Health Advice

/

Health

/

ArcaMax

Spencer Platt/Getty Images North America/TNS

Will new sunscreen ingredients protect us?

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- The South Florida sun is brutal, and while slathering on sunscreen usually feels like a no-brainer, this summer the rules have changed.

An ingredient that makes European sunscreens more effective has just been approved by the FDA for use in the United States. For the first time in over 25 years, the FDA added ...Read more

(Alea Bates)/KFF Health News/TNS

Florida hospitals act fast to discharge gun victims -- especially if they're not insured

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Alea Bates wasn’t ready to leave Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare’s main hospital four days after a stranger shot her seven times at close range. Miraculously, hospital records show, none of the bullets damaged her internal organs.

But after surgery, Bates said, she couldn’t get out of bed or walk to the bathroom without help. She ...Read more

Aprescindere/Dreamstime/TNS

Mayo Clinic Q&A: Watch out for summer sports injuries in youth and adult athletes

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: Our teenagers are both student athletes and active in their sports year-round. I'm concerned about injuries that could sideline them. What should we watch for?

ANSWER: As the school year ends, summer sports heat up for students and adults alike. Summer may be a prime season for a sport, such as baseball or running, but ...Read more

Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post/TNS

A few years of healthy eating and exercise influences health 2 decades later, new study shows

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

DENVER -- Even a few years of healthier eating and exercise can show up in better health outcomes two decades later, a new national study with Colorado ties found — but most people need significant support to make those changes.

In the late 1990s, about 3,000 people with prediabetes, including about 120 in Colorado, joined a study to ...Read more

Weighing The Prognosis Of A Woman With Stage III Rectal Cancer

Health Advice / Keith Roach /

DEAR DR. ROACH: My daughter, who's 44 years old, was recently diagnosed with rectal cancer. It's stage III and contained. She has no cancer in her liver, lymph nodes, rectum or colon. Her doctor is going to start her on a more aggressive chemo than he first thought of, then radiation. Since the cancer's contained, once it's removed, would her ...Read more

Home is where your heart is -- and your health environment too

Whether you own or rent a home, chances are that you feel like it's your comfort zone -- and that leads to an overall feeling of happiness. In fact, one survey found that 73% of people who are happy with their home are also happy in life. But did you know that home is not just where the heart is, it's where hidden risks to the health of your ...Read more

A Little Goes a Long Way: The Dosage of Homeopathic Remedies

When it comes to homeopathy, the dosage of remedies can be a bit confusing. After all, homeopathic remedies are highly diluted, so how can such a small amount have an effect? Let's take a closer look at the dosage of homeopathic remedies, with a touch of humor thrown in.

First things first, let's talk about homeopathy. It's a form of ...Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

California health officials warn of West Nile virus in mosquito in Alhambra, human infection in Long Beach

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

LOS ANGELES — Health authorities are warning residents to take precautions after the deadly West Nile virus was detected in a mosquito caught in the San Gabriel Valley.

The announcement comes on the heels of the first human case of the virus reported in Long Beach.

West Nile virus is a mosquito-borne infection that could be fatal to humans ...Read more

(Erica S. Lee for KFF Health News)/KFF HEALTH/TNS

He dreamed of becoming a physician assistant. New loan rules may thwart him

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Benjamin Pinckney, 46, has dreamed of becoming a physician assistant since just after his 20th birthday.

He had been targeted by a drive-by shooter in Jacksonville, Florida, and hospitalized with two gunshot wounds. During his weeklong hospitalization, he said, a physician assistant changed the course of his life by visiting his hospital bed ...Read more

Could gym booster creatine also be a weapon against cancer?

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

LOS ANGELES — Taken as a metabolism pick-up by athletes and bodybuilders, creatine has of late seen increasing uptake outside the gym, as awareness grows of its potential as an anti-inflammatory and even as a cognitive aid.

