There are already more than a dozen reasons people can use to avoid paying the penalty for not having health insurance. Now the federal government has added four more "hardship exemptions" that let people off the hook if they can't find a marketplace plan that meets not only their coverage needs but also reflects their view if they are opposed ...Read more

For the obsessively clean, beware. Those cleaning chemicals you spray all over to get your house spick-and-span may be hurting your lungs.

Dr. Clayton Cowl, a Mayo Clinic lung specialist and toxicologist says cleaning chemicals are a risk, but one that can be managed.

"Well, I think we all know that there are a lot of different chemicals that ...Read more

Several herbal remedies have been studied as a treatment for anxiety, but more research is needed to understand the risks and benefits. Here's what we know -- and don't know:

--Kava. Kava appeared to be a promising treatment for anxiety, but reports of serious liver damage -- even with short-term use -- caused the Food and Drug Administration ...Read more

ROCHESTER, Minn. -- Transplanted livers change the profile of blood cells in the recipients, reducing the potential for organ rejection, Mayo Clinic research shows. The findings are published in Kidney International.

For decades, transplant experts have observed that liver transplant recipients often need less anti-rejection medication, known ...Read more

Twelve-year-old Kristine Williams has logged a lot of time in the emergency room since she was diagnosed with mental health conditions about four years ago. But she has not been treated during any of her visits.

Mostly, the Elkton girl sits and waits -- for up to 24 hours a visit -- as hospital staff search for appropriate care elsewhere.

...Read more

Bad news, night owls.

Evening types have a 10 percent higher risk of dying than those up and at 'em in the morning, according to a new study from Northwestern Medicine and the United Kingdom's University of Surrey.

"This is the first study, to our knowledge, that was able to look at mortality risk," said Kristen Knutson, an associate professor...Read more

You see the labels out there -- organic, cage-free, natural -- but what does it all mean?

If you're trying to make better shopping choices for the environment by choosing "greener" or ethically made products, you're going to be bombarded by dozens of labels purporting to measure up to a certain standard, and probably charging more money for the...Read more

By now you are probably used to the probing questions your doctor asks during your annual checkup.

How have you been sleeping lately? Any increased stress at work? Problems at home? Have you engaged in any risky sexual activity?

Don't be surprised if, in the future, the questioning turns to guns.

With gun violence on the rise over the past ...Read more

Women are nearly twice as likely as men to be diagnosed with depression. Depression can occur at any age.

Some mood changes and depressed feelings occur with normal hormonal changes. But hormonal changes alone don't cause depression. Other biological factors, inherited traits, and personal life circumstances and experiences are associated with ...Read more

Two years ago, Dr. Daniel Cole's 85-year-old father had heart bypass surgery. He hasn't been quite the same since.

"He forgets things and will ask you the same thing several times," said Cole, a professor of clinical anesthesiology at UCLA and a past president of the American Society of Anesthesiologists.

"He never got back to his cognitive ...Read more

When you think of dementia, most people automatically think of Alzheimer's disease, too. But, under a new definition of Alzheimer's, the two terms no longer will be considered interchangeable.

The new definition is part of a new framework for researching Alzheimer's disease that the Alzheimer's Association and the National Institute on Aging ...Read more

The state of the union's health is improving. But it is doing so very unequally, and recent signs of progress are in danger of being reversed by diseases of excess and despair, including obesity, depression, suicide and substance abuse.

Those are the broad conclusions of a new roundup of Americans' vital signs published Tuesday in the Journal ...Read more

WASHINGTON--An estimated 20,000 poor parents in Mississippi would lose health coverage over five years under a state proposal to require Medicaid recipients to work for their benefits, researchers at Georgetown University reported Tuesday.

Childless adults aren't eligible for coverage under Medicaid in Mississippi, where children, seniors, low-...Read more

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- In one of the most aggressive efforts in the nation to curb soaring health care spending, a California measure introduced Monday would put the state in charge of setting prices for hospital stays, doctor's visits and most other medical services covered by commercial insurers.

The bill, backed by labor unions and consumer ...Read more

Do you catch yourself yawning during the day and yearning for an afternoon nap? You could be at more risk for Alzheimer's disease. A recent study published in JAMA Neurology found a potential link between excessive daytime sleepiness and the memory loss disease. Researchers took a look at imaging scans of the brains of several hundred patients ...Read more

According to Dr. Tarek Khalife, a Mayo Clinic Health System OB-GYN physician, ectopic pregnancies are rare. However, he says in the off chance an ectopic pregnancy is discovered, it's a situation that must be taken seriously. Often, patients have questions and are looking for answers to understand this condition.

"Ectopic pregnancy occurs when ...Read more