Mayo Clinic physicians are working hard to change how clinicians and patients think about aging. A new publication in Mayo Clinic Proceedings outlines a new framework for "healthspan" — the years of life spent in good health, with preserved function, cognition and independence.

The paper, coauthored by Christina Chen, M.D., a Mayo Clinic ...Read more

In September 2016, a distraught mother sent infant formula maker Mead Johnson a message:

"REMOVE ME FROM YOUR LIST!!!! DO NOT EMAIL OR MAIL ME ANY MORE!

"It is because of your animal based pre-term artificial baby food crap that you peddle to hospital NICU's that my son is dead from NEC."

The mother was referring to neonatal intensive care ...Read more

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Even though almost every incumbent running in the primaries moved onto the general election, the sniping between the South Carolina House GOP caucus and the Freedom Caucus carried over into a new set of summer arguments.

The latest gripes between the two factions that has divided state House Republicans is over whether people...Read more

State and local health officials are tracking dozens of cases of an illness caused by an intestinal parasite with symptoms including "explosive" bowel movements.

Cyclosporiasis, caused by the parasite Cyclospora caytanensis, spreads through contaminated food and water.

Pennsylvania had recorded 28 cases this year as of last week, including 14 ...Read more

NEW YORK — Upper East Side residents demanded answers from health officials at a town hall Tuesday as the number of cases of Legionnaires’ disease in the area climbed to 23, with 17 people hospitalized, according to the latest figures from the city’s Health Department.

Several of those hospitalized are in critical condition in the ...Read more

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Lawmakers, district attorneys and community members celebrated the signing of Assembly Bill 46 in a Tuesday press conference.

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed AB 46 into law on June 29. The newly signed law, authored by Assemblymember Stephanie Nguyen, D-Elk Grove, expands courts’ ability to deny mental health diversion to ...Read more

Some Illinois residents might find themselves running to the bathroom more often than usual this summer, amid higher numbers of cases of cyclosporiasis — an intestinal illness that can cause explosive diarrhea.

Illinois has had 141 reported cases so far this year of cyclosporiasis, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health. It’...Read more

A fellow U.S. senator says one reason why few are commenting on Sen. Mitch McConnell’s condition is because they have very little information about his status.

Democrats have pushed for more transparency about McConnell’s health in the weeks since he was hospitalized for unknown reasons, though some GOP politicians and backers say they’ve...Read more

SAN DIEGO — San Diego County announced its first locally acquired case of Chagas disease Monday. Left untreated, the parasitic illness can cause cardiovascular and digestive problems, even sudden death, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

While most infections occur in Latin America, Dr. Mark Beatty, an assistant...Read more

An insulin inhaler proved safe for treating children as young as 4 years old, improving satisfaction and reducing weight gain compared with those taking injected insulin, researchers from Johns Hopkins Hospital told The Baltimore Sun.

“Studies have shown that inhaled insulin works just as well as injectable insulin for mealtime glycemic ...Read more

If you or someone you know may be experiencing a mental health crisis, contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by dialing or texting “988.”

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QUINCY, Calif. — When Taletha Washburn and the staff at Plumas Charter School first heard that California wanted to help schools treat more kids struggling with mental health, it felt like a ...Read more

A professional in-home caregiver lost her coverage for Zepbound. She soon realized getting it back was not straightforward.

Deborah Finley, 50, of Lodi, California, said her weight started to worry her during the early days of COVID. That's when she noticed a lot of the people who were on ventilators or dying had something in common: obesity.

...Read more

When President Donald Trump signed an executive order this spring to speed up FDA approval of psychedelic treatments, he echoed a push for healing long championed in California. I know these benefits myself — but also devastation.

In 2023, my husband and I enrolled in a clinical trial using MDMA (commonly known as ecstasy). I found this ...Read more

One issue will decide Steven Cohen’s vote for Nevada governor this fall: Which candidate can best protect him from getting kicked off Medicaid?

Cohen is a 38-year-old Las Vegas resident with autism and has dual enrollment in Medicaid and Medicare. He said he’s very concerned that he could lose his Medicaid coverage once work requirements ...Read more

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — As West Nile virus cases across the country surge to the highest levels in years, officials said Monday that the first Yolo County mosquito sample of the season tested positive for the virus.

The Sacramento-Yolo Mosquito & Vector Control District said in a news release that the mosquito sample was found Monday in Madison,...Read more

Nine in 10 Americans say they support organ donation. Far fewer sign up to become donors, while more than 100,000 people nationwide are waiting for lifesaving transplants.

Donor Network West and other organ donation organizations across the country have spent years trying to close that gap through outreach at hospitals, schools, DMV offices and...Read more

Imagine an ordinary Tuesday. You wash your hair, put on deodorant, drink coffee, pack lunch in a plastic container and commute through traffic to get to work. At work, the custodial staff wipes down a shared table with disinfectant. At home, you cook dinner, clean the kitchen and run the dishwasher.

Each of these ordinary moments can ...Read more

Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to curiouskidsus@theconversation.com.

Why are our fingers different lengths? – Betty, age 8, California

It was one of those rushed mornings when I was already running late for work. In my hurry to grab my keys ...Read more

Swollen glands or lymph nodes are a frequent concern for parents, since they're so common in children. Young children often have swollen glands because their bodies' defenses are constantly at work trying to protect them from new germs they encounter every day. In most cases, the swelling goes down once the body fights off the offending germ.

...Read more

LADUE, Mo. — Over four consecutive days in January, Margaret Hvatum ran a 5K, a 10K, a half-marathon, and a full marathon. The 70-year-old covered a combined distance that’s nearly equivalent to running the length of Manhattan four times.

By the end of the month, she was in a hospital bed.

Hvatum, a part-time computer science professor, ...Read more