The wildfire smoke that blankets much of the American West each summer is likely more harmful than previously understood, especially to older people, scientists found.

Research announced this week, and led by scientists at the University of Washington, discovered that prolonged exposure to the ultrafine particles in wildfire smoke heightens the...Read more

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Rachel Harrison and Marcell Johnson were elated to have a baby. It would be the first for the couple, who have been together nearly 10 years and were looking forward to starting a family.

In September, when she was a little more than 17 weeks pregnant, Harrison was at home when she felt a gush of fluid. As the couple, ...Read more

Coronavirus cases have been flat locally, likely due to the outsized surge that occurred this past summer, but the flu appears to be ramping up on its traditional trajectory, indicating that the latest spike of cases will be seen in late December and early January.

The latest weekly respiratory virus report from the county health department ...Read more

SAN DIEGO — More than 100 locations nationwide participating in new clinical trials for a drug that shows promise for treating epileptic seizures among patients for whom other medications do not work.

The drug, BHV-7000, activates potassium receptors in the brain in a way that appears to modulate seizures, explained Dr. Taha Gholipour, a ...Read more

SAN DIEGO — More than 100 locations nationwide participating in new clinical trials for a drug that shows promise for treating epileptic seizures among patients for whom other medications do not work.

The drug, BHV-7000, activates potassium receptors in the brain in a way that appears to modulate seizures, explained Dr. Taha Gholipour, a ...Read more

Nearly half of adolescents and three-quarters of adults in the U.S. were classified as being clinically overweight or obese in 2021. The rates have more than doubled compared with 1990.

Without urgent intervention, our study forecasts that more than 80% of adults and close to 60% of adolescents will be classified as overweight or ...Read more

A refreshing beverage is one of life’s simple pleasures. Soft drinks, fruit juices and specialty coffees are just a few decadent go-tos. But if you’re struggling with health issues, the pursuit of a delicious drink that also offers anti-inflammatory properties might be an ongoing challenge.

Inflammation is a normal and essential bodily ...Read more

The Medicare open enrollment period is like candy for scammers, with all the elements for a good con. During this time, seniors provide vital personal information to Medicare, which scammers may use to access their financial accounts or submit fraudulent medical claims. Scammers also know that older adults are ideal victims because they are more...Read more

Q: What is a food matrix?

A: A food matrix refers to the complex physical and chemical structure of a food. It includes the way nutrients and other compounds are organized and may interact within the food. This overall structure impacts how nutrients are digested, absorbed, and metabolized by the body. For example, the matrix found in whole ...Read more

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) teaches people to challenge negative thought patterns and turn less often to unhelpful behaviors. These strategies can improve your mood and the way you respond to challenging situations: a flat tire, looming deadlines, family life ups and downs.

Yet there’s much more depth and nuance to this well-researched...Read more

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I am retired, and although I generally enjoy less hectic days now, I keep busy. Part of my routine includes trying to squeeze in a nap on most afternoons. My wife tells me that I'm doing it wrong because I often wake up groggy. Is there a wrong way — or time — to nap?

ANSWER: Closing your eyes for a few minutes during your...Read more

You may have encountered the term “ bird flu” increasingly online and in the media. It refers to a highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) A, classified as H5N1. Wild birds carry and transmit this flu, though most do not get sick from it. However, it has been detected in birds and mammals at farms such as poultry and dairy cows and has the ...Read more

The rate of deaths from ischemic heart disease related to obesity nearly tripled in the U.S. over a two-decade span, according to new research. The rate for men more than tripled.

Black adults, middle-aged men, and people living in the Midwest and non-metropolitan areas had the highest rates in 2020, the study found.

Ischemic heart disease ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — Vanessa Berrueta Zambrano followed her instincts this past spring when she felt a lump about the size of a piece of popcorn in her right breast. She knew she needed answers. But her clinic told her that a screening likely wouldn’t be covered by her insurance because at age 39, she was too young.

“I don’t care,” she ...Read more

William Lopez remembers clearly the day in June 2017 when he says he was asked to call the spouse of a college friend who had just died and ask for her eyes.

The spouse hadn’t responded to calls from other employees at the Rocky Mountain Lions Eye Bank, he said. As Lopez recalled, his supervisor thought a friend’s personal number would have...Read more

Nearly half a million Floridians could lose their health insurance if Republicans in Congress do not extend subsidies that lower insurance premiums through the Affordable Care Act, two new reports warn.

An analysis by the Urban Institute estimates that 453,000 Floridians — including 32,000 children — would become uninsured if tax credits ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — Patients addicted to opioids are arriving at ERs with deep wounds that expose their bones. Some have lost multiple limbs. And many ultimately are leaving hospitals against medical advice, with severe, untreated skin lesions, insisting they can’t bear the withdrawal from tranq — the drug that caused their wounds in the first ...Read more

Two rival hospitals in Terre Haute, Indiana, pulled back their merger application Monday, just days before the state was due to rule on the deal amid growing backlash to such medical monopolies.

The proposed merger between Union Health and Terre Haute Regional Hospital, the only acute care hospitals in Vigo County, Indiana, would have left ...Read more