Health Advice
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A Combination of BP Meds Can Be More Effective Than Just One
DEAR DR. ROACH: I'm a 69-year-old woman who's been on different blood pressure medications for a very long time. I was on 20 mg of lisinopril and 5 mg of amlodipine for a while, but my blood pressure spiked to 190/100 mm Hg. My doctor then increased the amlodipine to 10 mg, which brought my blood pressure down somewhat, but I still was often in ...Read more
Do you know the 3-hour rule?
We're a nation of late-night snackers. The Sleep Foundation says that 93% of adults have a late-night snack at least once a week, and most folks snack around four nights out of seven. Other survey data on more than 1.2 million folks shows that 25% of snackers prefer to eat late at night.
If that's you, you're at risk for elevated blood pressure...Read more
Stellantis employees raise health concerns after 5-day office return
Michigan health and safety regulators inspected Stellantis NV's headquarters in Auburn Hills, Michigan, earlier this year after getting a report that "dozens" of employees in the tower part of the building were suffering from various ailments after returning to the office, records show.
Reported health issues included nose bleeds, migraines, ...Read more
More than 140,000 Americans die from COPD each year – here’s why survival depends on more than avoiding smoking
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, caused 141,733 deaths in the United States in 2023 – the latest data that has been reported. That number reflects not just the effects of smoking, but a broader set of medical and social factors that shape who survives.
As of early 2026, COPD remains the fifth-leading cause of death ...Read more
Wearable glucose monitors offer real-time data, but for healthy people no guidelines exist to interpret the numbers
Keeping tabs on blood sugar throughout the day used to be the exclusive domain of people with diabetes. But in 2026, anyone can buy a user-friendly wearable device that provides minute-by-minute readouts on how their glucose levels respond to food and movement.
These glucose numbers are increasingly being tracked by people who are ...Read more
How the concept of ‘medical freedom’ is reshaping the military’s decades-long stance on the flu vaccine mandate − and endangering troops’ readiness
For the first time in almost 80 years, U.S. service members will no longer be mandated to receive the annual influenza vaccine.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the change on April 22, 2026. Citing medical autonomy and religious freedom, he described the requirement as “overly broad and not rational,” telling troops that �...Read more
Immigration debate, upfront costs are hurdles for hepatitis C bill
Despite bipartisan agreement on the need for testing and treatment for the life-threatening liver disease hepatitis C, potentially hundreds of thousands of Americans remain untreated or even unaware they’re infected as efforts to expand access to cures have stalled in Congress.
Legislation introduced last year has struggled to gain traction ...Read more
Deadly liver disease, rooted out elsewhere, retains grip on US
It was hailed as a “triumph of 21st century medicine” — a daily pill that cures a life-threatening liver disease in a matter of weeks with minimal side effects and a success rate of more than 95 percent.
But more than a decade after direct-acting antivirals to cure hepatitis C hit the market, potentially hundreds of thousands of ...Read more
After long fight, Idaho Downwinders stricken by cancer can get compensation
BOISE, Idaho — Mary Alice Glen was 37 years old when she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1996. Years earlier, her mother died from ovarian cancer. One of her sisters had breast cancer. A brother had colorectal cancer.
In the early 2000s, when Glen was in remission, people in her community in Boise were having recurrences of breast cancer ...Read more
Montana moves ahead with doula pay but warns Medicaid cuts still may come
Montana officials said they are moving forward with plans to allow Medicaid to pay doulas, reversing a previous statement that budget problems had prompted them to pause the effort to reimburse the birth workers.
But officials warned that all optional Medicaid services are still under review as the state health department looks for cuts to ...Read more
Confucius says ... eating with awareness will help you lose weight
Around 50% of you who go on a diet to lose weight regain whatever pounds you shed within two years. That may be from adopting an overly restrictive diet that you run from emotionally and physically when you stop following it. It may also happen because of metabolic changes that the diet or medication caused (like appetite suppression) that ...Read more
Cholesterol Suddenly Raises, Possibly Due To Personal Variation
DEAR DR. ROACH: I'm a 74-year-old male in good health. My lab work has been pretty consistent over several years. My cholesterol level is always below 200 mg/dL with a high HDL (80 mg/dL). All of these results over the years have been done at the same commercial lab company.
I recently had blood drawn, but this time, I used a different lab. ...Read more
What to know about Gov. Ron DeSantis' push this week to change Florida's vaccine mandates
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The DeSantis administration’s highly publicized plan to eliminate Florida vaccine requirements has, so far, not materialized.
Even a watered-down proposal from lawmakers to make it easier for parents to opt their children out of immunization requirements died earlier this year after the House refused to take it up.
But ...Read more
Ask the Pediatrician: High and low blood sugar in kids: Signs, causes and how to help
All of the cells in our body depend on sugar in our blood -- primarily glucose as the main source of energy. This sugar comes from the foods that we eat. Certain organs in our body also make and store sugar.
The body functions best when it is in balance with the correct amount of glucose in the blood, a condition called euglycemia. In this ...Read more
At this medical respite, homeless Philadelphians get desperately needed care
PHILADELPHIA -- After months of living on the streets, Alexis DiBella felt she had finally turned a corner at the end of last year.
The 31-year-old had just gotten a bed in a women’s shelter. Excited to “dig into life again” after a frigid winter, she brushed off some lingering pain in her feet.
Over a few days, they grew red and swollen...Read more
The ever-expanding benefits of vaccines
It makes sense that getting kids vaccinated against rubella (German measles) does more than protect each individual child. After all, if a sick child infects a pregnant woman, she may miscarry or her baby may be born deaf, blind or with developmental delays.
But we're finding out more every day about how vaccines have benefits that were never ...Read more
A Tooth Extraction Presents A Risk For Osteonecrosis Of The Jaw
DEAR DR. ROACH: I'm a 79-year-old female who's in good health. I am 5 feet tall and weigh 95 pounds, and I'm very active. I've been taking Prolia for the past two to three years for osteoporosis, which has since improved to osteopenia. Right after this past Prolia shot, I developed discomfort in my mouth and was told that I have a cracked root...Read more
Tufts Medical Center announced new living donor liver transplant program
Tufts Medical Center has received approval to perform living donor liver transplants effective immediately, the health care provider announced.
“By offering living donor liver transplantation, we are opening new pathways to life-saving care and providing hope to patients with end-stage liver disease who might otherwise face extended — and ...Read more
Your body already has a built-in weight loss system that works like Wegovy, Ozempic and Mounjaro – food and your gut microbiome
Wegovy, Ozempic and Mounjaro are weight loss and diabetes drugs that have made quite a splash in health news. They target regulatory pathways involved in both obesity and diabetes and are widely considered breakthroughs for weight loss and blood sugar control.
But do these drugs point toward a root cause of metabolic disease? What ...Read more
Mayo Clinic Q&A: What is life like after an organ transplant or donation?
DEAR MAYO CLINIC: A close friend of mine recently received an organ transplant, and another acquaintance is considering becoming a living donor. What is life really like after an organ transplant or donation?
ANSWER: Organ transplantation is often described as a second chance at life, and for many people, that description is accurate. The ...Read more
Inside Health Advice
Popular Stories
- More than 140,000 Americans die from COPD each year – here’s why survival depends on more than avoiding smoking
- Deadly liver disease, rooted out elsewhere, retains grip on US
- How the concept of ‘medical freedom’ is reshaping the military’s decades-long stance on the flu vaccine mandate − and endangering troops’ readiness
- Wearable glucose monitors offer real-time data, but for healthy people no guidelines exist to interpret the numbers
- After long fight, Idaho Downwinders stricken by cancer can get compensation
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