ArcaMax

At this point in the COVID-19 pandemic, nearly everyone has experienced the panic and uncertainty that come with having mild COVID-like symptoms – such as a cough and sore throat – only to test negative day after day. With cold and flu season just around the corner, that state of frustrating uncertainty is likely to strike most of us ...Read more

Cancer is often thought of as a disease that affects older people, and with the median age of a cancer diagnosis at 66 years, it does. But cancer can be diagnosed at any age.

Younger people, including adolescents and young adults between ages 15 and 39 — known as AYAs — also are affected by cancer. Thyroid cancer is one of the most common ...Read more

Migraine is a genetic neurologic disease that often goes undertreated. It's more than a typical headache. Sometimes migraine headaches come with pain so intense they can interrupt day-to-day activities.

The good news says Dr. Amaal Starling, a Mayo Clinic neurologist, is newer migraine headache treatment options are available that are more ...Read more

Given recent headlines, you may be wondering why polio is even an issue in 2022. For more than 60 years, vaccines against the poliovirus have protected virtually everyone in the United States from the disease. Due to an enormously successful polio vaccination campaign beginning in the 1950s when the first polio vaccines became available, by ...Read more

If you’ve been feeling a little backed up, you’re not alone. Constipation is one of the leading gastrointestinal complaints in America — about 63 million people in the United States experience the condition, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). Chances are most of us have experienced ...Read more

Bananas are the potassium-packed, portable fruit we all know and love, but they can be a bit of a nuisance. They can bruise or ripen too quickly or not ripen quickly enough; like avocados, bananas are on their own timeline and we’re just along for the ride. With that said, there are ways to store bananas in order to have some control over ...Read more

Embryo donation — the process by which a family donates their “extra” embryos to a couple or individual — is a viable path to parenthood. In a previous blog post, I addressed some of the reasons why people who consider their families complete after in vitro fertilization (IVF) might choose to donate embryos.

Who, then, is on the ...Read more

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I have two children — a 3-year-old son and a 1-year-old daughter. My son is beginning to notice his anatomy more, touching his genitals and asking questions about his sister. He is noticing that her anatomy is different from his. He also asked how she got into and out of my body. I am wondering if you have advice on how best ...Read more

For about a week in May, Alabama had the harshest anti-transgender law in the U.S. Any doctor who prescribed puberty blockers or hormone therapy to people under the age of 18 could face felony charges, spend up to 10 years in prison and pay a $15,000 fine. Physicians scrambled to refill their patients’ prescriptions before the law kicked in; ...Read more

Sending children off to college or into the real world usually is a proud time for parents. But there also can be sadness, especially when the last child leaves home. Empty nest syndrome isn't a clinical diagnosis. Instead, it's a phenomenon where parents experience feelings of sadness and loss when the last child leaves home.

It's common for ...Read more

As abortion bans go into effect across a contiguous swath of the South, cancer physicians are wrestling with how new state laws will influence their discussions with pregnant patients about what treatment options they can offer.

Cancer coincides with roughly 1 in 1,000 pregnancies, most frequently breast cancer, melanoma, cervical cancer, ...Read more

In conjunction with the first day of fall in mid-September, Falls Prevention Awareness Week is a national health campaign observed to raise awareness about injuries due to falls.

Many injuries and even deaths in children can occur because of falls.

Every year in the U.S., roughly 2.2 million children under 15 are seen in emergency departments ...Read more

DENVER -- Reminders of life outside Lilly Downs’ Denver hospital room dotted the walls.

Faux green vines intertwined with fairy lights trailed down the wall opposite her bed. Below the greenery, pictures of the teenager’s family, friends and two dogs had been taped to a wardrobe. Flowers sat in vases on the window sill.

The 18-year-old lay...Read more

In Raynaud's disease, smaller arteries that supply blood to your skin become narrow, limiting blood flow to affected areas. This causes some areas of your body, such as your fingers and toes, to feel numb and cold in response to cold temperatures or stress. You may experience numb, prickly feelings or stinging pain upon warming or stress relief....Read more

Medicaid, the government-funded U.S. health insurer for people with low incomes, grew by about 25% between February 2020 and May 2022 as policies adopted at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic expanded the program’s reach.

All told, the number of people enrolled in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program, or CHIP, ...Read more