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Traffic exhaust could increase blood pressure, study finds

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

SEATTLE — Even brief exposure to highway pollution could cause significant increases in blood pressure, a new study from the University of Washington has found, adding to a growing body of work correlating vehicle exhaust with negative health outcomes.

The effects are near immediate: Two hours in Seattle’s rush hour was enough to increase ...Read more

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Consumer Health: Epilepsy in children

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Epilepsy, also known as seizure disorder, is common, and there are many types. About 1 in 26 people in the U.S. will develop the disease in their lifetime. It affects people of all races, ethnic backgrounds and ages. Anyone can develop epilepsy.

Epilepsy is a brain disorder that causes recurring seizures. Having a single seizure doesn't mean ...Read more

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Mayo Clinic Minute: GERD is not 'just' heartburn

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is one of the most common digestive disorders in the world.

It happens when acid comes up from the stomach, which is acid-resistant, into the esophagus, which is less acid-resistant.

Dr. James East, a gastroenterologist at Mayo Clinic Healthcare in London, says GERD may be common, but there can be ...Read more

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Healthy for the Holidays: Mayo urges precaution while shoveling to protect your heart

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

MANKATO, Minn. -- Last year's heavy snow season has many people thinking about what Mother Nature has in store this year. To stay healthy this holiday season and beyond, Mayo Clinic Health System is recommending people pace themselves while clearing snow.

"Many people don't realize the workout involved while shoveling and digging out from a ...Read more

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1 in 3 people dropped by Utah Medicaid left uninsured, a 'concerning' sign for nation

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

About 30% of Utah residents who were cut from Medicaid this year say they became uninsured, according to state officials who conducted a first-of-its-kind survey of people disenrolled from the program.

Utah has dropped more than 130,000 out of about 500,000 Medicaid beneficiaries since April, after the federal government lifted a pandemic-era ...Read more

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Some states act to protect residents from extreme heat -- with a new focus on young people

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

After two years of record-breaking heat that brought a surge of deaths and health emergencies, several states have enacted or are considering measures designed to protect residents — with a new focus on younger people whose vulnerability is rising with the temperatures.

Nationally, heat-related deaths rose from about 1,000 in 2018 to 1,722 in...Read more

Environmental Nutrition: Make it a meatless holiday

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Looking to change up the holiday menu this year? Whether your table craves a fresh, new dish to wow the crowd or you’re hosting vegetarian or vegan guests, consider going meatless or serving up more plant-based dishes. Not to worry, this doesn’t have to mean bucking tradition. Most any dish can easily be made without meat, and many holiday ...Read more

Eating Well: 9 items you should never store in your pantry

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Hey, sometimes you don’t see the fine print “refrigerate after opening” on the jar’s label. Or, you grew up with the peanut butter in the pantry and never thought anything of it. But we’re adults now, and we can be smarter about how we store things.

If you keep these common ingredients refrigerated or frozen, you’ll cut down on food...Read more

Stomachs growl, noses run, and yawning is contagious: Ever wonder why?

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

There are certain things our bodies do so often and so automatically that we barely notice them. Yawning, growling stomachs, and runny noses are good examples. Each is a universal part of our daily human experience.

But did you ever wonder why? Below are a few things we know and a few we suspect.

Why do you yawn?

Perhaps you associate yawning...Read more

Mayo Clinic Q&A: Are blue light-blocking glasses a must-have?

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: Many of my co-workers are using glasses that block blue light when they are on their computers. I am interested in getting a pair but want to know more about their value and how they can help.

ANSWER: Blue light glasses are gaining in popularity, but it is important to understand what blue light is. Blue light is one of the ...Read more

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Mayo Clinic Minute: Treating Dupuytren contracture without surgery

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Dupuytren (DOO-puh-tren) contracture is a disorder that can cause the fingers to curl in, primarily the ring and small fingers.

It's a genetic condition mostly affecting men over 60 of Northern European descent. Others at risk include people with diabetes and those with a family history of the condition.

Dr. Shelley Noland, a Mayo Clinic hand...Read more

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Many autoimmune disease patients struggle with diagnosis, costs, inattentive care

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

After years of debilitating bouts of fatigue, Beth VanOrden finally thought she had an answer to her problems in 2016 when she was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s disease, an autoimmune disorder.

For her and millions of other Americans, that’s the most common cause of hypothyroidism, a condition in which the thyroid, a butterfly-shaped gland in...Read more

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Mayo Clinic Q and A: What's going on with my kneecap?

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I was playing a pickup game of football with my kids, took a tumble, and my kneecap made a popping sound. It really hurt, then seemed to get better, but something's not right. Any idea what might be going on?

ANSWER: If your kneecap pops or slides to the outside of your knee, you'll definitely know that something's going on. ...Read more

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Here's what you need to know before buying an electric scooter this holiday season

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

PHILADELPHIA -- Anthony Greco’s friends all got electric scooters last Christmas. So his parents surprised him with one later that winter.

Greco, 16, used his e-scooter to get to and from his summertime job at a plumbing company a few blocks from his family’s South Philadelphia home.

On a rainy August evening, he hit a pothole. The ...Read more

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FDA is investigating whether CAR-T, a cancer therapy pioneered at Penn, can cause lymphoma

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

PHILADELPHIA — The University of Pennsylvania plans to continue offering CAR-T therapy, a cancer treatment pioneered at Penn, after the Food and Drug Administration announced Tuesday an investigation into whether the treatment may cause cancer in rare cases.

Chimeric antigen receptor T cell, CAR-T, therapy has been hailed as a breakthrough ...Read more

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California workers died of a preventable disease. The threat was known years earlier

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

LOS ANGELES — When Wendy Solano first heard the word “silicosis,” her husband Jose Raul Garcia Leon was already suffering from the incurable disease that would kill him.

After immigrating from Mexico, the father of three had provided for his family by cutting countertops. His illness began as a dry cough — something the couple had ...Read more

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Commentary: Health insurance premiums dropped? Not so fast

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

The latest Consumer Price Index report showed inflation slowing in October, due in part to a supposed 34% drop in the cost of health insurance from the same time last year. That left many people scratching their heads, since you’d be hard pressed to find anyone whose premiums dropped at all, let alone by that much. Is someone cooking the books...Read more

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Lessons from the country with the world's largest HIV epidemic

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

South Africa, with the world’s biggest number of HIV cases, has in the last five years reduced the percentage of its population infected with the virus that causes the immune disease AIDS.

With an estimated 7.8 million people, or 12.7% of the population, living with the disease, the results of the 2022 South Africa HIV survey released this ...Read more

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Evolving overdose crisis shakes previously effective treatments

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

BURLINGTON, Vt. — “You can’t inject a horse tranquilizer and think nothing bad is gonna happen” to you, said Ty Sears, 33, a longtime drug user now in recovery.

Sears was referring to xylazine, a sedative used for animal surgeries that has infiltrated the illicit drug supply across the country, contributing to a steady climb in overdose...Read more

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Beyond insulin: Medi-Cal expands patient access to diabetes supplies

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

LOS ANGELES — June Voros sprang from her couch as a high-pitched beep warned her that she needed a quick dose of sugar.

Her blood sugar was plummeting, and the beep came from a continuous glucose monitor attached to her abdomen. The small but powerful device alerts Voros when her blood sugar is dangerously high or low.

“My blood sugar is ...Read more