Health Advice
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Mayo Clinic Q and A: Shockwave therapy may help relieve foot problem
DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I've had some foot issues, and I heard that shockwave therapy might be appropriate. How does it work? And how can it help?
ANSWER: This noninvasive treatment uses sound waves to transmit energy to tissues to help with the healing process. You may hear it referred to as extracorporeal shockwave treatment. Extracorporeal means ...Read more
'More change than usual:' Big revisions in drug plans and healthcare benefits ahead for Florida Medicare recipients
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Big Medicare changes will go into effect in 2025, giving Floridians more reason to sift through plans and make smart choices.
The 5.1 million Floridians who qualify for Medicare will have from Oct. 15 through Dec. 7 to choose original Medicare or one of the Medicare Advantage plans offered in their county.
Changes to ...Read more
Who is choosing to use prescription opioids?
Opioid use disorder affects more than 2 million people in the U.S. and contributes to the public health crisis of opioid addiction and overdoses. While previous studies have focused on how prevalent prescription opioid use is, researchers from Mayo Clinic and the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health looked into who is ...Read more
Safer stone? New countertop options emerge amid concerns over silicosis and worker deaths
LOS ANGELES -- Companies that manufacture slabs of engineered stone, a popular choice for kitchen and bathroom countertops, are developing and marketing new products amid mounting concerns about stonecutters being sickened with a deadly lung disease.
The new alternatives boast reduced levels of crystalline silica, a mineral that can cause an ...Read more
Medicare drug plans are getting better next year. Some will also cost more
When Pam McClure learned she’d save nearly $4,000 on her prescription drugs next year, she said, “it sounded too good to be true.” She and her husband are both retired and live on a “very strict” budget in central North Dakota.
By the end of this year, she will have spent almost $6,000 for her medications, including a drug to control ...Read more
Extended-stay hotels, a growing option for poor families, can lead to health problems for kids
STONE MOUNTAIN, Ga. — As principal of Dunaire Elementary School, Sean Deas has seen firsthand the struggles faced by children living in extended-stay hotels. About 10% of students at his school, just east of Atlanta, live in one.
The children, Deas said, often have been exposed to violence on hotel properties, exhibit aggression or anxiety ...Read more
Mayo Clinic Minute: Protect your family from seasonal respiratory infections
Cold, flu, RSV and COVID-19 all have one thing in common: They are respiratory infections that cause similar symptoms such as coughing, fever and fatigue. These illnesses can range from mild to severe, especially in people who are more vulnerable.
Dr. Tina Ardon, a family medicine physician at Mayo Clinic, says these respiratory infections also...Read more
More mobile clinics are bringing long-acting birth control to rural areas
Twice a month, a 40-foot-long truck transformed into a mobile clinic travels the Rio Grande Valley to provide rural Texans with women’s health care, including birth control.
The clinic, called the UniMóvil, is part of the Healthy Mujeres program at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine.
The U.S. has about 3,000 mobile...Read more
Philadelphia-area hospitals will no longer factor race into screening tools for kidney, lung, and obstetrics care
Philadelphia's leading health systems will no longer consider race in four common screening tools for lung, kidney, and obstetrics care, in an effort to make treatment more equitable for all patients.
Race has long been included in the algorithms that doctors use to evaluate patients and determine the best care plan. But mounting research has ...Read more
Walking pneumonia cases among children up sharply in Georgia and across US
ATLANTA — Cases of “walking pneumonia” have been rising sharply in the United States since the spring, especially among young children, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The CDC said it’s closely tracking the recent surge of these infections to better understand any changes in the illnesses since before the ...Read more
Overdose deaths are down nationally, but up in many Western states
Despite an encouraging national dip in the past year, overdose deaths are still on the rise in many Western states as the epicenter of the nation’s continuing crisis shifts toward the Pacific Coast, where deadly fentanyl and also methamphetamine are finding more victims.
Overdose deaths remain sharply higher since 2019. Many states are ...Read more
Super Bowl rally shooting victims pick up pieces, but gun violence haunts their lives
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Twenty-four minutes before the mass shooting at the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl victory parade in February left one person dead and at least 24 people injured, Jenipher Cabrera felt a bullet pierce the back of her right thigh.
The 20-year-old and her family were just four blocks from Union Station, in a river of red-...Read more
The mosquito-borne virus 'triple E' continues its spread, worrying state health officials
Mosquito-borne illnesses are a growing concern in Northeastern states, with health officials monitoring cases and advising residents to avoid outdoor activities near standing water and other environments prone to mosquito spread.
Of particular concern is eastern equine encephalitis, a rare disease that can lead to serious and fatal illness, ...Read more
More kids than ever need special education, but burnout has caused a teacher shortage
A growing number of students in public schools – right now, about 15% of them – are eligible for special education services. These services include specially designed instruction for students with autism, learning or physical disabilities, or traumatic brain injuries. But going into the current school year, more than half of U.S. public ...Read more
Ask the Pediatrician: Teen suicide risk: What parents need to know
If you're worried about your child's risk for suicide, you are not alone.
In January 2019 I was worried about my son’s risk. Conall had been struggling with depression off and on for a few years. Even at 17, he wasn’t able to find the sweet spot of medication and therapy to keep him feeling consistently good. But just after the new year, I ...Read more
Election and truth: Health misinformation in 2024
Getting your election news from social media? There's a chance it could be false.
Health myths — such as abortions occurring in the last stages of pregnancy, the government controlling the weather, and vaccines causing developmental disability — have spread during the current election cycle and gripped much of the nation.
While it's not ...Read more
Four test positive in Washington's first human bird flu infections
Washington state health officials are investigating after four agricultural workers tested presumptively positive for bird flu, marking the first presumed human cases in the state, the Washington State Department of Health announced Sunday.
The four worked with infected birds at an egg farm in Franklin County where 800,000 chickens were ...Read more
Poppy seed brew triggers morphine overdose, drawing attention of lawmakers
It sounds like a joke: poppy seeds infused with opioids.
Indeed, it was a plotline on the sitcom Seinfeld. But for some it has been a tragedy.
People have died after drinking tea brewed from unwashed poppy seeds.
And after eating lemon poppy seed bread or an everything bagel, mothers reportedly have been separated from newborns because the ...Read more
Mountain town confronts an unexpected public health catastrophe
Before Hurricane Helene, had you stopped by one of the many breweries, art galleries, or award-winning restaurants in Asheville, North Carolina, and spoken with anyone who lives in these parts — including me — most would have told you they felt pretty safe from climate disasters.
The mountains of western North Carolina have been known to ...Read more
Top pediatric group establishes opioid prescribing guidelines for kids
PITTSBURGH — For the first time, the American Academy of Pediatrics has announced clear guidelines for how and when pediatricians and psychiatrists should prescribe opioids to children.
The news comes at the tail end of an era of the opioid crisis fueled by prescription pills including OxyContin, which were prescribed to millions of people ...Read more
Popular Stories
- Philadelphia-area hospitals will no longer factor race into screening tools for kidney, lung, and obstetrics care
- Walking pneumonia cases among children up sharply in Georgia and across US
- Overdose deaths are down nationally, but up in many Western states
- Election and truth: Health misinformation in 2024
- More kids than ever need special education, but burnout has caused a teacher shortage