Health Advice
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Pink noise, a popular sleep aid, could disrupt sleep quality, study suggests
PHILADELPHIA -- Marketed as a ticket to deeper sleep, the soft hum of pink noise has become part of millions’ nightly routines.
However, its use may come at the cost of sleep quality, a University of Pennsylvania study suggests.
Published last week in the medical journal Sleep, the study found that the presence of pink noise at night reduced...Read more
Public health workers are quitting over assignments to Guantánamo
Rebekah Stewart, a nurse at the U.S. Public Health Service, got a call last April that brought her to tears. She had been selected for deployment to the Trump administration’s new immigration detention operation at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.
This posting combined Donald Trump’s longtime passion to use the offshore base to move “some bad dudes...Read more
Washington considers requiring AI companies to add mental health safeguards
SEATTLE — As artificial intelligence chatbots become better at mimicking human conversations, the potential for damage has grown, particularly for people who turn to them for mental health advice and to discuss plans to harm themselves.
State lawmakers and Gov. Bob Ferguson are seeking to add mental health safeguards to AI chatbots through ...Read more
Obamacare sign-ups drop, but the extent won't be clear for months
More Americans than expected enrolled in Affordable Care Act health insurance plans for this year, after premium subsidies were dramatically cut — but it remains to be seen whether they’ll keep the coverage as their costs mount.
It’s all part of a drama that roiled the ACA’s 2026 open enrollment period. Congressional debate over whether...Read more
Colorado sues to block Trump administration from cutting public health grants
DENVER — Colorado filed a lawsuit Wednesday to prevent the Trump administration from canceling more than $25 million in grants for public health.
On Monday, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services notified Congress it wouldn’t pay $600 million worth of grants already awarded in Colorado, California, Illinois and Minnesota — all ...Read more
Illinois sues Trump administration over more than $100 million in planned cuts to health care grants
President Donald Trump’s administration is moving to cut more than $100 million in federal health care grants for Illinois, a step that was quickly met with a lawsuit filed by Attorney General Kwame Raoul and his peers in three other states.
Illinois, California, Colorado and Minnesota sued the Trump administration Wednesday over the Office ...Read more
What makes measles cases an outbreak? California reports first since 2020
Eight measles cases in Northern California have been classified as an outbreak of the highly contagious disease, state health officials said.
The outbreak is part of a national surge in measles cases that has the California Department of Public Health “strongly urging” Californians to be sure their measles vaccinations are up to date, the ...Read more
DHS must provide 'constitutionally adequate health care' at ICE detention center, judge rules
LOS ANGELES — A federal judge this week ordered ICE and the Department of Homeland Security to provide "constitutionally adequate health care" to people detained in California's newest and largest immigration detention center.
In her Tuesday ruling, U.S. District Judge Maxine M. Chesney also required an external monitor be appointed to ensure...Read more
Mass Gen, Dana-Farber researchers find that virus therapy boosts survival in glioblastoma patients
BOSTON — Glioblastoma patients, long shut out from immunotherapies that have transformed patient care in other cancers, could finally benefit from a new treatment option.
Boston cancer researchers have found that a virus-based therapy improves survival in patients with glioblastoma.
A team led by investigators at Mass General Brigham and ...Read more
Cases of dangerous 'superbug' reported in KY, other states. What one hospital is doing
LEXINGTON, Ky. — A “superbug” fungus is spreading in health care facilities across the country, and according to researchers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, represents a multi-drug resistant threat that requires early detection and response.
Candida auris, or C. auris, spreads easily in health care settings and ...Read more
Why is US health care still the most expensive in the world after decades of cost-cutting initiatives?
In announcing its “Great Healthcare Plan” in January 2026, the Trump administration became the latest in a long history of efforts by the U.S. government to rein in the soaring cost of health care.
As a physician and professor studying the intersection of business and health, I know that the challenges in reforming the sprawling U...Read more
Environmental Nutrition: Try plantains!
Plantains look like bananas but are bigger, with a neutral flavor and starchy texture similar to a potato. They’re typically cooked, steamed, boiled, and fried, rather than eaten raw.
The folklore
Plantains are thought to have originated in Southeast Asia, traced as far back as 500 B.C. Plantains are less common in American cooking, but that...Read more
Does an apple a day really keep the doctor away?
An apple a day alone won’t save you a trip to the doctor, but it may be a good start toward better health. The phrase “An apple a day keeps the doctor away” comes from an old Welsh saying that encouraged eating apples at bedtime to ward off illness. While they’re not quite the medical miracle the saying makes them sound like, apples do ...Read more
Chest pain that mimics a heart attack
Q: My sister went to the emergency room because she thought she was having a heart attack, but she ended up being diagnosed with costochondritis. What is that?
A: Costochondritis refers to inflammation of the costosternal joints, the cartilage between the ribs and the breastbone (sternum). It’s one of the most common causes of chest pain and ...Read more
Mayo Clinic Q&A: Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I have high blood pressure and was just diagnosed as having chronic kidney disease. I am disheartened by this news, but I also am determined to do more to improve my health. I know I may not be able to reverse my condition, but I am hoping to avoid dialysis or a kidney transplant for as long as possible.
ANSWER: Your ...Read more
US Cancer Institute studying ivermectin's 'ability to kill cancer cells'
The National Cancer Institute, the federal research agency charged with leading the war against the nation’s second-largest killer, is studying ivermectin as a potential cancer treatment, according to its top official.
“There are enough reports of it, enough interest in it, that we actually did — ivermectin, in particular — did engage ...Read more
Mayo Clinic Q&A: Diet tips during cancer treatment
DEAR MAYO CLINIC: My husband has been diagnosed with cancer. I know his treatment will be hard on him, and I want to help in any way with his diet. What do you recommend for us?
ANSWER: Cancer treatments can take a toll on a person's body. Your husband's treatment may cause nausea, changes in appetite, taste and smell, diarrhea or constipation,...Read more
Commentary: Rising costs, chronic disease and AI -- The fight to save US health care
In most industries, leaders can respond quickly when market conditions change. Within months, companies can shrink or expand their workforces, adopt innovative technologies, and reconfigure operations.
Health care lacks such flexibility. It takes a decade to train new physicians. Hospitals take years to plan, fund, and build — years longer ...Read more
LA County officials push new sales tax to offset Trump administration health care cuts
LOS ANGELES — L.A. County voters will be asked this June to hike the sales tax rate by a half-cent to soften the blow of federal funding cuts on the region's public health system.
The county Board of Supervisors voted 4 to 1 Tuesday to put the sales tax on the ballot. County officials estimate it would generate $1 billion per year to ...Read more
EPA to roll back finding tying emissions to public health
WASHINGTON — The EPA said Tuesday it would rescind the agency’s 2009 endangerment finding and all regulations based on its determination that greenhouse gas emissions are a threat to public health requiring regulation under the Clean Air Act.
The final rule is still under interagency review and hasn’t been made public or signed by ...Read more
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