Dear Mayo Clinic: Is it best to have bunions surgically treated before they begin hurting, or do some never cause pain? In the past few months, I've noticed throbbing from the bunion on my left foot, and I'm considering surgery. I have one on my right foot, too, but it doesn't hurt. Will I eventually need the procedure done to both sides?

A: ...Read more

Earwax is a helpful and natural part of your body's defenses. It cleans, lubricates and protects your ear canal by trapping dirt and slowing the growth of bacteria.

Earwax blockages commonly occur when people try to clean their ears on their own by placing cotton swabs or other items in their ears. This often just pushes wax deeper into the ear...Read more

Companies and pharmacies are already reminding people that it's time to get a flu shot, and the push may be more warranted this year.

A particularly bad flu season was reported in Australia, which has served as a rough measuring stick for the flu season that follows in the Northern Hemisphere.

From Jan. 1 to Aug. 19, 2016, the Australian ...Read more

Dear Mayo Clinic: Can an untreated wart on my hand spread to another person? Is treatment for it necessary if it's small and doesn't bother me?

A: If left untreated, it is possible for warts to spread and for the virus that causes warts to be passed to another person. Fortunately, most adults have developed immunity to the viruses that cause ...Read more

WASHINGTON -- Despite broad support from consumer advocates, state officials and health care leaders across the country, a bipartisan effort in Congress to stabilize health insurance markets and control rising premiums is being threatened by resurgent political fighting over the Affordable Care Act.

With time running out before millions of ...Read more

The opioid epidemic continues to affect thousands in the United States.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, deaths from prescription opioid medications -- drugs such as oxycodone, hydrocodone and morphine -- have more than quadrupled since 1999. Deaths from illicit drugs, such as heroin, also continue to be a major ...Read more

Just how bad is diet soda for you? It may be more complicated than you think. There may be hope for zero-calorie tipplers yet.

A spate of recent studies has diet soda lovers fretting over their bubbly beverages. Studies have shown that sucking down diet pop means you may be avoiding sugar and calories but overdosing on chemicals that can be ...Read more

HIV weakens a person's immune system and can lead to AIDS. Globally, there are more than 35 million people living with HIV/AIDS, and more than 1 million people living with the infectious disease in the U.S.

Dr. Stacey Rizza, a Mayo Clinic infectious diseases specialist says, "The unfortunate part is that about 12 to 13 percent of the people in ...Read more

WASHINGTON -- House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi declined Tuesday to endorse Sen. Bernie Sanders' single-payer health care bill, saying her immediate goal is to protect the Affordable Care Act from President Donald Trump's efforts to dismantle it.

Pelosi made it clear that her distance from the bill, which Sanders expects to unveil with top ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS -- It was the first day of school, and Mallory, a Twin Cities teacher, had a problem.

A lice problem.

Because of it, she couldn't go to work.

Desperate to get rid of the itchy bugs and return to her job, she sought the help of professional nit-pickers whose novel approach to killing lice -- using heated air instead of chemicals --...Read more

"Each year over a million people have new ankle sprains, and these are just the people who came to seek medical help," says Dr. Glenn Shi, a Mayo Clinic orthopedic surgeon. "There are far more (sprains) that people are treating at home."

The ankle is quite a well-engineered joint, actually.

But, because it's a balancing act to carry the full ...Read more

Dear Mayo Clinic: What's the best way to treat a minor burn? At what point does a burn require medical care?

A: The level of care needed for a burn depends on how extensive the tissue damage is from the burn. Minor burns often can be treated at home without seeing a health care provider. Burns considered "minor" include first-degree burns and ...Read more

Dear Mayo Clinic: I'm 15 weeks pregnant and have had horrible morning sickness from the beginning of the pregnancy. I've lost weight and worry that will affect the baby's health. I didn't experience any morning sickness with my first pregnancy. Is this normal? What can I do to get back to eating while feeling nauseated all the time?

A: Nausea ...Read more

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. -- When Dr. Sarah Azad followed her mother into the field of obstetrics eight years ago, she thought she'd be in private practice for the rest of her career. At the time, independent practices abounded in Silicon Valley.

"From the time we were young, my mom's patients loved her. She was a part of their lives. That's just ...Read more