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Landmark study of cancer in Black women launches in Georgia

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

ATLANTA — Despite major improvements in cancer prevention and treatment over the past few decades, a stark reality remains: Black women have the lowest survival rate of any racial or ethnic group in the U.S. for most cancers.

The disparity is particularly stark for breast cancer which kills Black women at a 40% higher rate than white women. ...Read more

Don Crosslin/KFF Health News/TNS

Amgen plows ahead with costly, highly toxic cancer dosing despite FDA challenge

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

When doctors began using the drug sotorasib in 2021 with high expectations for its innovative approach to attacking lung cancer, retired medical technician Don Crosslin was an early beneficiary. Crosslin started the drug that July. His tumors shrank, then stabilized.

But while the drug has helped keep him alive, its side effects have gradually ...Read more

Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times/TNS

A mother's loss launches a global effort to fight antibiotic resistance

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

LOS ANGELES -- In November 2017, days after her daughter Mallory Smith died from a drug-resistant infection at the age of 25, Diane Shader Smith typed a password into Mallory's laptop.

Her daughter gave it to her before undergoing double-lung transplant surgery, with instructions to share any writing that could help others if she didn't survive...Read more

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution/TNS

Hospitals no longer must report COVID data to CDC, spotlighting clunky system

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

As COVID-19 swept over Phoebe Putney Health System and Southwest Georgia in the first days of the pandemic, residents and public health officials were desperate to know what patients had and how far it was spreading. The Albany, Georgia-based outbreak turned out to be one of the four largest in the world in terms of the percentage of the ...Read more

Counterfeit Botox found in California. Here's how to spot fake products and report them

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Counterfeit versions of Botox have been found in multiple states, including California, according to the California Department of Public Health.

The health agency is warning consumers and medical providers to be wary of the counterfeit products, which have caused “hospitalizations and other serious reactions in people who received injections ...Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

Bird flu has spread to cows in Colorado. Is avian influenza threat? We answer your questions.

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

DENVER — The bird flu has arrived in Colorado, and while it doesn’t represent anywhere near the threat that COVID-19 did at the beginning of the pandemic, people should take some precautions with animals that could carry it, experts say.

The Denver Post compiled the latest information on H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza, the bird flu ...Read more

Arizona’s now-repealed abortion ban serves as a cautionary tale for reproductive health care across the US

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

When the Arizona Supreme Court ruled on April 9, 2024, that the state’s Civil War-era law banning nearly all abortions was enforceable, it brought into stark reality the potential impacts of leaving reproductive rights up to the states to regulate, and the related consequences for women’s health.

The ruling, set to go into effect ...Read more

Environmental Nutrition: Lime time!

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Tart and tangy, limes are the key ingredient that make flavors pop in our favorite sweet and savory foods.

The folklore

This tiny citrus fruit can certainly steal the spotlight as the star in tasty key lime pie, limeade and margaritas, but it shines even brighter in supporting roles, lending brightness and zing as condiment, garnish or finish....Read more

6 healthy summer foods to add to your diet

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

It’s almost summer — that amazing time of year when fresh produce abounds. We love that there’s an abundance of fresh, delicious and healthy choices. Better yet, many of summer’s fruits and vegetables are brimming with secret health benefits. Here are some of our favorites and why they're a particularly good choice in the summer.

1. ...Read more

Mayo Clinic Q&A: How can hospice care provide comfort to those with terminal illnesses?

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I have a loved one who was referred for hospice care. I’m not sure what this means. Can you share more about what hospice care is and how it may help my family member?

ANSWER: Hospice care might be an option for people who are nearing the end of life due to a terminal illness and have exhausted all other treatment options.

...Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

Mayo Clinic Q & A: Seeing clearly: Understanding pink eye

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: My entire family was recently affected by pink eye, including my mom, my nephews, my sister and even her dog! How is it so contagious? And what is it?

ANSWER: Pink eye is an inflammation of the lining of the eyelid and eyeball. The medical term for pink eye is conjunctivitis. Just as its name, pink eye, tells us, the most ...Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

Mayo Clinic Q&A: Managing migraine: What's right for me?

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I've dealt with migraine attacks for years. So has my mom. I typically manage by using over-the-counter pain medication that includes caffeine as soon as my symptoms begin. Then, if my migraine doesn't improve, I use a prescription triptan medication. But my headache days have been increasing, and my doctor suggested I try a ...Read more

Joe Amon/The Denver Post/TNS

Do dying people have a 'right to try' magic mushrooms? 9th Circuit weighs case

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Do dying patients have a "right to try" illegal drugs such as psilocybin and MDMA if they might alleviate end-of-life suffering from anxiety and depression?

That question is now before one of the nation's highest courts, with a Seattle-based palliative care physician appealing a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration decision barring him from ...Read more

Lydia Zuraw/KFF Health News/TNS

California is investing $500M in therapy apps for youth. Advocates fear it won't pay off

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

With little pomp, California launched two apps at the start of the year offering free behavioral health services to youths to help them cope with everything from living with anxiety to body acceptance.

Through their phones, young people and some caregivers can meet BrightLife Kids and Soluna coaches, some who specialize in peer support or ...Read more

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images North America/TNS

Bird flu is bad for poultry and dairy cows. It's not a dire threat for most of us -- yet

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Headlines are flying after the Department of Agriculture confirmed that the H5N1 bird flu virus has infected dairy cows around the country. Tests have detected the virus among cattle in nine states, mainly in Texas and New Mexico, and most recently in Colorado, said Nirav Shah, principal deputy director at the Centers for Disease Control and ...Read more

Lung cancer is the deadliest of all cancers, and screening could save many lives − if more people could access it

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Many medical organizations have been recommending lung cancer screening for decades for those at high risk of developing the disease.

But in 2022, less than 6% of people in the U.S. eligible for screening actually got screened. Compared with other common cancer screenings, lung cancer screening rates fall terribly behind. For ...Read more

Barbro Bergfeldt/Dreamstime/TNS

Mayo Clinic Q & A: Going plant-based: Exploring the myths, health benefits

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: More and more of my friends are following the plant-based diet trend. Is that the same as going vegan? Is it healthy for you? What can I actually eat?

ANSWER: Plant-based foods go beyond a "boring salad." With a whole-food plant-based diet, we focus on eating foods that are primarily coming from plants and that occur in their ...Read more

Leila Navidi/Minneapolis Star Tribune/TNS

One day in the frantic life of a children's emergency room nurse

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

It's not exactly a superpower, but nurse Joe Schwartz can tell with his nose what is causing his patient in the Children's hospital emergency department in St. Paul to look so weak, so bony thin.

When 10-year-old Juliana Jones says hello, Schwartz smells a sharp odor, like fruit gone bad, on her breath. It suggests acid buildup in her body, ...Read more

Vanessa G. Sánchez/KFF Health News/TNS

'Breaking a promise': California deficit could halt raises for disability workers

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Families of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities say Gov. Gavin Newsom is reneging on a scheduled raise for the workers who care for their loved ones, and advocates warn of potential lawsuits if disability services become harder to get.

Citing California’s budget deficit, the Democratic governor wants...Read more

Matt Stone/Boston Herald/TNS

Steward Health goes bankrupt after mounting financial trouble

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Steward Health Care System LLC filed for bankruptcy early Monday after a period of mounting financial challenges and government scrutiny over the impact of its hospital closures on patients.

The Dallas-based firm is finalizing a rescue loan with landlord Medical Properties Trust Inc., according to the filing. It sought Chapter 11 protection in...Read more