Health Advice
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Many more Denver teens have experienced homelessness than official counts show
Denver saw an increase in youth homelessness from 10% to 25% between 2017 and 2021, according to our study recently published in the peer-reviewed journal “Pediatrics.”
We are two physicians whose clinical work and research focuses on the social causes of health and disease. In particular, we’ve seen firsthand how housing ...Read more

How the hidden epidemic of violence against nurses affects health care
“Violence is just part of the job. Every nurse and health care worker experiences it at some point.”
Sentiments like this echo across American hospitals and health care facilities, capturing a disturbing and growing reality. Though Americans think of nursing as the most trusted profession, we often fail to see that it’s also one...Read more

Psychological screenings are vital to maternal heart health, report says
Comprehensive mental health screenings should be considered an essential part of maternal cardiovascular care, a new report says.
Identifying and treating depression, anxiety and other psychological health conditions – and their risk factors – during pregnancy and up to a year afterward may improve the short- and long-term health of both ...Read more

Mayo Clinic Minute: Managing respiratory illness at home
According to U.S. health officials, the number of acute respiratory illnesses causing people to seek medical care remains at a high level. Seasonal influenza activity, in particular, remains elevated across the country.
If you or a family member has the flu or other respiratory infection, Dr. Tina Ardon, a Mayo Clinic family medicine physician,...Read more

Georgia moves to ban medical treatments for transgender minors
ATLANTA — Two years after assuring parents of transgender children that legislation passed in 2023 to ban certain procedures to assist minors in their gender transition was “just a pause,” Republican senators voted Monday to restrict more treatments available to children.
The legislation, sponsored by Senate Health and Human Services ...Read more

Vaccine critic RFK Jr. backs measles shot amid deadly Texas outbreak
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. publicly backed the measles vaccine Sunday amid an outbreak of the disease in Texas that has already killed one child.
The 71-year-old vaccine skeptic had previously criticized the immunization and called the outbreak “not unusual” last week, even though the child was the first person to die from ...Read more

Get caught up on measles shots before spring break, epidemiologist says
DENVER — Upcoming spring break trips will give the current measles outbreak in Texas and New Mexico a chance to grow, making it particularly important for people who are behind on their shots to catch up now, Colorado’s state epidemiologist said.
“We are seeing a concerning increase in measles cases across the country, including in states...Read more

What do I do with expired medicine? Don’t use it, for a start…
When last did a headache have you reaching into your medicine cabinet – and finding a bottle of aspirin that expired three years ago? Did you take it anyway? And, if you decided instead to get rid of those out-of-date painkillers, how did you do it? If you chose to throw it in the garbage or flush it down the toilet, you’re far from alone...Read more

GOP lawmakers commit to big spending cuts, putting Medicaid under a spotlight – but trimming the low-income health insurance program would be hard
Efforts by Republicans in Congress to make steep spending cuts have stirred widespread concerns that the federal government may trim expenditures on Medicaid even though President Donald Trump has previously indicated that he’s unwilling to do that. This public health insurance program covers around 72 million people – about 1 in 5 ...Read more

Ask the Pediatrician: How to protect your children during a measles outbreak
Ongoing measles outbreaks and the recent death of a child in West Texas from measles have many parents concerned. Most of the people who have gotten sick were not vaccinated against measles. This is a stark reminder of the importance of making sure your children are fully vaccinated.
In recent years, some parents have refused or delayed ...Read more

Republicans once wanted government out of health care. Trump voters see it differently
Like many Americans who voted for Donald Trump, Jason Rouse hopes the president’s return will mean lower prices for gas, groceries and other essentials.
But Rouse is looking to the federal government for relief from one particular pain point: high health care costs. “The prices are just ridiculous,” said Rouse, 53, a retired Michigan ...Read more

New answers to questions about sports safety and heart issues
Experts have new advice for athletes with heart conditions – and on how doctors and patients should work together to weigh the risks of competitive sports.
Cardiovascular abnormalities usually disqualify people from competitive sports. But a new report from the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology summarizes ...Read more

Ultra-processed foods are everywhere. How bad are they?
PITTSBURGH — Scan any aisle in a convenience or grocery store, and those brightly packaged, bold lettered, sweet-and-salty options are likely to be ultra-processed.
The term has been in the news a lot lately, as there's evidence that these foods are linked to chronic diseases such as diabetes, obesity, cancer and autoimmune diseases, such as ...Read more

Future of cancer coverage for women federal firefighters uncertain under Trump
It took nearly three years to win presumptive workers’ compensation coverage for breast, cervical, and other cancers that firefighters who work for federal agencies may develop because of hazardous exposures on the job.
Now, just weeks after the Labor Department added coverage for those illnesses, firefighters worry the gains may be in ...Read more

Five years post-COVID pandemic, are we ready for the next one?
Five years ago, on a late Monday evening in March, Gov. Brian Kemp and his top health aides hastily called a news conference at the Capitol to make an announcement that would touch every person in Georgia.
The Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had just confirmed Georgia’s first cases of the new and mysterious disease �...Read more

Q&A with Barbara Ferrer: LA County Public Health braces for impact under Trump
As President Donald Trump vows to rein in government spending and saddle federal money with new restrictions, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health has a lot at stake — including about $1 billion in federal grants, according to its director, Barbara Ferrer.
Federal grants make up roughly two-thirds of its budget, funding efforts ...Read more

A measles case confirmed in Montgomery County is Pa's first in 2025, the CDC says
PHILADELPHIA — A patient who came to a hospital emergency room in Montgomery County is Pennsylvania’s first confirmed measles case this year amid a national surge of the highly contagious virus, according to health officials.
According to the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services Office of Public Health, an infected ...Read more

As Texas outbreak grows, California's measles vaccination rate struggles to recover after pandemic
SAN JOSE, Calif. — As a measles outbreak erupts in Texas and New Mexico, vaccination rates for the highly contagious disease have struggled to recover in California since they dipped to worrisome levels during the pandemic.
The outbreak of at least 146 cases and counting in Texas and 9 in New Mexico has also led to 20 hospitalizations and the...Read more
Africa relies too heavily on foreign aid for health – 4 ways to fix this
There’s been a global trend in the reduction of aid to Africa since 2018. Donors are shifting their funding priorities in response to domestic and international agendas. Germany, France and Norway, for instance, have all reduced their aid to Africa in the past five years. And, in 2020, the UK government reduced its Overseas Development Aid ...Read more

Vaccination rates are declining. They might get worse as states relax rules
More states are loosening vaccine mandates, scaling back vaccine promotion efforts and taking other steps likely to lower vaccination rates — even as a major measles outbreak spreads in Texas.
Meanwhile, public health experts worry that the confirmation of vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and...Read more
Popular Stories
- What do I do with expired medicine? Don’t use it, for a start…
- Vaccine critic RFK Jr. backs measles shot amid deadly Texas outbreak
- Many more Denver teens have experienced homelessness than official counts show
- Mayo Clinic Minute: Managing respiratory illness at home
- Psychological screenings are vital to maternal heart health, report says