Health Advice
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California floats extending health insurance subsidies to all adult immigrants
Marisol Pantoja Toribio found a lump in her breast in early January. Uninsured and living in California without legal status and without her family, the usually happy-go-lucky 43-year-old quickly realized how limited her options were.
“I said, ‘What am I going to do?’” she said in Spanish, quickly getting emotional. She immediately ...Read more
Study: Vaping linked to increased lead and uranium exposure
ATLANTA — A new study has brought the public health concern of vaping back to the forefront. Electronic cigarettes have already been branded unsafe for kids, teens and young adults by the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and new evidence has linked the vapes to possible increased exposure of harmful heavy metals.
Most...Read more
Editorial: Bolster safeguards after cyberattack
Opinion editor's note: Editorials represent the opinions of the Star Tribune Editorial Board, which operates independently from the newsroom.
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Unfortunately, hackers didn't need sophisticated skills to pull off one of the nation's most alarming and consequential health care ransomware attacks.
Instead, the cybercriminals who crippled...Read more
The longest, strangest trip: Some psychedelic drug users are stuck with unwelcome highs
LOS ANGELES — A.J. took two small hits off a cannabis vape pen, a common ritual with his morning coffee. Moments after exhaling, a transfigured, kaleidoscopic version of the world emerged before his eyes.
“Some colors are seeping into the other colors,” the 30-year-old said, gesturing across his art-filled living room in Yorba Linda. “...Read more
Millions were booted from Medicaid. The insurers that run it gained Medicaid revenue anyway
Private Medicaid health plans lost millions of members in the past year as pandemic protections that prohibited states from dropping anyone from the government program expired.
But despite Medicaid’s unwinding, as it’s known, at least two of the five largest publicly traded companies selling plans have continued to increase revenue from the...Read more
Mayo Clinic Minute: Pickleball injuries and prevention
The popularity of pickleball has exploded in the last few years, and according to a recent report, so have injuries attributed to the relatively new sport.
Dr. Sanj Kakar, a Mayo Clinic orthopedic surgeon who specializes in hand and wrist disorders, says there are two main injuries he sees due to pickleball. He offers three ways to prevent them...Read more
University of Minnesota strengthens case to treat COVID-19 with metformin, not ivermectin
MINNEAPOLIS — Patients with COVID-19 had lower viral loads if treated with metformin, according to new University of Minnesota research that argues for broader use of the cheap anti-diabetes drug and against the controversial use of ivermectin.
Thursday's published findings helped connect the dots and explain why metformin in a U-led clinical...Read more
Healthy teeth are wondrous and priceless – a dentist explains why and how best to protect them
At an auction in England in 2011, one of John Lennon’s teeth sold for just over US$31,000.
How much are your teeth worth?
Teeth are amazing little miracles. They light up our smiles, we use them to speak and we chew with them more than 600 times at every meal.
Yet, in a society where 1 out of 5 Americans ages 75 and ...Read more
New heated drug baths provide hope for patients with stomach cancer
Mayo Clinic researchers used a new approach to chemotherapy to more than double the typical survival rate for patients with stomach cancer and peritoneal metastasis, which is cancer that has spread to the lining of the abdominal cavity, according to a study published in the Annals of Surgical Oncology.
Stomach cancer, which is also called ...Read more
Your cellphone may be causing nearsightedness, now at epidemic levels
Around half of the global population could need corrective lenses by 2050 — a health care burden that already costs Americans an estimated $7.2 billion annually. It’s because myopia, also known as nearsightedness, is at epidemic levels, according to Rochester Institute of Technology professor Andrew Herbert.
With May being Healthy Vision ...Read more
CDC, FDA, USDA answer big questions about the growing bird flu outbreak
Representatives with multiple agencies including the CDC, the United States Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday discussed the latest news about bird flu in the U.S.
