For too many women, the journey to motherhood ends in death. Maternal mortality – the death of a woman during pregnancy or within 42 days of giving birth – is not a rare tragedy. Globally, the maternal mortality rate is unacceptably high – about 260,000 women died during and following pregnancy and childbirth in 2023. In the U.S., it is...Read more

You know the feeling – the itchy eye that is just begging to be scratched.

Before you start rubbing your eyes, you may want to think twice about the potential consequences.

While eye rubbing may seem harmless, people who rub their eyes are at risk of infections or damage to their cornea.

Fortunately, there are a ...Read more

New diets seem to pop up every week, often promising fast weight loss, better health or “detox” benefits. While some eating plans are helpful,manyarefaddietsthataren’tsustainable—or healthy.

One major red flag is big promises with little effort, such as losing a large amount of weight in a short time or “resetting” your metabolism. ...Read more

Pizza may not be a superfood, but it can still be a nutritious choice when you opt for lower-calorie toppings that offer vitamins, minerals, and protein. Here are some of the healthiest foods to add to your favorite pizza slice if you're looking to boost its nutritional value.

1. Spinach

Spinach is a nutrient-dense, low-calorie leafy green ...Read more

When planning for retirement, most people focus on the risks they can measure: Market volatility, inflation, withdrawal rates and how long their savings need to last.

Healthcare is usually handled differently. It’s often treated as a number to estimate, not something to actively manage, which can fall short of how these costs actually develop...Read more

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I received a notice from my health system that I’m due for a colorectal cancer screening. I’m 45. Do I really need to have this done now?

ANSWER: It’s easy to be confused or overwhelmed by screening recommendations for common types of cancer. Your health care team is a trusted resource for keeping you up to date on ...Read more

Huffing and puffing at the end of a workout, you’re spent. But somehow, you realize you’re still holding tension in your muscles. How can that be?

There’s a lot to be said for conventional exercise and its ability to rev up our cardiovascular system as well as strengthen and stretch our muscles. But a distinctive approach to movement ...Read more

Earlier this spring, the House Ways and Means Committee confronted hospital CEOs with horror stories Americans know far too well. Chairman Jason Smith highlighted outrageous bills detached from reality, remarking that “patients [are] at the mercy of hospital empires.”

A family in California was charged $300,000 for a toddler’s snake bite....Read more

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, but awareness alone cannot save us. Men of color are already painfully aware that something is wrong. We feel it in our sleeplessness. In our blood pressure. In the marriages that strain under emotional distance. In the fathers who never learned how to say “I’m not OK.” In the sons trying to inherit ...Read more

For many, GLP-1 drugs like Zepbound and Wegovy offered an ideal solution to diabetes and weight loss: a shot or pill that regulates blood sugar, curbs appetite and promotes weight loss without the need for complicated diet and exercise regimens. Today, one in eight Americans takes some form of GLP-1 medication, according to a Kaiser Family ...Read more

Federal regulators fast-tracked approval of psychedelic drugs to treat some of the nation’s most stubborn mental health disorders, reopening a debate that has lingered since the counterculture era: Are hallucinogens dangerous drugs of abuse, breakthrough medicines, or both?

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced in April that it ...Read more

The state of Michigan is no longer recommending that infants as young as 6 months get an early dose of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine.

In early April, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services issued a temporary recommendation that families in southeast Michigan have their infants vaccinated between the ages of 6-11 ...Read more

Eli Lilly & Co. is on a record spending spree, announcing acquisitions worth more than $20 billion so far in 2026 as the drugmaker expands beyond its blockbuster obesity franchise.

In recent weeks, Lilly has pledged to shell out up to $7.8 billion for sleep drugmaker Centessa Pharmaceuticals Plc and up to $7 billion for cancer drug developer ...Read more

Ebola is spreading faster in Democratic Republic of Congo than responders can contain it, the World Health Organization warned, as suspected deaths climbed above 220 and treatment centers came under attack in the country’s conflict-hit east.

Congo has reported 101 confirmed Ebola infections, 930 suspected cases and 221 suspected deaths, ...Read more

The debate over health insurance in the United States has returned to the forefront as the Affordable Care Act faces political pressure, insurance premiums continue to climb and physicians experience increasing restrictions from insurance companies. A recent poll shows that roughly 62% to 68% of Americans believe the government has a ...Read more

Stroke can happen anywhere to anyone. In the U.S., someone has a stroke every 40 seconds. And Mayo Clinic experts say knowing the risk factors of stroke can help prevent long-term disability and even death. Learn more.

"Close to 90% of all strokes are preventable," says Dr. Felix Chukwudelunzu, a Mayo Clinic neurologist.

The first step in ...Read more

In 1996, Guinea-Bissau seemed like an ideal research post for budding pediatrician Lone Graff Stensballe. Her supervisor, a fellow Dane named Peter Aaby, had spent nearly two decades collecting data on 100,000 people living in the mud brick homes of the West African country's capital.

Aaby and his partner, Christine Stabell Benn, believed that ...Read more

My friend Emma Cooksey dozed off driving her 7-month-old baby home one day. She narrowly avoided a catastrophic crash.

Her lousy sleep was the problem. It haunted her nearly her entire adult life. She talked to doctors about it over and over again, but to no avail. After this near miss, she knew she desperately needed an answer.

Because she ...Read more

The Ebola crisis in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has drawn about $500 million in global pledges as African leaders and international health officials warned the outbreak risks spreading across the continent.

The commitments, announced during a briefing of state officials on Monday, have more than doubled from the almost $208 million ...Read more