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Alzheimer's disease study: Boston researchers create at-home smell test for early detection

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

When it comes to the early detection of Alzheimer’s disease, a new study suggests that the nose knows.

Mass General Brigham neurology researchers have created a smell test that shows promise as a tool for identifying risk of cognitive impairment.

They found that test participants could successfully take the test at home, and that older ...Read more

Kevin Richardson/Baltimore Sun/TNS

Legionella unregulated in Maryland despite regular Baltimore outbreaks

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

BALTIMORE — Offices, courthouses, a jail and a psychiatric facility throughout Maryland — most in downtown Baltimore — all found Legionella bacteria in their water systems last year, but state law doesn’t have any regulations to address it on a large scale. One group hopes to change that next legislative session.

Legionella is the ...Read more

‘Everyday discrimination’ linked to increased anxiety and depression across all groups of Americans

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

People who most frequently encounter everyday discrimination – those subtle snubs and slights of everyday life – are more likely to suffer from anxiety and depression.

What’s more, that finding remains true no matter the person’s race, gender, age, education, income, weight, language, immigration status or where they live.

...Read more

Arvin Temkar/Atlanta Journal Constitution/TNS

Bill restricting puberty blockers for transgender youth in Georgia advances

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

ATLANTA — Legislation regulating the prescription of puberty blockers for transgender minors and banning use of the State Health Benefits Plan for gender-affirming care were approved by House panels this week.

Both bills were approved on party-line votes, with Republicans supporting the measures, putting them in position to reach the floor ...Read more

Chronic kidney disease often goes undiagnosed, but early detection can prevent severe outcomes

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

For a disease afflicting 35.5 million people in the U.S., chronic kidney disease flies under the radar. Only half the people who have it are formally diagnosed.

The consequences of advanced chronic kidney disease are severe. When these essential organs can no longer do their job of filtering waste products from the blood, patients ...Read more

Leon Bennett/Getty Images North America/TNS

Party with gas, play with fire: the dangerous renaissance of 'whippets' in the music scene

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

LOS ANGELES — In November, Bob Bryar, the 44-year-old former drummer for the emo band My Chemical Romance, was found dead in his Tennessee home.

Months later, Bryar's autopsy raised a possible contributing factor in his death — three canisters of nitrous oxide found next to his corpse, with tubing for inhalation still attached.

Nitrous ...Read more

Liz Rymarev/The Dallas Morning News/TNS

Measles cases in Kansas more than double in one week; Most involve children under 18

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

The number of measles cases reported in Kansas more than doubled in the past week, and the outbreak may have a possible link to the outbreaks in Texas and New Mexico, a state health official spokesperson said Thursday.

As of Wednesday, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment is reporting 23 positive cases of measles, up from 10 they ...Read more

Keith Bell/Dreamstime.com/TNS

NC Senate passes healthcare overhaul that would crack down on 'surprise billing'

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

The North Carolina Senate passed a comprehensive bill Thursday aimed at increasing transparency in healthcare billing, lowering costs, and speeding up the process of prior authorization for medical services.

Senators gave the Republican proposal overwhelmingly bipartisan approval in a 44-2 vote, sending it to the House.

Republicans in both ...Read more

Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Palisades and Eaton firefighters had elevated blood levels of mercury and lead, according to an early study

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

LOS ANGELES — The immediate risks faced by the firefighters who were on the front lines battling the Palisades and Eaton fires that tore through Los Angeles County may have abated, but long-term health concerns remain.

A team of researchers tested the blood of a group of 20 firefighters who were called to duty when the wildfires hit Los ...Read more

Losing your job is bad for your health, but there are things you can do to minimize the harm

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

The Trump administration’s firing and furloughing of tens of thousands of federal workers and contractors have obviously caused economic hardship for Americans employed in national parks, research labs and dozens of government agencies.

As a professor of social work who studies how people’s finances affect their physical and ...Read more

Shawn Lockhart/CDC/TNS

Deadly, drug-resistant fungus CDC calls 'urgent threat' is spreading in hospitals

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

LOS ANGELES — A deadly, drug-resistant fungus that preys on the sick and old is continuing to spread in hospitals and senior care facilities across the country, killing more than 1 in 3 infected.

Candida auris, a type of yeast that can cause life-threatening illness, was first identified in the U.S. in 2016 with 52 infections reported across ...Read more

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/TNS

Dengue fever on the rise. What to know about the mosquito-borne illness in Florida

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

MIAMI — The U.S. is on alert for dengue fever during the busy spring break season as cases of the mosquito-borne illness continue to rise globally.

Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Cuba, Colombia, and Mexico are some of the places that have seen a rise in dengue cases, an illness that is known to cause flu-like symptoms, including fever,...Read more

Dominic Gwinn/Middle East Images/AFP/Getty Images North America/TNS

Commentary: Don't take health care hope away

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Evenings in our house oscillate between routine and existential. I prefer the ones where we mostly muddle through the mundane, and the ever-present threat to health and to normalcy goes largely unobserved, acknowledged only in the subtle ticking of insulin metered out by my 6-year-old daughter’s pump into her body.

Every few nights we change ...Read more

Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images North America/TNS

In New York, providers must put patient costs on the table

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

The routine is familiar for most people: When checking in for an appointment with a doctor or other health care provider, patients typically complete and sign a pile of paperwork, including a form that contains some version of the statement, “I agree to pay for all charges not covered by my insurance company.”

Patients may not feel ...Read more

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States try to rein in health insurers' claim denials, with mixed results

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Health insurance companies are under increasing scrutiny for allegedly using artificial intelligence bots and algorithms to swiftly deny patients routine or lifesaving care — without a human actually reviewing their claims.

The high-profile killing late last year of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson has focused even more attention on so-...Read more

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How's your balance? Here's what that could mean for heart and brain health

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

It's an ability and skill often taken for granted. It affects quality of life and has been linked to heart disease and stroke. As we age and our muscles weaken, balance becomes crucial to staying active and supporting a healthy heart and brain.

"Balance is important because it's one of the attributes that allows you do to physical activity," ...Read more

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You're at risk of colorectal cancer. Know the symptoms. Get screened

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Editor's note: March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month.

Colorectal cancer is no longer a disease of older people. People in their 50s, 40s and younger are increasingly being diagnosed with cancers of the colon and rectum. Incidence rates increased by about 2% per year in people younger than 50 during the past decade, according to the ...Read more

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Mayo Clinic Minute: What is vascular dementia?

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

An estimated 55 million people are believed to be living with dementia, according to health officials. Vascular diseases contribute to approximately 25% of all diagnoses.

When blood vessels are damaged or blocked, it can deprive your brain of vital oxygen and nutrients, which could lead to a condition called vascular dementia.

"Vascular ...Read more

Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images North America/TNS

Fact check: Bill that congressman says protects Medicaid doesn't -- and would likely require cutting it

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

“On Feb. 25, I voted yes on a budget resolution that protects Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid while cutting some spending elsewhere.”

Rep. Nick LaLota (R-N.Y.), in a YouTube video posted March 4, 2025

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On Feb. 25, Rep. Nick LaLota, R-N.Y., voted in favor of a House budget resolution that calls for sharp cuts in spending ...Read more

Juliana Yamada/Los Angeles Times/TNS

'Show up and share': How one UCLA ICU helps patients and staff live with dying

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

LOS ANGELES -- Extraordinary things happen in the cardiothoracic intensive care unit at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center.

The sick rise from bed with new hearts and lungs. Machines valiantly take over for faltering kidneys, heart valves, bronchial tubes. All patients enter with grave health concerns, and the vast majority leave recovered, or ...Read more