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A decades-long drop in teen births is slowing, and advocates worry a reversal is coming

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Cicely Wilson’s work doesn’t end when she leaves her day job as a lactation consultant, doula and child care expert.

Wilson founded a nonprofit called Sunnyside Up Youth Pregnancy Services, which connects girls ages 13 to 19 with resources they need to care for their babies. After-hours, she looks for affordable ...Read more

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What to expect for the flu, RSV and COVID-19 respiratory season

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and COVID-19 are all part of the seasonal respiratory virus lineup. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the upcoming fall and winter are expected to have a similar number of hospitalizations for respiratory diseases as last year. However, they say it's important to note...Read more

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Mayo Clinic Minute: The importance of supplemental screenings for dense breasts

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

You might need supplemental screenings if you've been diagnosed with dense breast tissue. Women with dense breast tissue have less fat and more glandular and connective tissue. They are also at a higher risk of developing cancer.

Dense breast tissue refers to the way breast tissue appears on a mammogram. According to the Centers for Disease ...Read more

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What happens to health programs if the federal government shuts down?

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

For the first time since 2019, congressional gridlock is poised to at least temporarily shut down big parts of the federal government — including many health programs.

If it happens, some government functions would stop completely and some in part, while others wouldn’t be immediately affected — including Medicare, Medicaid, and health ...Read more

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After a rare double lung retransplant, teen gets a special visit with Sue the T. rex

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

CHICAGO -- The many months Josh Burton was in the hospital, dinosaurs kept him company.

They were there when his lungs failed, comforting him while he awaited the miracle of new lungs, just as his first dinosaur, a stuffed animal purple Barney, buoyed him as a small child.

And when those lungs also failed and his family faced the impossible, ...Read more

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Officials agree: Use settlement funds to curb youth addiction. But the 'how' gets hairy

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

When three teenagers died of fentanyl overdoses last year in Larimer County, Colorado, it shocked the community and “flipped families upside down,” said Tom Gonzales, the county’s public health director.

Several schools began stocking naloxone, a medication that reverses opioid overdoses. Community organizations trained teens to use it. ...Read more

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As COVID infections rise, nursing homes are still waiting for vaccines

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

DALLAS CENTER, Iowa — “COVID is not pretty in a nursing home,” said Deb Wityk, a 70-year-old retired massage therapist who lives in one called Spurgeon Manor, in rural Iowa. She twice contracted the disease and is eager to get the newly approved vaccine because she has chronic lymphocytic leukemia, which weakens her immune system.

The ...Read more

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Massive Kaiser Permanente strike looms as talks head to the wire

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Kaiser Permanente and union representatives pledged to continue negotiating a new contract up until the last minute as the threat of the nation’s latest large-scale strike looms next month.

Unless a deal is struck, more than 75,000 health workers will walk out for three days from Oct. 4-7, disrupting care for KP patients in California, ...Read more

Environmental Nutrition: What is coffeefruit?

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Q: What is coffeefruit and is it healthful to consume?

A: Coffee beans are one of the world’s most widely traded and most valuable crops, and the U.S. is the world’s largest consumer. The coffee bean is technically not a bean at all, but a seed. Like other seeds, it originates from a fruit; in this case the Coffea flowering plants in the ...Read more

7 ways to boost your energy through food

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

If you feel run-down and exhausted, you may be tempted to turn to sugar and/or caffeine to bolster flagging energy reserves.

Bad idea, says Dina Aronson, RD: “Fatigue breaks us down physically and emotionally and wreaks havoc on the immune system, making us more susceptible to illness, depression and even chronic conditions like heart disease...Read more

Does less TV time lower your risk for dementia?

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Be honest: just how much television are you watching? One study has estimated that half of American adults spend two to three hours each day watching television, with some watching as much as eight hours per day.

Is time spent on TV a good thing or a bad thing? Let’s look at some of the data in relation to your risks for cognitive decline and...Read more

Mayo Clinic Q&A: Is surgery best for an acoustic neuroma?

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I was diagnosed with an acoustic neuroma last year after I went to the doctor due to more frequent headaches. I read that surgery often is needed for these tumors, but my physician said I did not need to be treated. He suggested we reevaluate after imaging in a few months. Why would I not need to be treated?

ANSWER: An ...Read more

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When you think about your health, don't forget your eyes

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

I vividly remember that late Friday afternoon when my eye pressure spiked and I staggered on foot to my ophthalmologist’s office as the rapidly thickening fog in my field of vision shrouded passing cars and traffic lights.

The office was already closed, but the whole eye care team was there waiting for me. One of them pricked my eyeballs with...Read more

Healthy Men: HPV is not just a women's issue

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Dear Healthy Men: At a recent annual checkup, my 11-year-old son’s pediatrician recommended that my son get vaccinated against HPV. I always thought HPV was something that affected only women and girls, so I was a little surprised. Plus, my son is nowhere near being sexually active (whew!). Why would a doctor recommend it for boys?

A: Great ...Read more

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Mayo Clinic Q and A: Merkel cell carcinoma

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I recently heard about a type of skin cancer called Merkel cell carcinoma. I'm not familiar with this condition. Can you explain what it is? Do I need to do anything different to protect myself?

ANSWER: Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the U.S. The American Academy of Dermatology estimates that 1 in every 5 people will...Read more

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Mayo Clinic Minute: Correcting the curve with scoliosis surgery

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Scoliosis is a condition that causes the spine to curve. It often is diagnosed in children — perhaps during a growth spurt or in and around the time of puberty. However, it can be associated with other conditions such as arthritis, osteoporosis, infection or injuries to the spine. There are also other conditions, including congenital or ...Read more

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As younger children increasingly die by suicide, better tracking and prevention is sought

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

If you or someone you know is in crisis, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741.

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Jason Lance thought Jan. 21, 2010, was a day like any other until the call came.

He had dropped off his 9-year-old son, Montana, at Stewart’s Creek Elementary School in The ...Read more

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LA County offers 3,000 new mental health and substance use treatment beds in bid to end lawsuit

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Facing the prospect of a trial neither side wanted, Los Angeles County and the plaintiffs in a lawsuit seeking more homeless services have proposed a settlement that appears to meet the demands of a federal judge who twice rejected earlier agreements.

In the new proposal, filed in federal court Monday, the county pledges to provide an ...Read more

Loud sounds at movies and concerts can cause hearing loss, but there are ways to protect your ears

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Ever go to the movies or a rock concert and been blasted by the sound? You may not realize it while it’s happening, but ongoing exposure to loud sounds at these venues can damage your hearing.

Our ears are highly sensitive to loud noise. Even very short exposures to high-level sounds – that’s anything above 132 decibels – can ...Read more

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New abortion law drives out NC's scarce supply of OB-GYNs, primary care doctors

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Dr. Nicole Teal was working a night shift in September 2022, when a patient came into UNC Medical Center’s labor and delivery unit with a particularly dangerous set of symptoms.

Her blood pressure had suddenly spiked. Her platelets were decreasing. Liver enzymes in her blood were rising. She had the hallmarks of severe preeclampsia, one of ...Read more