Retirement: It’s that time when you should be able to kick back, relax and finally enjoy the fruits of your hard work. But let’s be honest — one of the biggest worries retirees face is the rising cost of health care. Medical expenses aren’t slowing down, and if you’re not prepared, they can hit you like a ton of bricks.

Take David and...Read more

Q: Can alcohol fit into a healthy eating plan?

A: Alcohol can be part of a healthy eating pattern when consumed appropriately. According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, moderate drinking is defined as up to one drink per day for women and up to two drinks per day for men. A standard drink is typically 5 ounces of wine, 12 ounces of ...Read more

Eating healthy isn’t always easy. Eating a diet rich in vegetables helps provide the necessary vitamins and minerals to keep our bodies healthy, but doing so can be difficult when vegetables are expensive, out of season, or quick to spoil in the fridge. To combat this, many experts recommend using frozen vegetables instead, which can actually ...Read more

Sexual violence occurs throughout the world. A simple definition is any sexual act for which consent is not obtained or freely given, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Rape, sexual coercion, and unwanted sexual contact are a few examples.

While many people heal fully in time, traumatic events like these may ...Read more

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: My sister was just diagnosed with breast cancer and will have a double mastectomy. What types of reconstruction could she have, and when can the reconstruction be done? Are there any new reconstruction options that she should be aware of? I’ve heard about 3D tattooing. Is that an option?

ANSWER: Breast reconstruction is a ...Read more

In adults under age 50, strokes caused by clots are on the rise – and many happen without a clear link to a traditional cause such as high blood pressure. A new study suggests the underlying reason for these unexplained, or cryptogenic, strokes could hinge in part on whether someone has a type of hole between the upper chambers of the heart. ...Read more

Getty Images According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 700 confirmed measles cases have been reported in at least 25 states as of mid-April — and that number continues to grow. Most cases are among people who are unvaccinated, have an unknown vaccination status or are children. The highly contagious disease ...Read more

Janelle Zeihen worried she’d have to file for bankruptcy after learning she owed $250,000 for her Crohn’s disease treatment.

The Milwaukee nursing home worker thought her insurance was covering the infusions as part of a complex arrangement. Through a middleman, her benefit plan was trying to use a charity program to get her the medication...Read more

DAVIS, Calif. -- For weeks, no one could tell Dr. Charles DeCarli whether the $53 million grant powering his lab’s ambitious dementia research project would be renewed.

“It was horrible,” the neurologist said. “It was really hard to face the potential of losing all of it, the money, everything I’d worked so hard for.”

Then came the...Read more

Even by rural hospital standards, Keokuk County Hospital and Clinics in southeastern Iowa is small.

The 14-bed hospital, in Sigourney, doesn’t do surgeries or deliver babies. The small 24-hour emergency room is overseen by two full-time doctors.

CEO Matt Ives wants to hire a third doctor, but he said finding physicians for a rural area has ...Read more

WASHINGTON — A looming Supreme Court decision could result in Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. wielding more control over the body that recommends preventive health services insurers must fully cover — a possibility that alarms health advocates.

The Supreme Court heard arguments Monday in Kennedy v. Braidwood ...Read more

When it comes to healthy sleep, it's not just how long a person is at rest that matters. Other factors, such as how long it takes to fall asleep, keeping a regular sleep schedule and the overall satisfaction with sleep, can all affect heart and brain health, according to a new science report.

The report summarizes the latest evidence on the ...Read more

As Republicans in Congress consider cutting the federal share of Medicaid funding, states are weighing numerous options to scale back their programs. But voters in three states have significantly limited those options by enshrining Medicaid expansion in their constitutions — creating a potential budget disaster and a political challenge for ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Sebastien Lagree would like to make one thing clear: "This. Is. Not. Pilates."

The global fitness entrepreneur is talking about the Lagree Method, his patented workout. You may be familiar: About 50 SoCal studios currently license rights to use Lagree equipment, many of which are in Los Angeles. Their door shingles boast his ...Read more

Becoming an organ donor is one of the most meaningful decisions you can make, offering the chance to save lives — whether after death or as a living donor. It is the ultimate gift, providing hope to those waiting for a second chance at life.

Recent advancements in transplantation are improving organ availability and helping patients, but more...Read more

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court appeared ready during oral arguments Monday to uphold a nationwide preventive care coverage mandate created by the 2010 health care law, in a challenge from a group of Texas businesses objecting to coverage for an HIV preventive drug.

Several key justices questioned the reasoning behind a decision by the U.S. ...Read more

DENVER — Three months after Colorado’s first-of-its-kind sperm donor regulations went into effect, state lawmakers are weighing whether to unwind some of those requirements amid concerns that the new rules have chilled donations for would-be parents who need them.

But the proposal, House Bill 1259, is opposed by the former legislator who ...Read more

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: My mom recently sat us down at the dinner table to talk about her wishes if something were to happen to her. She says we should all have advance directives made, but I feel like I'm too young to think about that. Who should have an advance directive? And what goes into it?

ANSWER: Kudos to your family for having those ...Read more

If you or someone you know may be experiencing a mental health crisis, contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by dialing or texting “988.”

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Overcome by worries, Lynette Isbell dialed a mental health hotline in April 2022. She wanted to talk to someone about her midlife troubles: divorce, an empty nest, and the demands of caring for ...Read more

You're having chest pain, or you fear that your spouse is having a stroke – and you're thinking of just driving to a hospital instead of calling 911.

What do emergency department doctors think of that plan?

"I think it would be an extraordinarily rare situation where that's a good idea," said Dr. Eric Isaacs, director of the age-friendly ...Read more