When life feels overwhelming, many people instinctively turn to nature. A walk in a park. Sitting by the ocean. Watching a sunset. Is this just a pleasant feeling, or is there something deeper at work?

A multitude of studies have linked spending time in nature with different aspects of mental health and wellness. For example, ...Read more

Teens in the U.S. are obtaining medication abortion pills through telehealth, and young people age 18 to 24 are ordering medication abortion at much higher rates than older adults.

Those are the key findings of a new study that my colleagues and I published in the journal JAMA Health Forum.

We examined requests for medication ...Read more

Q: What percentage of my diet should come from each macronutrient?

A: Macronutrients — carbohydrates, proteins and fats — are the building blocks of a healthy diet. The right balance can improve energy and support muscle growth, as well as overall wellness.

Health experts recommend the following daily macronutrient distribution for adults ...Read more

When we snack on delicious foods like candy and popcorn, we don’t always realize what happens once they enter our bodies. However, problems occur when these foods begin negatively affecting our health, specifically, our teeth. “Food plays a major role in oral health, often more than most people realize,” says dentist Sandip Sachar, DDS. �...Read more

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: This is kind of embarrassing, but, for a while, I’ve been leaking urine. Can something be done to fix this problem?

ANSWER: You don’t have to live with this issue. The three main types of urinary incontinence are:

Incontinence can be treated with behavioral changes, exercises, medications, nerve stimulation and injections...Read more

Q: I’ve got a lot of peach fuzz on my face, which makes me self-conscious. My friend told me I should try dermaplaning. But is it safe?

A: Dermaplaning has gained popularity as various “influencers” tout it on social media. While a variety of at-home gadgets are now available to perform it, all of them are essentially shaving the face. If...Read more

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: For the past several years, I've been competing in half-marathons. This year, I've decided to challenge myself and enter full marathons. What recommendations do you have for preventing sports injuries as I go to this next level?

ANSWER: Congratulations on continuing to stretch your goals — and for thinking about preventing ...Read more

Conservative lawmakers in multiple states are pushing legislation drafted by an anti-abortion advocacy group to increase protections for crisis pregnancy centers, organizations that provide some health-related services but also work to dissuade women from having abortions.

The legislation would prohibit state and local governments from ...Read more

Amanda Miller was 30 and pregnant with her second child in Hershey, Pennsylvania, when she developed depression. After she gave birth, her depression worsened. It was joined by a slew of unexplained health problems.

Miller, a neuroscientist, said she saw several psychiatrists and got prescriptions for drug after drug. Over two years, she tried ...Read more

In April 2022, my mother-in-law, Karla, went for a routine physical therapy visit for carpal tunnel pain. The clinic was full and nearly turned her away. Only after she insisted that something felt wrong did a therapist send her to the emergency room.

A CT scan revealed a mass in her brain.

Karla was 50 years old. She was a first-generation ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — The health care industry accounted for more than 70% of new jobs in the Philadelphia area over the past decade, nearly double the growth rate for health care nationally, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data.

The region added approximately 184,000 jobs since 2015. More than 132,000 were in health care, with home ...Read more

Bracket-busting upsets, Cinderella stories, OT buzzer beaters – March Madness is here! Or, as some urologists think of it, vasectomy promotion season.

Since 2004, urologists have been promoting vasectomies every March, promising patients who elect the procedure an excellent excuse to relax on the couch and watch college basketball.<...Read more

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — In the early 2000s, Michelle Warfield worked at a factory, hauling heavy seats for Ford trucks on and off an assembly line. To suppress daily aches in her back and hips, her doctor prescribed opioid painkillers.

They worked for a bit. But by 2011, Warfield struggled to walk.

And “by that time, I was addicted,” said ...Read more

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: Fiber has been getting a lot of attention in the news lately. What exactly is dietary fiber, and why is it important to my overall health?

ANSWER: Dietary fiber refers to the parts of plant-based foods that your body can’t digest or break down. Unlike proteins, fats or simple carbohydrates, fiber passes through the digestive...Read more

FORT WORTH, Texas -- In his homeschool curriculum, 12-year-old Luke Lunday is learning about Section 504, a cornerstone of disability rights.

Championed by disability rights activist Judy Heumann, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act is responsible for what’s known as the integration mandate, which requires that people with disabilities have...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Mia Angulo, who is pregnant and due in May, is living in a tent with her boyfriend in the predominantly Latino neighborhood of Boyle Heights.

Lingering pain from a car crash two months ago, on top of an already hardscrabble life, has Angulo worried about her pregnancy. So, she was relieved when a mobile street medicine van from ...Read more

When someone is sick in this country, they don’t ask for a politician. They ask for a doctor, a nurse, or a therapist — a front line health care worker. They look for someone they trust.

Right now, our country’s health care system is sick.

Families are anxious about their finances. Many are being forced to decide whether they can afford ...Read more

About 1 in every 10 children and teens in the U.S. has a food allergy, an abnormal immune response to a specific food. That's roughly two kids per classroom.

Food allergies have risen by 50% since the 1990s. With this in mind, the American Academy of Pediatrics advocates for the health of all children who must avoid certain foods to stay ...Read more

Health care and social assistance professions added 693,000 jobs in 2025. Without those gains, the U.S. economy would have lost roughly 570,000 jobs.

At first glance, these numbers suggest that health care is a growth engine in an otherwise slowing labor market. But a closer look reveals something more troubling for patients and health care ...Read more