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A mom's $97,000 question: How was her baby's air-ambulance ride not medically necessary?

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Sara England was putting together Ghostbusters costumes for Halloween when she noticed her baby wasn’t doing well.

Her 3-month-old son, Amari Vaca, had undergone open-heart surgery two months before, so she called his cardiologist, who recommended getting him checked out. England assigned Amari’s grandparents to trick-or-treat duty with his...Read more

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What's lurking in your body? Mayo probes health risks of tiny plastic particles

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Similar to natural elements like iron and copper, people can ingest, absorb or even inhale microplastics and nanoplastics and their chemical additives. A landmark study just published in the New England Journal of Medicine links microplastics and nanoplastics found in plaques of human blood vessels to a potential increased risk of heart attack, ...Read more

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COVID and Medicare payments spark remote patient monitoring boom

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Billy Abbott, a retired Army medic, wakes at 6 every morning, steps on the bathroom scale, and uses a cuff to take his blood pressure.

The devices send those measurements electronically to his doctor in Gulf Shores, Alabama, and a health technology company based in New York, to help him control his high blood pressure.

Nurses with the company,...Read more

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Why are Black people more likely to develop glaucoma? Scientists discovered new clues in the largest study of its kind

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

A team led by University of Pennsylvania scientists has discovered three genetic variants that offer the first strong clues as to why glaucoma disproportionately affects Black people.

The variants are common in people with African ancestry and are associated with a significantly higher risk of developing the sight-robbing disease, the ...Read more

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Telehealth sites promise cure for 'male menopause' despite FDA ban on off-label ads

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Online stores sprang up during the COVID-19 pandemic’s telehealth boom touting testosterone as a cure-all for men’s age-related illnesses — despite FDA rules issued years ago restricting such “low testosterone” advertising.

In ads on Google, Facebook, and elsewhere, testosterone telemedicine websites may promise a quick fix for ...Read more

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Mayo Clinic Minute: Wash your pet's food and water bowls to prevent salmonella

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Salmonella is a bacterial infection that can cause fever, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting or diarrhea. It can be transmitted from contaminated food, such as raw meat or eggs. But what you may not know is that your pets — and the food they eat — could carry salmonella, which can make you and your family sick.

In this Mayo Clinic Minute, Dr....Read more

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Few states cover fertility treatment for same-sex couples, but that could be changing

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Elizabeth Bauer was working out at the gym one morning last August when she got a phone call from her fertility nurse. It was a call that Bauer and her wife, Rebecca, had long been waiting for.

Elizabeth dialed in Rebecca so they could listen together: They were pregnant.

The Washington, D.C., couple decided before they got married three years...Read more

Pain After A Total Knee Replacement Might Be Due To The Hip

Health Advice / Keith Roach /

DEAR DR. ROACH: I read your recent column about a person who had knee pain after a knee replacement. I am a retired orthopedic surgeon who performed on over 10,000 total joints of the hip, knee and shoulder in my 47 years of active surgical practice. A well-done total knee replacement does not give the patient much pain postoperatively. I saw ...Read more

Live longer and healthier with six ways to cool inflammation

Chronic inflammatory disease accounts for 60% of deaths worldwide. In the U.S., they affect more than 125 million folks -- and around half have more than one chronic inflammatory condition. In 2014, the Rand Corporation found that 12% of adults had five or more chronic conditions! That can happen when obesity (which affects around 43% of U.S. ...Read more

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On Nutrition: Eggs-tra nutrition

Health Advice / Nutrition /

We’ve identified Easter with eggs for a very long time, according to historians.

Ever wonder why? Through the ages, eggs were gifted to others in the spring to celebrate the season of new growth. And if you’ve ever witnessed a baby chick emerging from its shell, you can see how eggs eventually became a symbol of new life celebrated by ...Read more

Environmental Nutrition: Spotlight on supplements: Hibiscus

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Hibiscus is more than just a pretty flower.

Overview

Hibiscus (Hibiscus sabdariffa) is a well-known flower that can be consumed as a tea or in supplements. It contains a range of bioactive compounds such as anthocyanins, proanthocyanins, and flavonols. Due to the complexity of its composition, different hibiscus preparations may have different...Read more

7 superfoods with calcium

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Calcium is essential to maintaining healthy teeth and bones. And now there is some research that shows that calcium might help with blood pressure control, says Tara Collingwood, a registered dietitian (RDN) in private practice in Orlando, Florida. But do you know how much calcium you need each day, and which foods will get you the most bang for...Read more

Kidneys, eyes, ears, and more: Why do we have a spare?

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

One of the many underappreciated things about the human body is that it has a lot of excess capacity. That is, our organs have more reserve than most of us will ever need.

It’s as if our bodies were designed with the idea that we might need backups in case of illness or injury. And voila: when all goes well, we arrive at birth with two ...Read more

Mayo Clinic Q&A: 5 questions about MRI

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I suffered an injury while working out and my primary care physician ordered an X-ray. However, after reviewing the results, my doctor recommended that I have an MRI. I am a very anxious person. Can you explain more about what this type of testing entails and what I can expect?

ANSWER: Understandably, any health care concern ...Read more

Unvested Interest

Health Advice / Scott LaFee /

Since the 1920s, a visit to the dentist involving X-rays has meant both patients and staff being draped with a lead vest or apron to shield against the harmful effects of radiation.

New safety guidelines from the American Dental Association say the practice can stop because X-ray technologies has evolved significantly and there are better ...Read more

(Hiram Alejandro Durán/El Tímpano/CatchLight Local/Report for America corps member)/KFF Health News/TNS

California's expanded health coverage for immigrants collides with Medicaid reviews

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

OAKLAND, Calif. — Medi-Cal health coverage kicked in for Antonio Abundis just when the custodian needed it most.

Shortly after Abundis transitioned from limited to full-scope coverage in 2022 under California’s expansion of Medi-Cal to older residents without legal immigration status, he was diagnosed with leukemia, a cancer affecting the ...Read more

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New Planned Parenthood leader says real issue is fairness, health equity

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

DES MOINES, Iowa — Ruth Richardson waited near the Iowa capitol's grand staircase, just outside the limelight. At the podium nearby, abortion-rights supporters railed against the state's conservative swing on abortion following the overturning of Roe v. Wade, calling Republican bills "nonsense," "pseudoscientific" and "speaking for the extreme...Read more

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Mayo Clinic Minute: High blood pressure hurts the kidneys

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Hypertension, also known as high blood pressure, is a common problem that affects the body's arteries. If you have high blood pressure, the heart has to work harder to pump blood.

In general, hypertension is a blood pressure reading of 130/80 or higher. Dr. Ivan Porter II, a Mayo Clinic nephrologist, says high blood pressure can lead to heart ...Read more

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Understanding measles and the current outbreak

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Measles used to be a common childhood illness years ago. At the beginning of this century, measles had been declared eliminated from the country. But now, measles, one of the most contagious diseases to spread, is returning at a record pace as 17 states have reported measles cases in 2024.

"There are many viruses that are either not contagious ...Read more

Steatotic Liver Disease Can Be Treated With Weight Loss, Exercise

Health Advice / Keith Roach /

DEAR DR. ROACH: I had right upper abdominal pain, and my doctor suspected gallbladder problems. The abdominal ultrasound showed that my gallbladder was normal, and the HIDA scan showed normal gallbladder function. But the ultrasound reported "hepatic steatosis," aka fatty liver disease. My labs were all normal, including an ALT test of 19.

My...Read more