Q: What is kefir and does it provide any health benefits?

A: Kefir is a fermented dairy drink made by adding kefir grains — cultures of yeast and lactic acid bacteria — to milk. These grains ferment the milk, resulting in a tangy, slightly fizzy beverage with a texture similar to yogurt. Kefir can also be made from non-dairy alternatives ...Read more

When it comes to cold and flu season, it’s a good idea to be prepared for what to do if you get sick. When you’re feeling unwell, nutrition plays a significant role in your recovery from an illness. Nourishing foods that are easily digestible, hydrating and anti-inflammatory can be especially beneficial in supporting your immune system when ...Read more

If you’re struggling with depression, the most important question about taking an antidepressant is whether it will work. But another question on your mind may be whether it will fuel weight gain.

A recent study provides some context by suggesting how much weight, on average, people taking one of eight commonly used antidepressants might ...Read more

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I was recently prescribed high blood pressure medication. My routine was to take the pills before bed, but I’m finding when I do, I’m up all night using the bathroom. Does it really matter when I take the medication? Also, will I likely have to take this medication for life?

ANSWER: The most important thing about blood ...Read more

Women are being prescribed drugs that were never tested on women’s bodies. Or when they experience uterine pain or migraine headaches, their concerns are sometimes downplayed by male doctors.

The phenomenon is called medical misogyny, or the ingrained prejudice against women in the health care space.

While it has generated sporadic headlines...Read more

VALDOSTA, Ga. — Abby Jones’ first stop of the day delivering medication was the home of 90-year-old Sarah Campbell Kier.

“Come in!” yelled Kier. Jones didn’t have to knock. Kier had the screen door open and was waiting for the Barnes Drug Store driver, who also had delivered Kier’s thyroid medication the day before.

“I appreciate...Read more

Psychedelic therapy is set to launch in Colorado this spring, with the state considering licenses for healing centers, psilocybin mushroom cultivations, a product manufacturer and a testing lab.

Regulators recently began accepting applications from those interested in getting in on the ground floor of the state’s nascent industry, and while ...Read more

Nearly half of all women who have had a mammogram to screen for breast cancer have been identified as having dense breasts. This makes it more challenging to detect breast cancer because dense tissue and tumors both appear white on a mammogram. That's one reason why it's recommended to have an additional screening done. But which one?

Dr. ...Read more

Much attention has been paid in recent years to life expectancy in the U.S., which remains lower than in many other industrialized nations that spend less on health care.

But with data suggesting 79% of adults 60 and older have two or more chronic illnesses – such as diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure – and more than half of ...Read more

ATLANTA — Former Atlanta Braves player turned iconic broadcaster Bob Uecker, 90, has died. His hometown team announced that “Mr. Baseball” died Thursday morning in what has become “one of the most difficult days in Milwaukee Brewers history.” Though his cause of death was not revealed, according to his family, Uecker had been battling ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS -- Jayden Mirville-Beamon’s mother watched her 12-day-old baby’s curious eyes scan the hospital hallway last June as nurses took him toward the operating room.

His family sobbed inside the Minneapolis hospital. Jayden’s mother said she believed the baby was communicating to them with those brown eyes, which he had rarely ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS -- Just days before Quinyana Price rushed to the HCMC emergency room in Minneapolis, Betsy Murray went to Memorial Blood Center in St. Paul to donate two units of red blood.

The two strangers then became linked when, by chance, Price was given Murray’s same type O blood.

Each year in Minnesota, thousands of such exchanges occur, ...Read more

When Genevieve Postlethwait’s water broke in her sleep one July morning, she knew something was wrong. At 17 weeks pregnant, it was too soon for this to be normal.

That afternoon at her OB-GYN’s office, Genevieve and her husband saw their daughter’s moving shape on an ultrasound screen. But she looked different — opaque, hard to see, ...Read more

Jen Fisher can do only so much to keep her son safe from the types of infections that children can encounter at school. The rest, she said, is up to other students and parents in their hometown of Franklin, Tennessee.

Fisher’s son Raleigh, 12, lives with a congenital heart condition, which has left him with a weakened immune system. For his ...Read more

SEATTLE — It's been five years since the country's first COVID-19 outbreak was recorded in Washington state.

Health officials announced the first documented case in the U.S. in Snohomish County on Jan. 21, 2020.

By March 2020, the virus had spread throughout the U.S., with 4,896 cases in Washington. This led to Gov. Jay Inslee using ...Read more

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: When the holidays end, it's hard to have things to look forward to and find motivation to exercise. How can I stay ahead of the slump and help my family stay active?

ANSWER: As winter settles in, shorter days and colder nights can feel dull. But the mystery of winter nights also offers opportunities for fun, joy, connection ...Read more

Children need enough healthy food to grow, but food can cost a lot. Many families worry that they will run out of food and not have enough money to buy more each month.

When you go to the doctor with your child, you might be asked one or two questions about whether your family has enough food. It's OK to answer honestly. These answers are just ...Read more

As flu season progresses, so does the chorus of advice, professional and otherwise, to drink plenty of fluids and take fever-reducing medications, like acetaminophen, ibuprofen or aspirin.

These recommendations, well-intentioned and firmly entrenched, offer comfort to those sidelined with fever, flu or vaccine side effects. But you ...Read more

BALTIMORE — The widening U.S. bird flu outbreak has made its way to Maryland, which has counted two cases on commercial poultry farms — one in Caroline County and another in Queen Anne’s County — since the start of the year.

Health experts say the general public is at little risk of exposure and illness, thus far. While human infections...Read more