Comes With Too Many Urinary Issues

Health Advice / Keith Roach /

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a 64-year-old male, and my A1C level has been averaging around 7.4% for a number of years. I was diagnosed diabetic at age 54. My doctor has been trying several combinations of drugs over the last couple years to get my A1C below 7%.

I currently am maxed out on 25 mg of Jardiance, 2,000 mg of metformin ER and 14 mg of ...Read more

Sugary beverages up kids' risk of insulin resistance and diabetes

Somewhere around 60% of kids drink at least one sugary beverage, such as soda, lemonade or an energy drink, every day, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That sets them up for serious health challenges down the road. Preliminary research presented at the American Heart Association's Epidemiology and Prevention -- ...Read more

What to do when driving skills decline

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

This is the second half of a two-part series on making decisions about driving as we age.

It’s a simple but unfortunate fact: Driving skills can wane over time.

Eventually, driving can become unsafe for an older driver, their passengers, and others on the road. If you notice a decline in driving abilities in a loved one, or in yourself, what...Read more

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Patients have a right to an observer to prevent sexual misconduct in doctors' offices, new NJ rules say

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

New Jersey is proposing new rules to better protect patients from sexual misconduct in doctors' offices.

The rules would require doctors to confirm that patients have read and understood their right to have another licensed medical professional present as an observer before proceeding with a sensitive examination, including breast, pelvic, ...Read more

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Meningococcal disease on the rise in the US

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

A rise in invasive serogroup Y meningococcal disease has prompted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to issue a health advisory for health care providers.

"Meningococcal disease is a bacterial infection caused by Neisseria meningitidis. About 1 in 10 people are natural carriers of the bacteria, and it can spread to others by sharing...Read more

What you eat could alter your unborn children and grandchildren’s genes and health outcomes

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Within the last century, researchers’ understanding of genetics has undergone a profound transformation.

Genes, regions of DNA that are largely responsible for our physical characteristics, were considered unchanging under the original model of genetics pioneered by biologist Gregor Mendel in 1865. That is, genes were thought to be ...Read more

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Mayo Clinic Minute: Creating an advance directive for your future well-being

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

No one can predict the future, but putting together an advance directive can bring you peace of mind and a plan for your medical care during an emergency or end of life.

Dr. Maisha Robinson, chair of the Palliative Medicine Department at Mayo Clinic in Florida, advises people to have these conversations with family members and loved ones.

"An ...Read more

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Medicare's push to improve chronic care attracts businesses, but not many doctors

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Carrie Lester looks forward to the phone call every Thursday from her doctors’ medical assistant, who asks how she’s doing and if she needs prescription refills. The assistant counsels her on dealing with anxiety and her other health issues.

Lester credits the chats for keeping her out of the hospital and reducing the need for clinic visits...Read more

How to protect your muscle tone as you age

Super-muscle guys like Dwayne Johnson (51) and Arnold Schwarzenegger (76) are able to preserve their muscle strength through the decades. It can seem a bit more challenging for other folks.

It's estimated that, on average, people who aren't physically active lose 3% of their muscle tone every year after middle age. But all you need to do to ...Read more

Eliminating Dairy Products Helps With Eosinophilic Esophagitis

Health Advice / Keith Roach /

DEAR DR. ROACH: After reading your recent column on difficulty swallowing, I wanted to write in about my experience with dysphagia. An endoscopy with dilation and biopsies confirmed that I had eosinophilic esophagitis. My gastroenterologist suggested a one-food elimination diet. I am allergic to the protein in milk, so no dairy products for me...Read more

Cannabis legalization has led to a boom in potent forms of the drug that present new hazards for adolescents

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Eventually, most adults reach a point where we realize we are out of touch with those much younger than us.

Perhaps it is a pop culture reference that sparks the realization. For me, this moment happened when I was in my late 20s and working with adolescents in school settings to help them quit smoking. When other drugs would ...Read more

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Diabetes Quick Fix: Black Bean Burrito with Jicama Sticks

Health Advice / Health Advice /

Black beans, vegetables and whole wheat tortillas come together in this simple vegetarian dinner.

Jicama is a root with a thin tan-colored skin that looks like a turnip. When peeled, it’s crisp and juicy. In Mexico it’s eaten raw, seasoned with a little lemon juice. Once peeled, cut or sliced, it retains its texture and color.

Helpful ...Read more

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'Miracle' weight-loss drugs could have reduced health disparities. Instead they got worse

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

LOS ANGELES -- The American Heart Association calls them "game changers."

Oprah Winfrey says they're "a gift."

Science magazine anointed them the "2023 Breakthrough of the Year."

Americans are most familiar with their brand names: Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, Zepbound. They are the medications that have revolutionized weight loss and raised ...Read more

Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Avian flu outbreak raises a disturbing question: Is our food system built on poop?

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

If it’s true that you are what you eat, then most beef-eating Americans consist of a smattering of poultry feathers, urine, feces, wood chips and chicken saliva, among other food items.

As epidemiologists scramble to figure out how dairy cows throughout the Midwest became infected with a strain of highly pathogenic avian flu— a disease ...Read more

Arielle Zionts/KFF Health News/TNS

Native Americans have shorter life spans. Better health care isn't the only answer

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

HISLE, S.D. — Katherine Goodlow is only 20, but she has experienced enough to know that people around her are dying too young.

Goodlow, a member of the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe, said she’s lost six friends and acquaintances to suicide, two to car crashes, and one to appendicitis. Four of her relatives died in their 30s or 40s, from causes ...Read more

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Ask the Pediatrician: How to manage screen time and temper tantrums

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Are you concerned about the time your child spends on digital devices? If so, you're hardly alone. Many parents and caregivers worry that screen time is taking over their child's day (and night), crowding out other activities they need for good health.

It helps to create a family media plan to set healthy digital habits. You may decide you want...Read more

Deep-fried dangers

Americans are obsessed with fried food -- from Wisconsin's deep-fried cheese curds to Colorado's Rocky Mountain Oysters (actually bulls' testicles). It seems that there's nothing that Americans won't throw into a pot of hot oil. Unfortunately, you're throwing your good health into that pot of trouble, too.

A 2021 review of 17 studies showed ...Read more

Patient Seems Unsure Of ALS Diagnosis

Health Advice / Keith Roach /

DEAR DR. ROACH: My question is about amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). I have been diagnosed with this horrible, debilitating disease and don't know where I am headed. I went to a hospital for a second opinion and additional testing to rule out other possible causes of this numbness. Nary a test was done; the neurologist looked at the ...Read more