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Influenza surge overcrowding Michigan emergency rooms

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

DETROIT — Emergency rooms across the state are overcrowded and patients are waiting longer than usual due to an influx of influenza.

Charles Gibson, chief medical officer for Corewell Health in West Michigan, and Matthew Sims, director of infectious disease research for Corewell Health in Southeast Michigan, said at a virtual news conference ...Read more

Anti-LGBTQ+ policies harm the health of not only LGBTQ+ people, but all Americans

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

In 2024, state legislatures introduced an all-time record of 533 bills targeting LGBTQ+ populations. These policies create a patchwork of legal landscapes that vary widely between and within states, affecting aspects of everyday life ranging from how kids learn and play to where adults live and work.

All of these policies have ...Read more

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Across the South, rural health care has become 'trendy.' Medicaid expansion has not

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

WALHALLA, S.C. — Nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, a small primary care clinic run by Clemson University draws patients from across the region. Many are Hispanic and uninsured, and some are willing to travel from other counties, bypassing closer health care providers, just to be seen by Michelle Deem, the clinic’s ...Read more

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Mayo Clinic Minute: What to do for a healthier heart

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S., according to the American Heart Association. Heart disease refers to a range of conditions, of which many can be prevented or treated by making healthy lifestyle choices.

The average heart beats 100,000 times per day, circulating blood and oxygen throughout the body.

Dr. Demilade ...Read more

Shake up your Super Bowl party for a win-win mix of health and fun

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Traditionally, the Super Bowl is a celebration of extremes – the best teams, the fanciest stadiums and fans who sit at home eating the biggest buckets of anything-but-healthy food.

But the NFL is hardly resistant to upending tradition. Players and coaches change teams, teams redesign uniforms and owners rewrite the rules. What if you applied ...Read more

For California farmworkers, telehealth visits with Mexican doctors fill a gap

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

SALINAS, Calif. — This coastal valley made famous by the novelist John Steinbeck is sometimes known affectionately as “America’s salad bowl,” though the planting and harvesting is done mostly by immigrants from Mexico.

For Taylor Farms, a major global purveyor of packaged salads and cut vegetables, that’s made it a logical place to ...Read more

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Flossing may reduce risk for stroke and irregular heart rhythm

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Flossing regularly may lower the risk of some strokes as well as a type of irregular heart rhythm that can increase stroke risk, new research suggests.

The findings show people who flossed at least once a week had a lower risk for strokes caused by blood clots coming from the heart and for an irregular heart rhythm called atrial fibrillation, ...Read more

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'Unprecedented' tuberculosis outbreak is underway in Kansas. Are Californians at risk?

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — As Kansas deals with one of the largest tuberculous outbreaks in the nation since the 1950s, Californians may be wondering whether they’re at risk.

The Kansas outbreak, described by health officials as “unprecedented,” has killed at least two people and sickened dozens of others.

It could be an indicator that ...Read more

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NYC Mayor Eric Adams clarifies timeline on colonoscopy, anesthesia following criticism over City Charter rules

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

NEW YORK — Mayor Eric Adams and his team late Wednesday walked back a statement he made earlier in the day that he had been under anesthesia last week, saying that the mayor in fact underwent a colonoscopy over a month ago that required him to be put under.

The news about the mayor’s colonoscopy follows a flurry of reports and rumors that ...Read more

Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune/TNS

Illinois attorney general says state will protect gender-affirming care, despite Trump executive order

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

CHICAGO — After a week of uncertainty for Illinois hospitals and clinics over an executive order seeking to end gender-affirming care for minors, the Illinois attorney general issued a statement Wednesday saying the state will protect such care.

The statement, from Attorney General Kwame Raoul and the attorneys general of 14 other states, ...Read more

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Deadly version of H5N1 bird flu spills over into Nevada dairy cattle

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

A version of the H5N1 bird flu virus that killed a person in Louisiana and severely sickened a teenager in Canada has now been detected in dairy herds in Nevada.

The version, known as D1.1, is circulating in wild birds around the nation — causing massive die-offs in places such as Chicago, upstate New York and Ohio.

It’s different from the...Read more

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California AG warns LA hospital: Withholding transgender care could violate state law

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

LOS ANGELES — California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta said Wednesday he was putting a Los Angeles hospital on notice that withholding hormonal therapy and other gender-affirming care from transgender youth could run afoul of state law.

The action came after Children's Hospital Los Angeles said it was pausing the initiation of hormonal therapy for "...Read more

California housing officials recommend state protect renters from extreme heat

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Citing the hundreds of lives lost to extreme heat each year, California state housing officials are urging lawmakers to set residential cooling standards long opposed by landlords and builders who fear such a measure would force them to make big-ticket upgrades.

In a 60-page report sent Monday to the legislature, the California Department of ...Read more

Analysis: Trump's already gone back on his promise to leave abortion to states

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Abortion foes worried before his election that President Donald Trump had moved on, now that Roe v. Wade is overturned and abortion policy, as he said on the campaign trail, “has been returned to the states.”

Their concerns mounted after Trump named Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime supporter of abortion rights, to lead the Department of ...Read more

If not long-term care insurance, then what?

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Will you need long-term care someday?

The odds say yes — about 70% of people over the age of 65 will need to access some form of long-term care in the future, according to statistics from the Administration for Community Living (ACL).

For many people, the big question becomes how to pay for long-term care when the need arises. Long-term care...Read more

Environmental Nutrition: Fruit and veggie snacks

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

We all know fruits and veggies are “good” for us. However, according to the Centers for Disease Control only about 10% to 20% of Americans eat the daily recommended amount of two to three cups of veggies and one and a half cups of fruits each day.

Fruits and vegetables are full of fiber, which aids digestive health, can help reduce the risk...Read more

The popularity of e-bikes and e-scooters is soaring, but are they safe?

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Ever ridden an e-scooter or e-bike? The convenience, affordability, and flat-out fun of these “micromobility” modes of transportation are undeniable. But did it also seem a bit dangerous?

In fact, the rate of accidents involving e-bikes and e-scooters is climbing. Maybe that shouldn’t be surprising given their dramatic jump in popularity....Read more

Mayo Clinic Q&A: How to manage dry mouth during cancer care

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I was diagnosed with oral cavity cancer and will need surgery. I spoke to another patient who underwent a similar procedure, and he said he had many issues afterward with hyposalivation, which affected his eating, speaking and oral health. Can you explain what this is and how do I prevent it?

ANSWER: While they are being ...Read more

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'A scarlet letter': States aim to end stigma of doctors seeking mental health care

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Medical doctors face higher rates of burnout and depression, and are twice as likely to die by suicide compared with the general population. The risks were magnified during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

But the problem existed long before the pandemic — and it remains. More than 40% of physicians, as well as medical school students and...Read more

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When it comes to heart and brain health, these are numbers you should know

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Heart disease is once again the leading cause of death in the U.S., according to a new statistical report from the American Heart Association.

Cardiovascular diseases, which include heart disease and stroke, claimed more lives in the U.S. than all forms of cancer and accidental deaths – the No. 2 and No. 3 causes of death – combined. But ...Read more