MINNEAPOLIS — U.S. Food and Drug Administration approvals of life-changing, high-risk medical devices reportedly slowed to a 10-year low for the January to March period, as sources say recent layoffs have had devastating effects.

Federal data show the regulatory agency — which has fired hundreds and rehired an unknown number of device ...Read more

“Avoid screens before bed” is one of the most common pieces of sleep advice. But what if the real problem isn’t screen time − it’s the way we use social media at night?

Sleep deprivation is one of the most widespread yet overlooked public health issues, especially among young adults and adolescents.

Despite needing ...Read more

Cities and states fighting a historic measles outbreak find themselves undermined by the Trump administration as they struggle to provide crucial vaccinations and overcome disinformation. As of this week, cases were nearing 650 in 22 states, on track to reach a 34-year high.

A second unvaccinated child died of measles in West Texas last week. U...Read more

ATLANTA — Val Kilmer, the actor behind iconic characters from “Batman Forever,” “Top Gun,” “Tombstone” and more, has died. The 65-year-old film star died April 1 from a battle with pneumonia, an infection that raises increased risks for older adults.

Here’s everything to know about the infection and why older adults should take ...Read more

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Purple flags, representing the nearly 300 Mecklenburg County residents who died of opioid overdose in 2023, fluttered in the humid breeze last August in recognition of International Overdose Awareness Day on the city’s predominantly Black west side.

As recently as five years ago, the event might have attracted an ...Read more

During the workweek, time to exercise can quickly slip away. But meeting physical activity targets by cramming workouts into the weekend could actually buy back time in the long run.

A new study reports that people whose physical activity fits a "weekend warrior" pattern might lower the risk of an early death from cardiovascular disease, cancer...Read more

ROCHESTER, Minnesota — It is a large part of the body that lies deep inside, out of sight and perhaps out of mind: your abdominal core. A new and rapidly developing area of medicine focuses on abdominal core health, including how people can incorporate it into a healthy lifestyle and how to address complex medical problems that arise when it ...Read more

BOSTON — The state Department of Public Health is “in communication” with Newton-Wellesley Hospital after a reported group of nurses were diagnosed with brain tumors.

The diagnosed nurses have worked at some point in the maternal care labor/delivery unit on the hospital’s fifth floor, according to hospital officials.

As of last week, ...Read more

Public access to government records that document the handling of illnesses, faulty products, and safety lapses at health facilities will slow after mass firings at the federal Department of Health and Human Services swept out staff members responsible for releasing records, according to transparency advocates and health experts.

HHS Secretary ...Read more

Alcohol, whether consumed regularly or only on special occasions, takes a toll on your body. From your brain and heart, to your lungs and muscles, to your gastrointestinal and immune systems, alcohol has broad harmful effects on your health – including causing cancer.

Alcohol is the third-leading preventable cause of cancer in the U...Read more

The animal tranquilizers xylazine and medetomidine are in approximately one-third of the illegal opioids available in the U.S., including fentanyl, heroin and oxycodone. Animal tranquilizers enhance the user’s euphoric high from opioids, particularly in those who have developed a tolerance to the opioid. But adding the tranquilizers to ...Read more

Research estimates that one-third or more of the unhoused population in the U.S. is age 50 or older.

Unhoused people of all ages face high rates of chronic and serious illness. They also die at younger ages compared with people who are not unhoused.

Yet, there are few options for palliative and end-of-life care for unhoused ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — Those who enter Ellen Kingren’s office get the choice of a chair or a small sofa.

Like each therapist’s room at Nystrom & Associates’ Apple Valley clinic, Kingren’s reflects her personality and intentions — like the piles of board games, knickknacks from her grandparents lining the windowsill and the art piece, painted...Read more

CHICAGO -- A new, tiny pacemaker — smaller than a grain of rice — developed at Northwestern University could play a sizable role in the future of medicine, according to the engineers who developed it.

Researchers unveiled the device, which they say is the smallest pacemaker in the world, in a study published in the peer-reviewed journal ...Read more

School breaks give children and parents a much-needed pause, but breaks can also bring stress. Routines change for your child and family, and time spent together in close settings can cause patience to run short. With a little planning, though, a school break can be a time to relax, have fun and focus on mental health.

When school is not in ...Read more

Tina Ewing-Wilson remembers the last time major Medicaid cuts slashed her budget.

In the late 2000s, during the Great Recession, the pot of money she and other Medi-Cal recipients depend on to keep them out of costly residential care homes shrank.

The only way she could afford help was to offer room and board to a series of live-in caregivers ...Read more

With cannabis and hallucinogen use on the rise, the Michigan Society of Anesthesiologists is trying to educate the public on the importance of disclosing the use of the substances to physicians, particularly before going into surgery.

Use of cannabis and hallucinogens remains at an all time high in recent years, according to a University of ...Read more

Legislators on both sides of the aisle outraged over drastic cuts to the agency that oversees the World Trade Center Health Program have fired off a letter to President Donald Trump and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. demanding the pivotal services be restored.

In their letter, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., Senate ...Read more

​​WASHINGTON — As a measles outbreak spreads across the country, 23 states are embroiled in a legal battle over $12 billion in federal dollars that have been used for vaccine clinics and other public health measures.

The states filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration after it clawed back the money last week, arguing the funding, ...Read more