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50 years after the first procedure, Tommy John surgery is more common than ever − especially for young athletes

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Tommy John pitched in the big leagues from 1963 to 1989 and won 288 games. Only 25 MLB pitchers have won more.

But check out his 27 years of statistics, and you’ll see one year is blank: 1975. That’s because in the fall of 1974, John underwent surgery for a ligament tear in his elbow, an injury once considered career-ending.

...Read more

TRUTH in Labeling Act would heighten the warning for shoppers looking to cut sugar, salt and saturated fat intake

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

With rising rates of obesity in the U.S. and increasing attention being paid to the health harms of processed foods, it’s clear that far more could be done to help consumers make healthy food choices.

A bill known as the TRUTH in Labeling Act has been sitting before Congress since late 2023. If passed, it would require U.S. food ...Read more

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Mayo Clinic Minute: What you should know about prostate cancer screening

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

The prostate is a small gland in males that aids in reproduction. Prostate cancer is one the most common types of cancer, and when it's detected early, often by a simple blood test, it has the best chance for successful treatment.

"Prostate cancer is incredibly common, probably going to be diagnosed in about 300,000 men this year in the United ...Read more

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Mayo Clinic Minute: Palliative medicine for cancer patients

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Patients undergoing cancer treatments often use palliative medicine to cope with nausea, fatigue and other bothersome symptoms.

Palliative medicine is a medical specialty whose main focus is supporting patients and families/caregivers who need help managing symptoms related to cancer or side effects related to the treatment of cancer, along ...Read more

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Drug-resistant germs will kill millions more people in coming decades, researchers warn

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Since the dawn of the antibiotic age, opportunistic pathogens have evolved defenses faster than humans can develop drugs to combat them.

At the same time, humans have unwittingly given the bugs an advantage through the overuse of antibiotics, allowing pathogens that survive their exposure to pass on their resistant traits.

Now, a new report ...Read more

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Healthy Men: Important month for men's health

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Dear Healthy Men: I just found out that September is both Suicide Awareness and Prostate Cancer Awareness Month. What do we need to know about those two issues?

A: Prostate cancer and suicide are among the top 10 causes of death for males. Let’s take a closer look at both:

Prostate Cancer

Only biological males have a prostate, and one in ...Read more

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Decades of national suicide prevention policies haven't slowed the deaths

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

If you or someone you know may be experiencing a mental health crisis, contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by dialing or texting “988.”

____

When Pooja Mehta’s younger brother, Raj, died by suicide at 19 in March 2020, she felt “blindsided.”

Raj’s last text message was to his college lab partner about how to divide homework...Read more

Marlene Greene/Dreamstime/HO

Brain-infecting parasite found in two LA County residents: What to know about 'racoon roundworm'

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

LOS ANGELES — Two people in Los Angeles County are sick with a rare parasitic infection known as "raccoon roundworm," according to officials.

The parasite, called Baylisascaris procyonis, was found in the South Bay area of L.A., according to a Los Angeles County Department of Public Health news release. The parasite can infect the brain, ...Read more

Max Ortiz/The Detroit News/TNS

Michigan sues prison health care provider, alleges it shorted subcontractors $35 million

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

LANSING, Mich. — The Michigan Department of Corrections has sued its former health care services provider, arguing the company breached its contract with the state when it failed to pay subcontractors for roughly $35 million in medical services provided to prisoners.

The lawsuit filed Friday in Ingham County Circuit Court against Grand ...Read more

Preventive care is free by law, but many Americans get incorrectly billed − especially if you’re poor, a person of color or don’t have a college degree

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Even though preventive care is supposed to be free by law for millions of Americans thanks to the Affordable Care Act, many don’t receive recommended preventive services, especially racial and ethnic minorities and other at-risk patient groups.

The Affordable Care Act exempted preventive services from patient cost-sharing for large ...Read more

Allison Bailey/Middle East Images/AFP/Getty Images North America/TNS

House, Senate Democrats renew health care subsidies push

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

WASHINGTON — House and Senate Democrats are pushing leadership to quickly pass legislation to permanently expand subsidies on the health care exchanges — ideally by the end of the year.

Forty-one Senate Democrats, led by New Hampshire Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, and 154 House Democrats, led by Lauren Underwood of Illinois, are sending a letter to ...Read more

Medicare Advantage customers face shrinking pool of insurers

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Medicare Advantage plans have been successful in enrolling Medicare beneficiaries and delivering to those clients. Despite this, some insurers are downsizing their share of the market and hospitals are canceling or not renewing their contracts to serve plan members – leaving enrollees in the lurch.

In recent months, Humana, CVS and some ...Read more

Environmental Nutrition: 5 protein myths to stop believing

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Your body needs protein — that’s a fact. “Protein does a lot of great things for us. It helps build and repair muscle and other tissues, moves oxygen and nutrients around our bodies, and is involved in many important bodily functions, including digestion,” says registered dietitian Caroline Susie, a spokesperson for the Academy of ...Read more

5 things to consider before working with a registered dietitian

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

No matter what your fitness or wellness goals are, eating the right foods to maximize nutrition can help get you there. One way to do this is to work with a RD or registered dietitian. But what exactly does a registered dietitian do? “We work in a variety of spaces and capacities to help people live healthier lives through nutrition,” says ...Read more

How do trees and green spaces enhance our health?

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Trees enhance life in a multitude of ways. They combat climate change by reducing greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. They muffle sound pollution and reduce air pollution, drawing in carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen. When rain pours from the skies, trees decrease stormwater runoff, preventing flooding and soil erosion. They also provide ...Read more

Mayo Clinic Q&A: Sunscreen needs for any complexion

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I spent many a summer at the beach growing up. My mother always slathered me with sunscreen. Now, as a 30-year-old woman, sunscreen remains a part of my routine, regardless of the weather. Recently, I was surprised to learn that one of my friends — a young Black woman — never wears sunscreen. She said her darker complexion ...Read more

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Mayo Clinic Minute: What does a diagnosis of dense breasts mean?

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

The Food and Drug Administration issued a rule in March of 2023 that requires health care professionals to notify people if they have dense breasts. Studies have shown that dense breast tissue can make it more difficult to detect breast cancer early.

Dr. Kristin Robinson, a Mayo Clinic breast radiologist, says women with dense breast tissue are...Read more

Hyoung Chang/The Denver Post/TNS

Wildfire smoke increases risk of mental illness in children, new study finds

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

DENVER — Each day a child breathes wildfire smoke thick with ash and fine soot that child’s likelihood of experiencing anxiety and depression and other mental health problems increases, according to new scientific research on air pollution and childhood development.

The study, published in Environmental Health Perspectives, looked at the ...Read more

Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Tooth decay still plagues California kids nearly a decade after Medi-Cal promised change

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

LOS ANGELES — Eight years after an independent state watchdog agency harshly criticized the state for failing to provide dental care to low-income children, California has failed to remedy the problem or fully implement the commission's recommendations, according to a follow-up review published last week.

The Little Hoover Commission found ...Read more

How AI can help researchers make esophageal cancer less deadly

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Approximately 600 times a day, the esophagus ferries whatever is in your mouth down to your stomach. It's usually a one-way route, but sometimes acid escapes the stomach and travels back up. That can damage the cells lining the esophagus, prompting them to grow back with genetic mistakes.

About 22,370 times a year in the United States, those ...Read more