PHILADELPHIA – Physician Steven Shapiro chairs the pediatrics department at Abington Hospital. He’s never been a therapist. Yet a big chunk of his medical practice these days is devoted to mental health issues, far more than ever before.

“Twenty percent of the calls I take now are to put kids on more medicine for panic attacks and anxiety...Read more

You’ve gone through the appointment rigmarole to get signed up for a COVID vaccine, got your first shot, waited the required three to four week period for your second. But when that booster dose comes, be warned that you might be experiencing symptoms a few hours later.

Emily Miller, an ICU nurse at OhioHealth Riverside, said she experienced ...Read more

As people across Maryland and the country seek their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine, Jean Armstrong got her third.

The Baltimore County public school administrator was one of the first people to get a pair of shots of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine last May as studies began to test its safety and efficacy. She returned this week to the University ...Read more

CHICAGO – Chicago emergency room doctor Meeta Shah wiped down her face shield and stethoscope as she rushed from one patient to the next, some of them very sick with COVID-19, some of them dying.

At home, she worried about how to keep her husband — also an ER doctor — and her two young children safe from the virus: Shower at work? Stop ...Read more

CHICAGO – Chicago emergency room doctor Meeta Shah wiped down her face shield and stethoscope as she rushed from one patient to the next, some of them very sick with COVID-19, some of them dying.

At home, she worried about how to keep her husband — also an ER doctor — and her two young children safe from the virus: Shower at work? Stop ...Read more

Posting about their day is a regular practice for Generations Y and Z, especially when they have something novel or exclusive to share. So, in the thick of a global pandemic, and with the shaky rollout of COVID vaccines making them somewhat of a holy grail, it’s no surprise selfies featuring the coveted shot are infecting social media ...Read more

At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, heart surgeons warned that fewer people were coming in for bypass operations, valve replacements, and other cardiac procedures, in some cases dying as a result.

In a new nationwide analysis, researchers determined that the consequences may have been even worse than many realized — particularly in hard-...Read more

We tend to think of summer as the time to dive into seasonal produce, with farmers markets flourishing, roadside produce stands popping up across the country, and grocery stores lush with the bounty of the peak growing season. But there are plenty of colorful, nutritious fruits and vegetables that thrive in the cooler months or are harvested in ...Read more

Anaphylaxis is a severe allergic reaction that can potentially lead to death if not promptly treated. Allergic reactions typically begin suddenly after exposure to an allergen, which may be a food, medication, insect sting, or another trigger. Anaphylaxis can occur in anyone at any time; it can sometimes be triggered by allergens that a person ...Read more

Here’s some news from 2020 that seems almost good: Despite heavy job losses during the pandemic, the proportion of Americans without health insurance didn’t spike, as you might have expected. Some employers maintained their coverage. Many of those who lost their employer-provided policies picked up Medicaid coverage instead. And others ...Read more

LOS ANGELES – “COVID Fatigue” is how surgeon Dr. Frank Candela titled his painting — a weary blue face enveloped in a cloud of black. During the winter COVID-19 surge in L.A., Candela sent the painting to Times health reporter Soumya Karlamangla, who tweeted: “When I asked him what inspired the image, he said, ‘my colleagues faces.�...Read more

WASHINGTON – The global health care and pharmaceutical industries bore the brunt of cyberattacks in 2020 as nation-state hackers and criminals targeted companies looking for information on COVID-19 as well as vaccine development, cybersecurity research firm CrowdStrike said in a report made public Monday.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to...Read more

CHICAGO – In search of a COVID-19 vaccine for her dad, Amber Dow was hitting one dead end after another.

Retail pharmacy websites declared “appointments unavailable.” Slots at local medical centers kept disappearing before she could type in any information.

Then she received a private Facebook message from a stranger: Go to the Jewel-...Read more

Reports of some patients developing swollen lymph nodes after a COVID-19 vaccination has raised questions about whether screening mammograms should be rescheduled due to concerns that this finding could be mistaken for a potential breast cancer diagnosis.

"If you've had a COVID-19 vaccination, it's still important to come in for your screening ...Read more

Heart disease and stroke continue to be the most dangerous threats to a woman's health. In the U.S., 1 in 4 women die from cardiovascular disease. During February, which is American Heart Month, there continues to be an emphasis on raising awareness about the risks to help save lives.

Dr. Sharonne N. Hayes, a cardiologist and founder of the ...Read more

LOS ANGELES – When Stephanie Fajuri, 36, had an abnormal Pap smear a decade ago, her doctor advised her to come in for annual screenings to keep an eye on her health. She was diligent about doing so regularly — until she was confronted by a pandemic.

An appointment scheduled last summer was pushed to December, Fajuri said. By the time she ...Read more

Despite a sharp decline in coronavirus cases and continued success with COVID-19 vaccines, it's looking likely we will still be wearing masks for some time to come.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's coronavirus czar, said it's possible masks could be needed until 2022.

"I want it to keep going down to a baseline that's so low there is virtually ...Read more

Insiders said one company pushed unnecessary pain medication to the U.S. military; another promoted an unproven treatment for children with cancer; and a third used unlicensed counselors to treat poor people with mental illness.

In all three cases, taxpayers footed the bill — and, before long, government authorities came looking for the ...Read more