Half a year into the pandemic, it's well-accepted that coronavirus can be spread when an infected person expels respiratory droplets by coughing or sneezing.

But can the virus be transmitted in microscopically small droplets that are released into the air by talking or just breathing? And if so, could you contract the virus from across a room, ...Read more

Dates are often used as alternative sweeteners because of their natural sweetness, but are dates healthy or are they just another form of sugar?

This sweet food contains more than just carbohydrates and sugars: dates are packed full of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and other health-promoting nutrients that can help you stay healthy. Dates ...Read more

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: Is minimally invasive heart surgery to repair a mitral valve a safer option than open-heart surgery? Is it common for a surgeon to have to switch to an open-heart procedure after starting the surgery?

ANSWER: Both minimally invasive heart surgery and traditional surgery that involves opening the chest bone — a procedure ...Read more

Dear Mayo Clinic: My father has a history of kidney stones. He has changed his diet in the past year, which seemed to help. I'm concerned though, since I had heard kidney stones can increase during the summer. Is this true? If so, are there any tips for how he can further reduce his risk?

Answer: As temperatures rise during the summer months, ...Read more

When an employee told a group of 20-somethings they needed face masks to enter his fast-food restaurant, one woman fired off a stream of expletives. "Isn't this Orange County?" snapped a man in the group. "We don't have to wear masks!"

The curses came as a shock, but not really a surprise, to Nilu Patel, a certified registered nurse anesthetist...Read more

As her mother lay dying in a Southern California hospital in early May, Elishia Breed was home in Oregon, 800 miles away, separated not only by the distance, but also by the cruelty of the coronavirus.

Because of the pandemic, it wasn't safe to visit her mom, Patti Breed-Rabitoy, who had entered a hospital alone, days earlier, with a high fever...Read more

Most tick bites are painless and cause only minor signs and symptoms, such as redness, swelling or a sore on the skin. But some ticks transmit bacteria that cause illnesses, including Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever. In general, to transmit Lyme disease a tick needs to be attached for at least 36 hours. Other infections can be ...Read more

The Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently added to the list of symptoms for the novel coronavirus.

Because of a wide range of ailments reported by patients, the CDC has expanded the list of potential symptoms that originally was shortness of breath, cough and fever.

In April, the CDC added chills, repeated shaking ...Read more

Without medication to manage her plaque psoriasis, Jennifer Brown's face, scalp, trunk and neck periodically become covered in painful red, flaky patches so dry they crack and bleed.

She has gotten relief from medications, but they come at a high price. For a while she was on Humira, made by AbbVie, with an average retail price of roughly $8,...Read more

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Today, like every day, Eric Verdin will cycle the steep hills of Marin County. He'll wait until noon to eat his first meal. He'll wear a mask and stay socially distanced. He'll be asleep no later than 11 p.m.

Despite his excellent health, the 63-year-old scientist and CEO of the Buck Institute for Research on Aging knows he ...Read more

WASHINGTON -- As the coronavirus outbreak swept the country, President Donald Trump for months promised high-tech solutions just over the horizon: thousands of new ventilators, miracle drugs and vaccines developed at "warp speed."

He has shown decidedly less enthusiasm for simpler steps such mask-wearing and social distancing. That has ...Read more

A vaccine to prevent COVID-19 is perhaps the best hope for ending the pandemic. Currently, there is no vaccine to prevent infection with the COVID-19 virus, but researchers are racing to create one.

Coronavirus vaccine research

Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that cause illnesses such as the common cold, severe acute respiratory syndrome...Read more

It's the season of summer picnics and barbecues. Make sure your family gathering doesn't end up with a bout of food poisoning. More than 1 million Americans each year become sick with salmonella infection. Most people get sick from eating foods contaminated with salmonella bacteria including fresh produce, raw eggs and uncooked meat. Dr. Summer ...Read more

When pain radiated from Fred Thomas' neck down his arm and he couldn't feel his fingers anymore, he knew it was time to talk to a doctor.

After getting an MRI ordered by his primary-care doctor, the 49-year-old land surveyor had several phone conversations with a Rothman Orthopaedic Institute specialist he'd never met to discuss the problem and...Read more

Barely three months ago, the anti-malarial drug that President Donald Trump touted seemed like such a sure bet against COVID-19 that Susanna Naggie had a tough time setting up a national clinical trial comparing it to placebo. Colleagues said giving a fake pill would be unethical since the real thing might save lives.

Now, hydroxychloroquine, ...Read more

With a tiny brush, briefly swab the vagina to collect cells. Then slide the swab into a screening kit and drop it into the mail.

Proponents believe a simple test like this, which can be done at home, may help the U.S. move closer to eradicating cervical cancer. The National Cancer Institute plans to launch a multisite study next year involving ...Read more

Is there a hotter nutrition term than “superfood”? The term typically refers to foods with particular health benefits, but is this merely a marketing term, or is there actually science behind these superfoods?

“There is no legal definition of ‘superfood,’ but the broadest definition is it’s a food that has extraordinary nutritional ...Read more