LOS ANGELES — It is unclear when Billy Joel will perform again.

The 77-year-old singer has to take "a series of tests" before being able to tour again, he told the Hollywood Reporter in a health update following his 2025 brain disorder diagnosis.

"I'm not allowed to drive," Joel said in the interview published Thursday. "And I can't do ...Read more

NEW YORK — Songmaster and avid motorcycle lover Billy Joel is unable to drive and needs to undergo further tests to gauge if or when he can perform again, the legendary performer said in a recent interview.

“I have to take a series of tests before I know,” he told The Hollywood Reporter as he prepared to auction off more than 70 ...Read more

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Medicare Advantage plans are shrinking their footprint across the Sunshine State in 2027, forcing returning enrollees to re-examine their coverage before the Dec. 7 deadline.

Florida leads the nation in total Medicare Advantage plan discontinuations for 2027, dropping 8.7% from 611 plan offerings to 560 as insurers ...Read more

It’s election season, and we’re all awash in political ads, some dealing with issues like high grocery prices, others seeking to distract us from those issues. But one topic deserves voters’ attention, whether or not you see it in commercials: the impact that the upcoming elections will have on our health.

When the Trump administration ...Read more

What’s living in your gut determines whether you have a fever reaction to a vaccination, new research shows.

Fever is the most common reaction to a vaccination and could lead some people to delay or forego future shots, especially for modern vaccines such as the mRNA vaccine developed to fight COVID-19.

“The fear of vaccine-induced adverse...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota has confirmed another 18 cases of measles in the past week — one of its highest single-week totals in decades — amid two ongoing outbreaks in the state’s least-vaccinated counties.

“The case count will very likely grow in the days and weeks ahead,” the Minnesota Department of Health warned in a written ...Read more

RALEIGH, N.C. — Dr. Greg Murphy is a urologist who has worked in healthcare for decades, including with East Carolina University’s medical school and healthcare system.

Rep. Greg Murphy is a congressman who has represented North Carolina’s 3rd Congressional District since 2019, in a part of the state where ECU is a dominant employer and ...Read more

Prominent children’s hospitals and other providers of care to transgender youth are facing a new threat to funding from President Donald Trump’s administration.

A federal rule that took effect this week bars states from seeking U.S. funds for transgender youth medical care, including puberty blockers, hormones, or rare surgical ...Read more

Former Cornell student Jane Doe, who filed a civil lawsuit in September 2026 alleging that seven fraternity members raped her at a party, said the young men who assaulted her pressured her into taking the drug ketamine.

As an emergency room physician, medical toxicologist and the head of student health services at the University of ...Read more

The pitch behind California’s billionaire tax proposal is simple: Tax the richest residents in the nation’s wealthiest state to offset steep federal cuts to healthcare, food assistance, and education.

But if approved by voters in November, it’s unclear how much money the ballot initiative would raise, how quickly the funding would become ...Read more

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: My spouse was recently diagnosed with a blood cancer, and we're overwhelmed by everything we're being told. What should patients and families expect after a diagnosis, and how do doctors determine the right treatment?

ANSWER: A blood cancer diagnosis can bring a lot of information and uncertainty all at once. In the first days...Read more

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: My doctor told me my cancer has spread to my brain. What treatments are available, and what should I expect next?

ANSWER: Brain metastases, sometimes called "brain mets," occur when cancer that began elsewhere in the body spreads to the brain.

Treatment may include surgery, focused radiation, whole-brain radiation, medicines ...Read more

The hardest disease to care for when I was training as a pediatrician in the late 1970s was cystic fibrosis, a disease in which abnormally thick mucus secretions block the lungs’ airways and make it progressively harder to breathe.

Back then, there was no treatment for the disease itself. All we had was physical therapy to clear ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will send a “disease detective” to Pennsylvania this week to help address an ongoing measles outbreak that has now sickened more than 1,200 people across the state, an HHS official said.

The state requested the assistance of the CDC’s Epi-Aid program, part of the Epidemic ...Read more

Four words that parents in the classroom group chat dread to read: ‘My kid has lice.’

Head lice (Pediculus humanus capitis) are parasites that primarily infest children in childcare, preschool or elementary school. Having lice doesn’t indicate poor hygiene, despite a longstanding misconception driven by stigma, and lice don’t ...Read more

When many people think of an average lung cancer patient, they often imagine an older man smoking. But the face of lung cancer has changed. Over the past 15 years, more women, never smokers and younger people are being diagnosed with lung cancer.

In fact, lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among women, and more women die...Read more

FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Having no family history does not mean that someone can’t still get breast cancer, nor does having a double mastectomy.

While widespread awareness of breast cancer has helped save lives, persistent myths about the disease continue to cause dangerous delays in screening, treatment and follow-up. From misjudging age-...Read more

Enrolling in Medicare Part D isn’t a “one-and-done” decision. Leaving your plan on autopilot during open enrollment (Oct. 15-Dec. 7) could cost you hundreds in unexpected premiums and out-of-pocket fees. A different plan might offer a much better deal — especially if you’ve started new medications or your current drugs have ...Read more

Raisins are the most popular dried fruit in the U.S., beloved as a naturally sweet treat that’s also rich in important nutrients.

The folklore

Grapes have been dried into the tiny wrinkled gems we call raisins as early as 2,000 B.C. Raisins were not only revered as a delicious food, they were used as decor at feasts and religious ceremonies,...Read more

Q: I have a major dental procedure coming up. Do I need to stop taking any of my medications?

A: That’s an answer only your healthcare team can provide, and it depends on several factors, including the type of dental work you’re having and the specific drugs (and supplements) you take. But you’re not alone in wondering.

Many people find ...Read more