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Cities, states say they'll need more help to replace millions of lead pipes

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

A new federal rule will require water utilities across the country to pull millions of lead drinking water pipes out of the ground and replace them, at a cost of billions of dollars.

States, cities and water utilities agree that the lead pipes need to go to ensure safe water for residents. But they say they may struggle to do so in the 10-year ...Read more

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Mayo Clinic Q and A: Tips for living with COPD

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I was diagnosed with COPD last year after struggling with multiple symptoms. I quit smoking over 10 years ago, but I'm dealing with the effects of it now. How can I best manage the symptoms and live as fully as possible with this condition?

ANSWER: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, is a leading cause of ...Read more

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Political stress: Can you stay engaged without sacrificing your mental health?

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

It's been two weeks since Donald Trump won the presidential election, but Stacey Lamirand's brain hasn't stopped churning.

"I still think about the election all the time," said the 60-year-old Bay Area resident, who wanted a Kamala Harris victory so badly that she flew to Pennsylvania and knocked on voters' doors in the final days of the ...Read more

(Eric Harkleroad/KFF Health News)/KFF HEALTH/TNS

Social Security tackles overpayment 'injustices,' but problems remain

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

In March, newly installed Social Security chief Martin O’Malley criticized agency “injustices” that “shock our shared sense of equity and good conscience as Americans.”

He promised to overhaul the Social Security Administration’s often heavy-handed efforts to claw back money that millions of recipients — including people who are ...Read more

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Bottoms up: Alcohol-mimicking drug could help laryngeal dystonia patients like Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

BOSTON — Imagine your doctor prescribing you a shot of vodka or whiskey to bring you some relief.

Well, a new study out of Boston shows the promise of an alcohol-mimicking drug for patients with the debilitating neurological voice disorder, laryngeal dystonia (LD).

The researchers from Mass Eye and Ear found that an oral medication, sodium ...Read more

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Georgia lawmakers consider funding research on how psychedelics might help veterans

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

ATLANTA — A bipartisan panel of Georgia lawmakers on Wednesday endorsed a plan recommending the state spend up to $5 million studying the effects of ecstasy, psychedelic mushrooms and other mind-altering drugs on mental health treatments for military veterans.

The proposal was one of 16 recommendations from the Senate Study Committee on ...Read more

Transplant at Mayo Clinic replaces 85% of patient's face after more than 50 hours of surgery

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

MINNEAPOLIS -- March 5 had been a day of dread for the Pfaff family since 2014, when Lisa and Jerry found their 19-year-old son, Derek, bleeding in the snow from a self-inflicted gunshot wound that ripped away his face.

Not this year.

After 58 surgeries that kept him alive but disfigured, Pfaff underwent a transplant at Mayo Clinic in February...Read more

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Traveling for the holidays? Georgia flu cases are rising

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

ATLANTA — By now, it should be a habit for most people: If it’s time to buy a turkey or plan holiday travel, it’s time to think about the uninvited guests: holiday viruses.

The good news this year is that rates of COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations have been steadily declining to some of the lowest levels of the year. However, flu ...Read more

How to use a dependent care FSA to lower child care costs

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

For many parents of young children, child care represents one of the largest items on their household budget. The average cost of child care was more than $11,500 in 2023, according to an analysis by Child Care Aware, a nationwide network of child care referral agencies. In some high-cost cities, parents are spending more on child care than they...Read more

Environmental Nutrition: Oatmeal and hot breakfast cups

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

On a cool morning, a hot breakfast is a cozy way to start the day. But the time to prepare one isn’t always available. Oatmeal and cereal-to-go cups allow for the best of both worlds — steamy breakfast in a matter of minutes. In addition, starting the day with oatmeal can fuel your morning with a head start on your daily fiber, protein, ...Read more

Health benefits of turkey

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Turkey is a centerpiece for many holiday meals. The turkey, scientifically known as Meleagris gallopavo, is a large bird native to North America. However, its popularity extends worldwide, as its meat is highly nutritious and contains many essential vitamins and minerals.

Turkey provides the amino acids necessary for muscle growth and repair, ...Read more

Harvard Health: Is there a good side to drug side effects?

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Drug side effects are common, and often quite troublesome.

Major side effects, such as severe or even life-threatening allergic reactions, require immediate treatment and discontinuation of the drug. More minor symptoms may be tolerable when weighed against drug benefits. And sometimes, these go away on their own as the body gets used to the ...Read more

Mayo Clinic Q&A: Work with your hands? Watch out for carpal tunnel syndrome: hed ...

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I’m a homebuilder and have begun experiencing numbness and tingling in my hands. Sometimes I drop things because I can’t get a good grip. A friend suggested I might have carpal tunnel syndrome. But doesn’t that mostly affect people who use computers all day? Can you explain more about the condition?

ANSWER: Working with ...Read more

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Mayo Clinic Q&A: Cholesterol -- know your numbers

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I am in my 30s and overweight, but I thought I was too young to worry about cholesterol. I just learned my cholesterol is high. I know diet and exercise are important. Do I need medication?

ANSWER: Cholesterol is a type of fat in our blood. Our bodies need a small amount of cholesterol to build the structure of cell membranes,...Read more

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Does fluoride cause cancer, IQ loss, and more? Fact-checking Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s claims

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming administration could try to remove fluoride from drinking water, according to Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Kennedy, who was tapped last week by Trump to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, called fluoride an “industrial waste” and linked it to cancer and other diseases and disorders while ...Read more

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Nationwide IV fluid shortage could change how hospitals manage patient hydration

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Hospitals around the country are conserving critical intravenous fluid supplies to cope with a shortage that may last months. Some hospital administrators say they are changing how they think about IV fluid hydration altogether.

Hurricane Helene, which hit North Carolina in September, wrecked a Baxter International facility that produces 60% of...Read more

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Pay first, deliver later: Some women are being asked to prepay for their baby

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

In April, just 12 weeks into her pregnancy, Kathleen Clark was standing at the receptionist window of her OB-GYN’s office when she was asked to pay $960, the total the office estimated she would owe after she delivered.

Clark, 39, was shocked that she was asked to pay that amount during this second prenatal visit. Normally, patients receive ...Read more

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A more severe form of mpox has been reported in US

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

The United States has reported its first confirmed case of the more contagious form of mpox, formerly known as monkeypox.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this week issued a health advisory, stating that while the country’s risk for the more severe form of mpox remains low, doctors should be on alert for patients with ...Read more

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Dozens sick with norovirus during monthlong Pacific cruise

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

An outbreak of highly contagious norovirus left 55 passengers and 15 crew members sick during a month-long cruise across the Pacific Ocean.

The Coral Princess, a Princess Cruises vessel, left Singapore on Oct. 17 and headed to Long Beach, Calif. After the outbreak, the healthy crew started enhanced cleaning and disinfection procedures with the ...Read more

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The reality of RSV, who should get vaccinated

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, is something many parents know as a cause of bronchiolitis, but others may not have heard of it until recently. RSV causes infections of the lungs and respiratory tract. It's common in children, but it can also infect adults.

"A very common disease, the most common reason why a child under 5 ends up in the ...Read more