Health Advice
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Hopkins study: Regular vaccine boosts may help immunocompromised people fight COVID
BALTIMORE — For people who are the most susceptible to the damaging effects of the coronavirus, regular booster doses of a bivalent COVID-19 vaccine can help them fight the virus, according to a new Johns Hopkins Medicine study.
In the study, published Tuesday in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases, Hopkins researchers worked with 76 ...Read more
Mayo Clinic Minute: Know your status: The importance of HIV testing
It's not making major news headlines like in the '80s, but HIV remains a significant health concern. About 38 million people are living with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, according to the World Health Organization.
It's important to get tested and know your HIV status. Knowing your HIV status helps you choose options to stay healthy.
Dr. ...Read more
How to improve communication with a loved one who has aphasia
Imagine being dropped off in a country where you aren't fluent in the local language Even when the native speakers speak slowly, you may understand only portions of what's being said. This is similar to how someone with aphasia may feel every day.
Aphasia is an impairment of language that may affect ability a person's ability to speak, ...Read more
Chorus or cacophony? Cicada song hits some ears harder than others
ST. LOUIS — Shhhooo. Wee-uuu. Chick, chick, chick. That’s the sound of three different cicada species. For some people, those sounds are the song of the summer. Others wish the insects would turn it down. The cacophony can be especially irritating for people on the autism spectrum who have hearing sensitivity.
Warren Rickly, 14, lives in ...Read more
Rate of young women getting sterilized doubled after Roe was overturned
HELENA, Mont. — Sophia Ferst remembers her reaction to learning that the Supreme Court had overturned Roe v. Wade: She needed to get sterilized.
Within a week, she asked her provider about getting the procedure done.
Ferst, 28, said she has always known she doesn’t want kids. She also worries about getting pregnant as the result of a ...Read more
Dengue fever confirmed in Florida Keys as US on watch for rise in mosquito illness
MIAMI — Two people have fallen ill with dengue fever in the Florida Keys after being bit by infected mosquitoes, prompting health officials to issue an alert for the island chain.
The alert comes just days after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a health advisory warning of an increased risk of dengue infections in ...Read more
The Supreme Court just limited federal power. Health care is feeling the shockwaves
A landmark Supreme Court decision that reins in federal agencies’ authority is expected to hold dramatic consequences for the nation’s health care system, calling into question government rules on anything from consumer protections for patients to drug safety to nursing home care.
The June 28 decision overturns a 1984 precedent that said ...Read more
Ready to Run: Mayo physician (and runner) suggests ways to beat the heat while running
MANKATO, Minn. — The heat is on, especially across the South, Southeast and portions of the plains. The National Weather Service has issued several heat and excessive heat advisories. When summer goes from warm to hot, exercising could become risky — unless you're prepared.
"Staying active, even exercising in hot weather, can be done safely...Read more
Closing of rural hospitals leaves towns with unhealthy real estate
JELLICO, Tenn. — In March 2021, this town of about 2,000 residents in the hills of east Tennessee lost its hospital, a 54-bed acute care facility. Campbell County, where Jellico is located, ranks 90th of Tennessee’s 95 counties in health outcomes and has a poverty rate almost double the national average, so losing its health care cornerstone...Read more
Bill of the month: It's called an urgent care emergency center -- but which is it?
One evening last December, Tieqiao Zhang felt severe stomach pain.
After it subsided later that night, he thought it might be food poisoning. When the pain returned the next morning, Zhang realized the source of his pain might not be as “simple as bad food.”
He didn’t want to wait for an appointment with his regular doctor, but he also ...Read more
Error in new lung transplant algorithm harmed sick and dying patients
The new algorithm was supposed to help distribute lungs more fairly to people who desperately needed life-saving transplants.
But a flaw in the process for awarding the organs to sick and dying patients meant some people didn’t receive the care they were entitled to, the Chicago Tribune has learned.
Specifically, patients with type O blood ...Read more
Depression therapy has magnetic appeal across Minnesota
A magnetic therapy for persistent depression is in such demand in the Twin Cities that Allina Health has doubled its capacity with the opening of a new mental health center in Fridley, Minnesota.
While antidepressant medications and talk therapy are still the first options, Allina psychiatrist Dr. Bennett Poss said alternatives are needed for ...Read more
Health officials warn of potential measles exposure from 'international traveler' in Boston
BOSTON — An “international visitor” who used public transportation to travel through Boston to Amsterdam earlier this month was diagnosed with measles, prompting local public health officials to warn residents that the person could have exposed others to the virus.
Measles is more easily spread than almost any other disease and the virus ...Read more
2 medications from 1 manufacturer recalled for a failure that can cause heart attacks
A total of 135 batches of potassium chloride capsules have been recalled because the extended release capsules might not release.
Here’s what you need to know
—What’s been recalled?
Glenmark Laboratories recalled 114 batches of 750 mg Potassium Chloride Extended-Release Capsules in bottles of 100 (NDC No. 68462-357-01) and 500 (NDC No. ...Read more
Signs of avian flu found in San Francisco wastewater
LOS ANGELES — Signs of H5N1 bird flu virus have been detected at three wastewater sites in California’s Bay Area, according to sampling data.
While positive wastewater samples have been found in seven other states, California is the only one that has yet to report a bird flu outbreak in a herd of dairy cows.
Genetic evidence of bird flu ...Read more
How a San Diego doctor led the antiabortion movement to embrace controversial pill 'reversal'
Two months before the U.S. Supreme Court shot down an attempt to ban abortion medication, a San Diego County doctor who was a plaintiff in the case stepped onto a stage in Texas and warned that another civil war is coming — this time over an issue "deeper than" slavery.
"This is life versus death, much more fundamental to our existence and to...Read more
Battleground Wisconsin: Voters feel nickel-and-dimed by health care costs
BIRNAMWOOD, Wis. — The land of fried cheese curds and the Green Bay Packers is among a half-dozen battleground states that could determine the outcome of the expected November rematch between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump — a contest in which the cost and availability of health care are emerging as defining issues.
...Read more
Is bird flu in cattle here to stay?
Despite assurances from the federal government that bird flu will be eradicated from the nation’s dairy cows, some experts worry the disease is here to stay.
Recently, Eric Deeble, USDA acting senior advisor for H5N1 response, said that the federal government hoped to “eliminate the disease from the dairy herd” without requiring vaccines....Read more
$2 million disbursed to victims and community groups in wake of Super Bowl mass shooting
Surprised. Blessed. Overwhelmed. Already gone.
Those were reactions from some of the 20 gunshot victims from the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl parade shootings who were awarded $1.2 million from the #KCStrong fund on Thursday, with individuals receiving payments ranging from $22,000 to $100,000.
Chris Rosson, president and CEO of the United ...Read more
Ask the Pediatrician: Tips for Fourth of July fireworks safety
On any other day of the year, would you hand your child matches or a flaming candle to play with? Probably, a hard no.
You work so hard all year long to keep your child safe. Don't let the Fourth of July mess with your common sense.
Lighting fireworks in the backyard or nearby field might seem like a festive way to entertain the kids. However,...Read more
Popular Stories
- How to improve communication with a loved one who has aphasia
- Chorus or cacophony? Cicada song hits some ears harder than others
- Mayo Clinic Minute: Know your status: The importance of HIV testing
- Rate of young women getting sterilized doubled after Roe was overturned
- Dengue fever confirmed in Florida Keys as US on watch for rise in mosquito illness