Health Advice
/Health

Immune amnesia: Why even mild measles infections can lead to serious disease later
Dr. Adam Ratner has heard a lot of myths and misunderstandings about measles in his decades as a New York City pediatric infectious disease specialist.
A troubling untruth he's seen circulating on social media during the current outbreak is that being infected with the virus instead of getting vaccinated confers benefits on the immune system �...Read more

Mayo Clinic Minute: The difference in brain aneurysms
Each year, nearly half a million people worldwide die from brain aneurysms. In the U.S., an estimated 6.7 million people have an unruptured brain aneurysm, which means about 1 in 50 people might have one.
A brain aneurysm, also called a cerebral aneurysm, is a bulge or ballooning in a blood vessel in the brain. Dr. Chris Fox, a Mayo Clinic ...Read more
Autism and elopement: What you need to know about wandering, according to experts
ATLANTA — The warmer weather often means more days spent near the water, whether that’s a nearby lake, the beach or a pool. This relaxing time can bring an increase in rules and supervision if you have kids.
However, for parents and caregivers of children with autism, days by the water can mean dodging dangers at every turn — especially ...Read more

Those living with polio say don't forget
ATLANTA -- Polio ravaged human bodies for hundreds of years, but the misery began to wane 70 years ago when two polio vaccines developed in the U.S. halted the virus’ spread.
Many Georgians who caught polio in the 1950s as children survived and led fulfilling lives despite their injuries. But in their later years, they experience a return of ...Read more

What's lost: Trump whacks tiny agency that works to make the nation's health care safer
Sue Sheridan’s baby boy, Cal, suffered brain damage from undetected jaundice in 1995. Helen Haskell’s 15-year-old son, Lewis, died after surgery in 2000 because weekend hospital staffers didn’t realize he was in shock. The episodes turned both women into advocates for patients and spurred research that made American health care safer.
On ...Read more

Europeans are outliving Americans -- even the wealthy, study finds. Why?
Americans are falling behind Europeans in lifespan, even among older and wealthier groups, a Brown University study found.
The study compared age groups and income across the United States and 16 European countries, ultimately including 73,838 participants between the ages of 50 and 85, and was published April 2 in the New England Journal of ...Read more

Could Nevada legalize medical aid in dying?
A push to legalize medical aid in dying in Nevada is in the Legislature is once again, despite several failed efforts that included a veto from Gov. Joe Lombardo two years ago.
Assembly Bill 346 would allow terminally ill patients to self-administer medication to end their lives if they meet the bill’s eligibility criteria. It includes rules ...Read more

Federal cuts to Title X health programs put Western Pa. clinics on alert
Health clinics throughout the state, including dozens in Western Pennsylvania, are among those impacted by federal funding cuts to a program that directs millions of dollars to help low-income people access family planning services.
Pennsylvania is the third-highest recipient of Title X funding nationally, having received $13.5 million last ...Read more

Cluster of Massachusetts nurses reportedly diagnosed with brain tumors
BOSTON — A cluster of nurses at Newton-Wellesley Hospital have reportedly been diagnosed with brain tumors, according to hospital officials who are assuring staff and patients that there’s “no environmental risk” at the facility.
But the Massachusetts Nurses Association says the hospital’s environmental testing was “not ...Read more

Lowering the cost of insurance in Colorado – a new analysis of the Peak Health Alliance
A community-led partnership in Colorado designed to negotiate health care prices lowered health care premiums in 2020 and 2021, we find in our new paper in the Journal of Risk and Insurance. The nonprofit organization is called the Peak Health Alliance.
As health care premiums continue to rise nationwide, many employers have formed so...Read more

Susan Monarez, Trump’s nominee for CDC director, faces an unprecedented and tumultuous era at the agency
The job of director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention carries immense responsibility for shaping health policies, responding to crises and maintaining trust in public health institutions.
Since the Trump administration took office in January 2025, the position has been held on an interim basis by Susan Monarez, whom ...Read more

Trump says he'll stop health care fraudsters. Last time, he let them walk
Five years ago, the CEO of one of the largest pain clinic companies in the Southeast was sentenced to more than three years in prison after being convicted in a $4 million illegal kickback scheme.
But after just four months behind bars, John Estin Davis walked free. President Donald Trump commuted Davis’ sentence in the last days of his first...Read more

Editorial: WTC Health Program must be saved: Firing of leader Dr. John Howard and others must be reversed
The World Trade Center Health Program, providing essential medical care to the heroes and the victims of 9/11, was spared a 20% Trump administration budget cut in February only when Republican members of Congress from New York fought back and saved the WTCHP. Those members must now ride to the rescue again.
GOP Reps. Andrew Garbarino, Nick ...Read more

Why are childhood vaccination rates so low in this California county?
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Sutter County in Northern California has the lowest vaccination rates among transitional kindergarten and kindergarten students in the state, according to new data from the California Department of Public Health.
Only 73% Sutter County kindergarten students were up to date on their childhood vaccinations in the 2023-24 ...Read more

5 ways to get more out of every step you take on the road to better health
Walking is one of the most popular forms of exercise in the world. It costs nothing, can be done almost anywhere and provides numerous health benefits. It decreases the risk and severity of chronic illnesses such as heart disease, diabetes and dementia and improves mental health, sleep, longevity and healthy aging.
What's more, there are ...Read more

Mayo Clinic Q and A: Colorectal cancer in young adults
DEAR MAYO CLINIC: A friend was just diagnosed with colorectal cancer. She's only 30. I didn't know young people could get this cancer. Can you tell me more about it?
ANSWER: Unfortunately, your friend is among a growing number of adults under 50 who are being diagnosed with colorectal cancer. Many younger adults don't consider themselves at ...Read more

More than 5 million could lose Medicaid coverage if feds impose work requirements
Under an emerging Republican plan to require some Medicaid recipients to work, between 4.6 million and 5.2 million adults ages 19 to 55 could lose their health care coverage, according to a new analysis.
The study, conducted by Urban Institute researchers with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, calculated that up to 39% of the 13....Read more

Montana may start collecting immunization data again amid US measles outbreak
When epidemiologist Sophia Newcomer tries to evaluate how well Montana might be able to ward off the measles outbreak spreading across the U.S., she doesn’t have much data to work with.
A federal state-by-state survey last year showed that just over 86% of Montana’s 2-year-olds had recently received the measles, mumps, and rubella ...Read more

Supreme Court considers whether states may prevent people covered by Medicaid from choosing Planned Parenthood as their health care provider
Having the freedom to choose your own health care provider is something many Americans take for granted. But the Supreme Court is weighing whether people who rely on Medicaid for their health insurance have that right, and if they do – is it enforceable by law?
That’s the key question at the heart of a case, Medina v. Planned ...Read more

Trump, Kennedy job cuts gut World Trade Center health program, paralyze care
NEW YORK — The Trump administration has gutted the agency overseeing the World Trade Center Health Program, a move advocates say will wreak havoc on the program’s operations and bring critical operations to a standstill.
Tens of thousands of responders and survivors rely on the WTC Health Program to get treatment and medication and monitor ...Read more
Popular Stories
- Europeans are outliving Americans -- even the wealthy, study finds. Why?
- Cluster of Massachusetts nurses reportedly diagnosed with brain tumors
- Susan Monarez, Trump’s nominee for CDC director, faces an unprecedented and tumultuous era at the agency
- Mayo Clinic Minute: The difference in brain aneurysms
- Those living with polio say don't forget