The agencies are continuing to test milk, dairy products and meat to ensure they can not spread the virus, and working to monitor farm ...Read more
Can a 911 drone stop your bleeding? It'll fly to Florida emergencies for DIY rescues
A Florida county will be one of the first in the nation to dispatch a drone that responds to 911 calls.
On Wednesday, Manatee County was set to launch a new pilot program that uses a drone to deliver a defibrillator, a tourniquet, or naloxone — an opioid-overdose antidote — to emergency scenes. The program is meant to reduce response times ...Read more
Power outages linked to heat and storms are rising, and low-income communities are most at risk, as a new NYC study shows
Many Americans think of power outages as infrequent inconveniences, but that’s quickly changing. Nationwide, major power outages have increased tenfold since 1980, largely because of an aging electrical grid and damage sustained from severe storms as the planet warms.
At the same time, electricity demand is rising as the population ...Read more
Baby orangutan born at Tampa's Busch Gardens via C-section was a rare feat
TAMPA, Fla. — Luna loved the ultrasound game.
The 26-year-old orangutan at Busch Gardens would come up to the mesh screening that separates the primates from the humans that care for them and happily present her belly.
Dr. Maria Spriggs, chief veterinarian at Busch Gardens, would use that play time to put an ultrasound probe on Luna’s ...Read more
Environmental Nutrition: Spring into asparagus
Asparagus is a seasonal favorite.
The folklore
Asparagus, whose name means stalk or shoot in Greek, was first cultivated about 2,500 years ago in Greece, where it was used medicinally to treat toothaches and help prevent bee stings. Considered a delicacy since ancient times, this dainty and nutritious spear continues to be a delicious ...Read more
5 healthy reasons to crave more cauliflower
The goodness of cauliflower goes beyond its ability to become almost anything you can imagine in the kitchen — a crust, a “wing,” a rice, a mash, and the list goes on. Cauliflower’s mild flavor, satisfying texture, and chameleon-like versatility makes it not only a hearty and nutritious add-in as is, but also an inventive and savvy swap ...Read more
Cellulitis: How long does it take to heal on legs?
Cellulitis is an infection of the deep layers of the skin. It develops when bacteria enter through a cut, bite, or wound — including tiny breaks in cracked, dry skin. Common skin-dwelling bacteria, Staphylococcus or Streptococcus, are the usual culprits. Although cellulitis can occur anywhere on the body, the most common location is the lower ...Read more
Mayo Clinic Q&A: What is cholangiocarcinoma and how is it treated?
DEAR MAYO CLINIC: My mother has been experiencing unusual and persistent fatigue, abdominal pain, and jaundice. After undergoing a CT scan, her doctor diagnosed her with cholangiocarcinoma. What is this type of cancer? And what treatment options are available?
ANSWER: Cholangiocarcinoma is a rare cancer that develops from the bile ducts, which ...Read more
Mayo Clinic Minute: Using lasers on the brain to treat seizures
For roughly a third of people with epilepsy, medication does not control their seizures. Depending on where those seizures originate in the brain, laser therapy can be an option for adults and children.
It's treatment for epileptic seizures that uses a laser on the brain.
"LITT is laser interstitial thermal therapy," says Dr. Jamie Van Gompel,...Read more
Exposed to Agent Orange at US bases, veterans face cancer without VA compensation
As a young GI at Fort Ord in Monterey County, California, Dean Osborn spent much of his time in the oceanside woodlands, training on soil and guzzling water from streams and aquifers now known to be contaminated with cancer-causing pollutants.
“They were marching the snot out of us,” he said, recalling his year and a half stationed on the ...Read more
Popular Stories
- The longest, strangest trip: Some psychedelic drug users are stuck with unwelcome highs
- Study: Vaping linked to increased lead and uranium exposure
- Healthy teeth are wondrous and priceless – a dentist explains why and how best to protect them
- California floats extending health insurance subsidies to all adult immigrants
- Mayo Clinic Minute: Pickleball injuries and prevention