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Will soaring health care premiums tank your early retirement?

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

There’s a new threat that could force Americans to scrap their early-retirement plans: skyrocketing health care costs. The enhanced Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies that expired at the end of 2025. That means 24 million Americans will see a sharp spike in their health care costs unless Congress extends the money-saving premium tax credits. ...Read more

5 habits that supercharge your metabolism

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Metabolism can be a tricky concept to understand: Some people are born with a fast-acting system, while others struggle with a slower one. “Metabolism is the sum of all biochemical reactions taking place in our body,” explains clinical research scientist Momo Vuyisich, Ph.D.

“These include muscle contraction, food digestion, nutrient ...Read more

Caution: Sprinkle this savory seasoning with care

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Health-conscious folks have long sprinkled nutritional yeast flakes — a vegan version of parmesan cheese — on popcorn, pasta, salad, and more to provide an umami-rich (savory) flair. But you should know that this condiment sometimes functions like a supplement.

What is nutritional yeast?

Nutritional yeast is an inactivated strain of the ...Read more

Mayo Clinic Q&A: Why women need to take stroke seriously

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I read recently that stroke is one of the leading causes of death for women. I thought strokes mostly were a problem for men. Can you fill me in?

ANSWER: Ladies, the statistics are not in our favor. We need to take the risk of stroke seriously.

You’re not alone in your understanding of stroke risks for women. Many women ...Read more

More Evidence Bald Men Are Useless

Health Advice / Scott LaFee /

New research shows that hair can capture a chemical record of human exposure across days, week and even months. Writing in the journal Chemical Research in Toxicology, scientists at the University of Texas analyzed snippets of hair and found that for at least one chemical -- a class of common endocrine-disrupting plasticizer called phthalates ...Read more

Mark Adams/Dreamstime.com/TNS

Mayo Clinic Q&A: What does it mean to be in a cancer clinical trial?

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: Our daughter was recently diagnosed with cancer. She's interested in participating in a clinical trial but doesn't really know what that means or how to get involved. Can you help?

ANSWER: A cancer diagnosis can feel overwhelming and often comes with a long list of decisions to make.

Many people are surprised to learn that ...Read more

Patrick T. Fallon/AFP/GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/TNS

Editorial: Take precautions, including the vaccine, to guard against flu

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

This season’s flu is lurking right around the corner. Even if you’ve done the right thing and had the flu shot. Even if you haven’t had the flu for years.

Don’t make the mistake of taking this virus lightly. The main strain making the rounds is virulent and hard to shake.

By the end of December, the Centers for Disease Control ...Read more

Eating Well: 7 anti-inflammatory foods to stock up on in January

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

After a few weeks of holiday eating and social gatherings, you may be ready to get back to your normal routine. Cookies, processed foods, and extra cocktails are a delicious way to enjoy the season. Unfortunately, they are also foods that can increase inflammation when consumed regularly. While a few extra Christmas cookies aren’t going to ...Read more

Using Bright Light Therapy For Seasonal Affective Disorder

Health Advice / Keith Roach /

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am 78 and dislike the short gray days of winter. I know that light therapy is used for seasonal affective disorder (SAD), and I would like to try it. How do I know which light box or lamp is a good choice? (Does it block ultraviolet rays, provide the right amount of light, etc.?) -- K.J.

ANSWER: SAD is a subcategory of major...Read more

Brain gain, again

For decades, I've been sharing all available information about achieving a younger ActualAge -- especially when it comes to your brain power. The full range of self-care that protects your cognition includes high-quality nutrition, physical activity, sleep, stress management, having a posse and sense of purpose and enjoying speed-of-processing ...Read more

Environmental Nutrition: Make your diet less inflammatory

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Q: How can I make my diet less inflammatory?

A: While there isn’t one specific anti-inflammatory diet, experts say overall healthy eating patterns may reduce inflammation. To make your diet less inflammatory, focus on whole, nutrient-dense foods and reduce pro-inflammatory foods. Here are a few steps to try.

More anti-inflammatory foods

1. ...Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

Obamacare enrollment drops before deadline after subsidies expire

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

WASHINGTON — About 1.4 million fewer people have signed up for Obamacare plans so far compared to last year as a federal tax credit expires and consumers confront significantly higher premiums.

While the dropoff is less severe than projections by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office and others, experts warn more attrition is likely in...Read more

Katheryn Houghton/KFF Health News/TNS

In Montana, a Crow community works to rebuild from meth's destruction

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

LODGE GRASS, Mont. — Brothers Lonny and Teyon Fritzler walked amid the tall grass and cottonwood trees surrounding their boarded-up childhood home near the Little Bighorn River and daydreamed about ways to rebuild.

The rolling prairie outside the single-story clapboard home is where Lonny learned from their grandfather how to break horses. It...Read more

Scott Olson/Getty Images North America/TNS

California ends Medicaid coverage of weight loss drugs despite Trump plan

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Many low-income Californians prescribed wildly popular weight loss drugs lost their coverage for the medications at the start of the new year.

Health officials are recommending diet and exercise as alternatives to heavily advertised weight loss drugs like Wegovy and Zepbound, advice experts say is unrealistic.

“Of ...Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

Mayo Clinic Q&A: What heart-healthy habits should I consider starting in the new year?

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: Heart disease runs in my family, and I really want to avoid developing it myself if I can. What heart-health habits should I consider starting in the new year?

ANSWER: When it comes to heart health, prevention still delivers the greatest return. Taking steps now — no matter how small — provides far greater benefits than ...Read more

Skip tanning beds this winter -- heck, all the time!

You're stuck under cold, gray skies, dreaming of lying on a beach somewhere feeling the sun's warming rays. But in lieu of that, you figure why not get an indoor tan from a salon? Well, here's why not.

According to a study in Science Advances, tanning bed users develop twice as many genetic mutations (alternations in their DNA) as folks who don...Read more

Why Meningococcal Vaccines Aren't Recommend For Everyone

Health Advice / Keith Roach /

DEAR DR. ROACH: Why aren't meningococcal vaccines recommended for people over the age of 23? Are they assuming (wrongly) that most people have already received them or that most won't (again, probably wrongly) be exposed?

When I worked in the emergency room long ago before there was a vaccine, we had two patients in a row die from ...Read more

Robin Buckson, The Detroit News/The Detroit News/TNS

Michigan flu cases surge; some kids on ventilators, health officials say

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

DETROIT — Flu cases are surging in Michigan, state health experts say, as the flu season has hit harder and earlier than it typically does, according to several local health systems.

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services has recorded 2,110 influenza-related hospitalizations this flu season, including 306 among children ages 4 ...Read more

Aneri Pattani/KFF Health News/KFF Health News/TNS

Inside the battle for the future of addiction medicine

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

NEW ORLEANS — Elyse Stevens had a reputation for taking on complex medical cases. People who’d been battling addiction for decades. Chronic-pain patients on high doses of opioids. Sex workers and people living on the street.

“Many of my patients are messy, the ones that don’t know if they want to stop using drugs or not,” said Stevens...Read more

Lukas Gojda/Dreamstime/TNS

Ask the Pediatrician: How to talk with your teen about drugs an alcohol: What I tell every parent

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

After years of talking with teens and their parents about substance use, here's the single most important thing I've learned: Connection matters more than control.

I hear it from parents all the time: "I'm scared my teen might be using drugs, but I don't know how to bring it up." These fears are valid.

Although most teens don’t use drugs or...Read more

 

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