Imagine being a dentist, and your clients roll their eyes at you, comment that you don’t know what you’re doing – or even spit at you.

Unimaginable, right? But that’s what nurses experience when patients or their families do the eye roll or hit, bite or spit at them. What’s more, a bedside nurse may repeatedly endure bad ...Read more

Medicare Advantage health plans are blasting a government proposal this week that would keep their reimbursement rates flat next year while making other payment changes.

But some health policy experts say the plan could help reduce billions of dollars in overcharges that have been common in the program for more than a decade.

On Jan. 26, ...Read more

Ever since Larry Wilkewitz retired more than 20 years ago from a wood products company, he’s had a commercial Medicare Advantage plan from the insurer Humana.

But two years ago, he heard about Peak Health, a new Advantage plan started by the West Virginia University Health System, where his doctors practice. It was cheaper and offered more ...Read more

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: A close friend of mine recently had an abnormal result on a routine Pap test that led to a cancer diagnosis. I know cancer screenings are important, but it's hard to keep track of which ones I should prioritize. Could you help me better understand cervical cancer screening and other screenings I should consider now?

...Read more

R&B star Ray J says his heart is only 25% functional and doctors have told him he has only months to live following a recent pneumonia hospitalization and heart failure diagnosis.

The “Sexy Can I” singer initially shared news of his hospitalization in an Instagram video over the weekend.

“My heart’s only beating 25%, but as long as I ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Ray J says his days are numbered — and the number he’s citing is 2027.

“Just almost died!! I’m alive because of your prayers and support!!” the singer wrote in an Instagram caption posted Sunday.

“I wanna thank everyone for praying for me. I was in the hospital,” he said in the accompanying video. “My heart is ...Read more

PONTIAC, Mich. — Oakland County has detected Legionella at two more of its buildings following a shrinking presence of bacteria inside two other buildings that initially had issues.

The county on Wednesday announced it detected two positive samples at the North Oakland Health Center and two at the county's Resource and Crisis Center from ...Read more

Medical marijuana could soon be reclassified into a medical category that includes prescription drugs like Tylenol with codeine, ketamine and anabolic steroids.

That’s because in December 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to reschedule marijuana to a less restricted category, continuing a process initiated by ...Read more

Q: How does cranberry juice support health?

A: Cranberry juice isn’t just a tart refresher. It offers real benefits, especially when you choose 100% pure juice with no added sugar.

Most well-known for its role in urinary tract health, cranberry juice contains proanthocyanidins (PACs) — plant compounds that help prevent bacteria like E. ...Read more

Health benefits of oranges include aiding digestion, hydration, and disease prevention. Their vitamin C content supports immune health.

1. Help with hydration

One navel orange provides about 4 ounces (a half cup) of water. Generally, women need about 92 ounces (11.5 cups) of fluids daily, while men need about 124 ounces (15.5 cups).

People ...Read more

The term “gum disease” sounds serious, and it is. Advanced stages cause bone and tooth loss, which affect your ability to eat, speak clearly, and socialize. And even early stages of gum disease are risky, increasing the chance of developing heart problems, Alzheimer’s disease, and other chronic conditions. Fortunately, simple steps can ...Read more

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: My neighbor had a stroke and received a “clot buster” medication. Then, I found out my uncle had a surgery after a stroke. Can you help me understand different kinds of stroke treatments? My neighbor seems almost back to normal, but my uncle is still in rehabilitation because of some paralysis on his left side.

ANSWER: We ...Read more

January would have marked the 53rd anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion nationwide — that is, until 2022, when the court overturned it. Since then, abortion has been banned in 13 states and severely limited in 10 others.

Yet anti-abortion activists remain frustrated, in some cases even more so ...Read more

Month after month, Patricia Hunter and other members of the Nursing Home Reform Coalition logged onto video calls with congressional representatives, seeking support for a proposed federal rule setting minimum staff levels for nursing homes.

Finally, after decades of advocacy, the Biden administration in 2023 tackled the problem of perennial ...Read more

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — A major HIV/AIDS health care organization is trying to stop Florida’s planned cuts to the state AIDS Drug Assistance Program, accusing the state of creating a rule without going through the required process.

The AIDS Healthcare Foundation filed a petition Tuesday in the Division of Administrative Hearings, challenging ...Read more

Eighty-nine new cases of measles have been reported in the Upstate since Friday, according to the South Carolina Department of Health.

That brings the total number of cases to 789 across the state, leaving 557 people in quarantine and 20 in isolation, according to a news release.

The department identified new cases at Dorman High, Inman ...Read more

Eat this, not that. This one food will cure everything. That food is poison. Cut this food out. Try this diet. Don’t eat at these times. Eat this food and you’ll lose weight. With society’s obsession with food, health and weight, statements like these are all over social media, gyms and even health care offices.

But do you need ...Read more

Health care in 2025 was consumed by chaos, conflict and relentless drama. Yet despite unprecedented political turmoil, cultural division and major technological breakthroughs, there was little meaningful improvement in how care is paid for or delivered.

That outcome was not surprising. American medicine is extraordinarily resistant to change. ...Read more

Adding robots to therapy can help autistic children develop foundational social skills like taking turns, making eye contact, and paying attention.

Researchers in Europe added a learning robot to one-on-one therapy sessions and to simpler setups, such as school or home settings. While treating autism spectrum disorders with robot-assisted ...Read more