But if research carried out at the University of California Los Angeles is anything to go by, creatine could soon also ...Read more

Joe Raedle/Getty Images North America/TNS

Efforts to end school vaccine mandates hit a wall in Florida

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Every state, along with Washington, D.C., requires children to obtain certain vaccinations before they can attend school or childcare. These mandates date back decades, and many public health experts consider them a foundational defense against infectious disease.

Since the summer of 2025, Florida leaders have aimed to make the state the first ...Read more

Korawat Tainjun/Dreamstime/TNS

Mayo Clinic Q&A: Recognizing the signs of testicular cancer

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: My cousin, who's in his late 20s, was recently diagnosed with testicular cancer. I didn't know this is something younger guys need to worry about. Can you fill me in?

ANSWER: Testicular cancer isn't common — about 9,800 men are diagnosed each year and 1 in 250 may be diagnosed in their lifetime— but it most commonly ...Read more

Addressing Factitious Disorder, AKA Munchausen Syndrome

Health Advice / Keith Roach /

DEAR DR. ROACH: Could you address Munchausen syndrome and how to treat a person who might have it? What causes the constant talk about real or imagined illnesses, and is there a treatment for it? -- Anon.

ANSWER: Factitious disorder, sometimes called Munchausen syndrome after the 18th century German nobleman Baron Karl Friedrich Hieronymus von ...Read more

The Dos and Don'ts of Administering Homeopathic Remedies

When it comes to administering homeopathic remedies, there are some important dos and don'ts to keep in mind. But fear not, with a bit of humor and guidance, it's easy to get it right. Let's take a closer look.

First things first, let's talk about homeopathy. It's a form of alternative medicine that's been around for centuries. ...Read more

Medicare Advantage company pays $342M to government in midst of billing probe

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

A major Medicare Advantage company has paid the government more than $342 million to help settle allegations that it overcharged the federal healthcare program for years.

Elevance Health, which covers about 2 million people on Medicare, sent the money to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services via wire transfer on May 27, court records ...Read more

Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune/TNS

Despite Mayor Brandon Johnson campaign promise, 911 mental health response team flounders

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Throughout his 2023 mayoral campaign, Brandon Johnson championed a progressive vision of sending teams of mental health clinicians instead of police officers to help people suffering from psychiatric emergencies.

But since he took office and started phasing cops out of the city’s Crisis Assistance Response and Engagement program, those teams ...Read more

Taylor Sisk/KFF Health News/TNS

Opioid settlement money pays for services to battle addiction in rural Kentucky

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

WHITESBURG, Ky. — Drugs and the consequences of addiction are woven into the fabric of Jamie Madden's life.

Her earliest memory is of standing on the passenger seat of her dad's car as a toddler, wearing a peach-colored blouse, while he drove from their Kentucky home to Florida to pick up drugs. On a stop for a burger, she met Ronald McDonald...Read more

William Casey/Dreamstime/TNS

Ask the Pediatrician: Baby sunburn prevention tips

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Sunny days invite outdoor family fun. When heading out with your little ones, keep in mind that babies need extra protection from sunburn. With a few simple precautions, you can help keep their skin healthy now and in the future.

Babies are more at risk of sunburn because their skin is thinner and more delicate than adult skin. They can burn ...Read more

It's no lie, A-Fib can be prevented or controlled

Updated estimates out of the University of California San Francisco tell us that around 10 million Americans contend with A-Fib (aka atrial fibrillation). Two decades ago, it was estimated to affect about 3 million folks. And for 63% of those who are told they have the condition, it comes as a complete surprise, according to the American Heart ...Read more

Leg Cramps And Digit Spasms Occur Due To Lactose Intolerance

Health Advice / Keith Roach /

DEAR DR. ROACH: I'm a 74-year-old woman who's quite healthy (I am active and don't take any medications), but I have a history of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-C). Recently, I experienced bad-smelling gas, leg cramps, and finger and toe spasms. I quit eating milk products, and my symptoms almost immediately disappeared. My question is: Do food...Read more