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RFK Jr. seeks to peek at Americans' medical records for clues on autism and vaccines

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is pursuing federal government access to most Americans' medical records, in a quest to research a link between vaccines and autism — a connection the medical establishment studied for decades and flatly rejects.

The Department of Health and Human Services is seeking data from little-known state ...Read more

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Trump's Medicaid work rules force states to scrap plans and rework systems

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

The Trump administration’s rollout of a federal mandate that millions of Americans on Medicaid must work or risk losing health benefits will force states to scrap months of preparation, according to advocates for Medicaid enrollees and consultants advising states.

And they say an overhaul — less than seven months before states must start ...Read more

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How Google's 32-million mosquito project could change California's battle against dengue

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

LOS ANGELES — Google took internet searches to the next level. Could it do the same for mosquito control?

The Silicon Valley-based tech giant is seeking to release up to 64 million sterilized male mosquitoes in California and Florida over two years, according to a notice in the Federal Register. It’s part of an ambitious effort to curb the ...Read more

Ken Lambert/The Seattle Times/TNS

Measles, whooping cough spike amid low vaccination rates

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Vaccine hesitancy fed by misinformation is causing new surges of measles and whooping cough, while COVID-19 hotspots persist in some states and a new threat looms from an Ebola outbreak in central Africa.

Nationally there have been 1,983 measles cases this year, nearly the 2,288 total for all of 2025, which in itself was the worst year since ...Read more

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After her bout of amnesia, a $59,000 billing dispute wouldn't go away

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

On April 10, 2025, several hours after finishing a hike in Sedona, Arizona, Jan Anderson started repeating herself.

"Did we hike this morning?" she asked.

"Yes, we hiked," said her husband, Steve Francks. "And you did really well."

But 15 seconds later, she asked the same question: "Did we hike today?"

Anderson, 65, a retired finance ...Read more

Shahrzad Rasekh/KFF HEALTH NEWS/TNS

Baffling. Frustrating. Frightening. What it's like to be sued over medical debt

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

When Christine Wood received a $12,000 bill from Bristol Hospital, she thought it must be a mistake. It was more than she and her husband made in a month combined.

“I’m freaking out,” said Wood, who lives in a 1,700-square-foot home in Terryville, a village just outside Bristol, Connecticut. “I don’t understand it.”

Wood, 52, had ...Read more

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Mayo Clinic Q&A: What are the new treatments for lupus?

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: A good friend was diagnosed with lupus. Can you tell me more about it, how it's treated and if there are new options that could make a difference in her quality of life?

ANSWER: Lupus is an autoimmune disease, which means the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks its own tissues. The exact cause isn't fully understood, but...Read more

Gabapentin's Benefit To Sleep Outweighs Risks In Woman's Case

Health Advice / Keith Roach /

DEAR DR. ROACH: I'm a 70 year old woman in good health, other than osteopenia and digestive problems that plague many seniors. I went through a sleep study and was found to have somewhat severe periodic limb movement. I do wake up frequently, always use the bathroom, and can be awake for a while before going back to sleep.

I was prescribed ...Read more

Find out -- then modify -- your genetic risk for 8 cardio woes

Around 28 million folks with premature heart disease have a family history of cardiovascular disease (CVD). But many folks don't know they carry genetic risk factors for cardio woes and they lose the opportunity to retool their lifestyle and receive medical treatments to control or reverse the dangers.

Now, a study in JACC that looked at the ...Read more

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Kenya plans to press ahead with US Ebola isolation center

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Kenya will continue work on an isolation and treatment unit at an airbase in the East African nation that can be used to house U.S. servicemen exposed to the Ebola virus, its health secretary said.

“We will not stop it,” Aden Duale told lawmakers in the capital, Nairobi, on Wednesday. “Let’s not politicize the health of our citizens.”...Read more

How to track your HSA receipts and paperwork

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Health savings accounts (HSAs) offer a rare triple tax advantage: Contributions are tax-deductible, investments grow tax-free and withdrawals for qualified medical expenses are tax-free.

Those tax benefits come with an important responsibility, though. If you take tax-free withdrawals from your HSA, you should be able to document that the money...Read more

Eating Well: 7 best fruits you should eat for more energy

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

We’ve all felt tired at different times of the day. While low energy is common, several factors can contribute to fatigue or an energy crash — what you eat, when you eat, how much you eat, your sleep quality, and more. The good news: certain foods can help fuel your body with long-lasting energy. These seven fruits can give you a natural ...Read more

Does everyone benefit from cutting saturated fat in their diet?

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Keeping saturated fat intake low (under 10% of calories) is a cornerstone of dietary advice, but a recent research review suggests it may have less impact for people already at low risk for heart disease.

The review, published online Dec. 16, 2025, by Annals of Internal Medicine, analyzed 17 randomized controlled trials (involving 66,337 people...Read more

Mayo Clinic Q&A: What makes the Mediterranean diet so healthy for your heart?

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I’ve read that following the Mediterranean diet is good for your heart, but I’m not quite sure why. Could you fill me in?

ANSWER: Extensive research over the years continues to pinpoint the Mediterranean diet as one of the best for your heart. Why? It helps reduce chronic inflammation in the body.

Not all inflammation is ...Read more

Release the Kratom

Health Advice / Scott LaFee /

Kratom is a tropical tree native to Southeast Asia whose leaves are used as the active ingredient in a host of compounds and supplements to self-treat conditions such as pain, coughing, diarrhea, anxiety and depression. In low doses, it acts as a stimulant; in higher doses, it produces sedative, opioid-like effects.

The Food and Drug ...Read more

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States face tight timeline as feds unveil new Medicaid work requirement rules

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

The federal government released new guidance this week on how states should roll out the Medicaid work requirements that will affect healthcare coverage for millions of Americans.

The new interim rule, issued by the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, is intended to give states more details on how they’re supposed to verify the ...Read more

Man Feels As If A Death Sentence Hangs Over Him Due To MGUS

Health Advice / Keith Roach /

DEAR DR. ROACH: After a routine blood test raised suspicions, my husband was diagnosed with monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS). At first, we thought this wasn't a big deal, but further tests indicate that he's in the "high risk" category, although he doesn't have symptoms. The hematologist/oncologist has indicated that he ...Read more

What's the magic in magic mushrooms?

Americans became aware of the magic mushroom, psilocybin, in 1957 when Life magazine published an article by a U.S. banker, R. Gordon Wasson, on his experience with it during a trip to Southern Mexico. Timothy Leary advocated its use during the 1960s and 1970s. But the U.S. government then classified psilocybin and other psychedelics as Schedule...Read more

Walking away from post-surgical complications

Post-surgical complications, ranging from infection to chronic pain and blood clots, are very common. And for folks on Medicare, nearly one in seven surgeries leads to a potentially preventable adverse event that makes it necessary to go back into the hospital within a month of discharge.

But a new study published in the Journal of the American...Read more

Figuring Out The Cause And Cure For A Case Of Restless Legs

Health Advice / Keith Roach /

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am an active senior and have started to feel symptoms of restless legs syndrome (RLS). I'm wondering how and why this started. In the evenings, I use an athletic foam roller, drink water, and take magnesium supplements. I'd like to hear how to remedy this so that I can get some much-needed sleep. -- J.L.

ANSWER: We don't ...Read more