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(Robert Housman)/KFF Health News/TNS

Data center health worries animate midterm campaigns

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

PAGE, Ariz. — Doug Herrera still lives in the house his father built, though his dad died some time ago from cancer. Herrera wonders if that illness could have been linked to pollutants from nearby uranium mining. Now, he worries that a possible new neighbor — a proposed $10 billion mega data center— could imperil his health.

“I’m a ...Read more

KFF HEALTH/TNS

The campaign to defend trans healthcare in Missouri is slow going, on purpose

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

CREVE COEUR, Mo. — Reneé Luckfield tries not to knock like a cop.

In fact, the 29-year-old spends a lot of time thinking about how to make strangers comfortable when she shows up at their door to talk about transgender healthcare. A syncopated “tap — tap-tap-tap” sounds friendly even when she knocks loudly. In each encounter, she masks...Read more

Otto Kitsinger/Stateline/TNS

Told her baby wouldn't survive, she had to leave Idaho for an abortion. She's sharing her story

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

MERIDIAN, Idaho — It didn’t take long for doctors to see that something was amiss with Rebecca Crozier’s pregnancy.

At her eight-week ultrasound in 2025, they mentioned a possible neural tube defect, she said, but after some research, she thought it was something that could be managed or treated.

“If it was a fixable problem, I was ...Read more

TNS

Federal regulators crack down on organ donation groups

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Federal regulators are cracking down on the nonprofits responsible for coordinating organ donations, aiming to begin shutting down substandard groups by early next year.

New criteria will score the organizations on donation and transplantation rates and will decertify the bottom tier, meaning their contracts with the federal government will be ...Read more

Nathaniel Levine/The Sacramento Bee/TNS

When should I get my COVID shot? 'Viruses are more active' in California

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Fall is in full swing across California, bringing cooler weather and the start of another respiratory virus season.

Although respiratory viruses circulate year-round, many become more active during the fall and winter months.

“Many respiratory viruses, including flu, (respiratory syncytial virus) and COVID-19 circulate...Read more

Frederic J. Brown/Getty Images North America/TNS

900+ women criminally charged for their conduct during pregnancies

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

In the first three years after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the constitutional right to an abortion in June 2022, more than 900 women faced criminal charges for conduct related to their pregnancies, according to a new report.

Most state laws that prohibit or regulate abortion seek to penalize those who provide abortions, not the women who...Read more

8 tricks to shop for glasses if you’re over 50

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Life is simpler when you’re young. You can mow the lawn without breaking a sweat. Climb a tree without breaking a leg. Buy new prescription glasses in the blink of an eye.

But buying eyeglasses often gets more complicated somewhere around age 50. Single-vision lenses suddenly don’t help you decipher the small print on restaurant menus. Eye ...Read more

Environmental Nutrition: What to know about lab-grown meat

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Q: What is lab-grown meat?

A: You’ve probably been hearing more and more about the possibility of seeing meat products on the supermarket shelves that have been grown in a lab (instead of coming directly from a farm). And now you’re wondering: Meat from a lab? Is this a real thing? The short answer is yes, this is a real thing. So, unlike ...Read more

Are you eating too much fiber?

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

No doubt you’ve heard the call from health experts to eat a high-fiber diet. You’re probably aiming for the recommended target of about 25 grams of fiber daily for women, and 38 grams for men.

But you may also have heard that more fiber — lots more — is even better. After all, “fibermaxxing” is trending on social media, where health...Read more

Mayo Clinic Q&A: Seasonal affective disorder: More than feeling sad

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I love the fall, but I dread the shorter days and how I feel. I’ve read about seasonal affective disorder, but could you please tell me more about it?

ANSWER: Seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, is a type of depression that’s related to the changes in seasons. Symptoms typically appear in the fall, worsen through the ...Read more

Matt Odom/KFF HEALTH/TNS

Many Medicare patients could lose access to remote monitoring devices

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Dianne Williams said she lost weight and lowered her blood pressure thanks to quarterly doctor appointments, monthly phone calls with a nurse, and a blood pressure cuff she uses at home that transmits data to her care team.

