DEAR MAYO CLINIC: For years, I have been hearing about the advantages of taking CBD products for sleep, pain and just about anything that ails you. I now see these products everywhere being sold over the counter in drug stores. Is CBD beneficial, and does it live up to its claims?

ANSWER: CBD is one of the main cannabinoids found in the ...Read more

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I've been hearing a lot about lab tests that can look at my genetics to see how I metabolize medications. How does this work and why is it important for me to know how my body metabolizes medicine?

ANSWER: Testing for how a person metabolizes medications is called pharmacogenomics testing, or PGx testing for short. This is a ...Read more

It’s clear that the pandemic isn’t going to go away soon — and getting vaccinated remains an important tool in warding off COVID-19.

But if you’re undocumented, getting the vaccine can seem complicated.

Federal authorities have said that vaccines are open to everyone “regardless of immigration status.” So, if you are an ...Read more

MODESTO, Calif. — Britta Foster and Minerva Tiznado are in different leagues as far as health care is concerned.

Foster, who married into the family that owns the $2.5 billion Foster Farms chicken company, has Blue Shield coverage as well as a high-octane primary care plan that gives her 24/7 digital access to her doctor for a $5,900 annual ...Read more

For the past 18 months, while I was undergoing intensive physical therapy and many neurological tests after a complicated head injury, my friends would point to a silver lining: “Now you’ll be able to write about your own bills.” After all, I’d spent the past decade as a journalist covering the often-bankrupting cost of U.S. medical care...Read more

A cluster headache is a rare headache disorder that differs from a typical migraine or headache. Less than 1% of the population have cluster headaches, but for those people, it's an intense experience because the headaches come on fast and hit hard.

Imagine being woken up abruptly by excruciating head pain that reaches peak intensity in seconds...Read more

October is Bat Month and a good time to make sure they are not roosting in your home. The Humane Society of the United States has tips to evict them so they don't hibernate in your home for the winter.

Bats play an important role in many ecosystems around the world. They are a major predator of night-flying insects, including pests that cost ...Read more

The COVID-19 vaccination — along with the recently rolled out booster shot — is absolutely free, thanks to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Even so, nearly one-third of unvaccinated adults say they’re concerned about out-of-pocket costs, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation survey. Those concerns aren’t ...Read more

Traditionally, Western science has treated the mind and the body as separate entities, but the flood of research on the gut microbiota, and our understanding of the role it plays in physical health, is also having an impact on how we understand mental and cognitive health. It has also increased interest in learning how a nurturing a diverse gut ...Read more

Apples are sweet, crunchy and delicious — and they’ve always been known to be super-healthy (hence the saying “An apple a day ...”). Multiple studies show that, as part of a healthy diet, regularly eating apples can help prevent diabetes, reduce cholesterol, help fight heart disease, keep your brain sharp, protect against asthma and even...Read more

In the span of a few years, the component of cannabis called CBD (cannabidiol) went from being a relatively obscure molecule to a healthcare fad that has swept the world, spawning billions in sales, millions of users, CBD workout clothing, pillowcases, hamburgers, ice cream — you name it. The concerns of such a rapid adoption are that ...Read more

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I was reading about lung restoration and innovation in the field of lung transplantation. Can you share more about this?

ANSWER: Over the past several years, devices outside the body have been used to evaluate human lungs donated for organ transplant before the lungs are transplanted. In the future, lung restoration may ...Read more

CHICAGO — As a medical provider, Dr. Mahesh Ramachandran encouraged his patients to keep working as hard as they could in physical therapy, knowing that more effort could yield more results.

But then, he became a patient himself. And it left him with a new appreciation for the neurological work the patients put in every day as part of their ...Read more

Joanne Whitney, 84, a retired associate clinical professor of pharmacy at the University of California-San Francisco, often feels devalued when interacting with health care providers.

There was the time several years ago when she told an emergency room doctor that the antibiotic he wanted to prescribe wouldn’t counteract the kind of urinary ...Read more

Dear Healthy Men: What’s the top cause of death in men and what can guys do to reduce their risk?

A: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) — which includes heart disease, congestive heart failure, stroke, atrial fabulation (A-Fib) high blood pressure, and other conditions that affect the heart and blood vessels — is by far the biggest killer of ...Read more

An estimated 28 million children nationwide are expected to soon be eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine, pending the expected authorization of the Pfizer shot for kids 5 to 11 in the coming weeks.

The annual flu shot is recommended for everyone 6 months and older around this time of the year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and ...Read more

Q: My children are having a rough time as the pandemic drags on. What are the signs that they may need more support, and how can I help?

A: The ongoing stress, fear, grief and uncertainty from COVID-19 have weighed on all of us. Many children and teens have also had a tough time coping.

Over 120,000 children in the United States have lost a ...Read more

Calling all candy lovers!

Ohio State University researchers are seeking volunteers to help with a "sweet" new study.

Researchers are looking for about 3,000 participants to smell and consume a piece of hard candy every day for 90 days to screen for symptoms of COVID-19.

Participants will log into an app to report which flavor they tasted, as ...Read more

Patients diagnosed with COVID-19 may show neurological symptoms, such as loss of smell, delirium and cognitive impairment. Mayo Clinic researchers are investigating these side effects to determine whether being infected with COVID-19 influences development or progression of Alzheimer's disease and Alzheimer's disease-related dementias (ADRD).

...Read more

Some studies have suggested switching to e-cigarettes could help smokers stay away from regular cigarettes, which generally contain more harmful chemicals when burned. But new research shows the opposite effect.

People who quit smoking and switched to another form of tobacco use, including e-cigarettes, were more likely to relapse to regular ...Read more