“It’s good to have somebody talk to you and tell you what your progress is like. And she’s a very nice person,” ...Read more

Laura Dickinson/San Luis Obsipo Tribune/TNS

3 kids with E. coli are in ICU, as officials investigate California pumpkin patch

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — Three California children are in serious condition after contracting E. coli — and health officials are investigating a farm as a potential source.

On Tuesday, the San Luis Obispo County Department of Public Health reported five total confirmed cases of E. coli throughout the county, potentially linked to ...Read more

Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune/TNS

'A destination for transplant innovation': Northwestern launches new transplant institute

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Northwestern Medicine has consolidated its robust transplant program into a new Transplant Institute, with a focus on tech and innovation.

Spearheaded by transplant surgeon Dr. Satish Nadig, the announcement of the Northwestern Medicine Transplant Institute comes just a month after the hospital’s 3,000th liver transplant, according to a ...Read more

Michelle Marchante/Miami Herald/Miami Herald/TNS

New Miami-area group breaks organ recovery record. How it plans to change transplantation

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

MIAMI — The new group tasked with retrieving organs for transplantation across South Florida and the Bahamas is already breaking records, just months after taking over operations from a decades-old nonprofit that was ordered shut by the federal government over safety-related issues and other concerns.

The South Florida Donor Network ...Read more

When traveling abroad, asking your doctor ahead of time about treatments for minor ailments can help keep your trip on track. Nansan Houn/iStock via Getty Images Plus

Leave home with a plan: What to pack in your medical kit and when to seek care for symptoms abroad

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

When people prepare to see a doctor before an international trip, vaccines usually dominate the conversation.

And while vaccines are important, many of the health problems most likely to derail a trip cannot be prevented with a vaccine: Diarrhea, respiratory infections, motion sickness and flare-ups of existing medical conditions are ...Read more

Maria Fabrizio for WPLN/KFF Health News/TNS

More medications, more risks. If You're worried, start a deprescribing discussion

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

For nearly three years, Jonathan Bledsoe of Reading, Pennsylvania, took one prescription to stabilize his mood and one to keep his cholesterol in check, among a handful of other medications.

“You wouldn’t think you would have to be your own advocate and look out for yourself as far as managing your medications,” the Marine veteran said. �...Read more

Courtesy Kara Holden/KFF Health News/TNS

New arrivals in the ER? Georgia gears up to solve rural maternal health crisis

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

LAVONIA, Ga. — It had been a decade since Kara Holden last had a baby. But as the former obstetric nurse prepared for her fourth child, her head was swimming with contingency plans.

The labor and delivery unit where she used to work in this rural northeastern Georgia community is no longer open. So, she asked former co-workers to be on ...Read more

(Kristina Barker for KFF Health News and Tradeoffs)/KFF HEALTH/TNS

States are forcing hospitals to offer more people financial aid. In Oregon, it's working

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Four years ago, Oregon hospitals were under fire from state authorities and patient advocates. Hospitals, critics said, had made it too hard for patients to apply for and receive help paying their bills.

Within months, the state enacted a sweeping law that required hospitals to proactively screen patients and give financial aid to those who ...Read more

DREAMSTIME/TNS

Mayo Clinic Q&A: How is breast cancer screening becoming more personalized?

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I've always heard that women should begin getting mammograms at a certain age, but now I'm hearing that breast cancer screening can be based on a person's individual risk. How do healthcare professionals determine when and how someone should be screened? And are there newer screening options available for people at higher risk?...Read more

(Jackie Fortiér/KFF Health News)/KFF HEALTH/TNS

GOP congressman in California swing-district race defends vote for Medicaid cuts

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — Ulises Hernandez has had health coverage through Medicaid for as long as he can remember. But he had never waited as long for care as he did in September after a dental crown slipped down his throat during a procedure. He spent eight hours in an emergency room waiting for care and more than two days without food.

Sitting...Read more