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‘Incredibly concerning’ lawsuit threatens no-charge preventive care for millions
With a challenge to the Affordable Care Act still pending at the Supreme Court, conservatives are continuing to launch legal attacks on the law, including a case in which a Texas federal judge seems open to ending the requirement that most Americans must receive preventive services like mammograms free of charge.
Businesses and individuals ...Read more

Is indoor dining safe once you've had the COVID-19 vaccine? Experts are split on the risk
Once you're vaccinated, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have officially OK'd having friends over for dinner if they're vaccinated, too. The guidelines also say that once vaccinated, you can have a mask-less, indoor hangout even if your guests aren't vaccinated, as long as you're gathering with people from a single household, and ...Read more

Father and son find nearly all grocery produce is uncontaminated by COVID-19
PHILADELPHIA – In the early days of the pandemic, Vishal Shah painstakingly disinfected all of his family’s produce from the grocery store with a disinfectant before bringing it into their West Chester house to reduce the risk of contracting COVID-19.
His 13-year-old son, Anand, noticed the practice one afternoon and began questioning Shah,...Read more
Diabetes, inflammation and cancer
When wildfires sweep across California, the risk of respiratory distress increases. In the summer and fall of 2018, the smoky air in San Francisco was as toxic as smoking a half a pack of cigarettes a day.
When a wildfire hits your body in the form of chronic inflammation, it's a serious health hazard too. If you have prediabetes or full-blown ...Read more
Nerve compression at wrist causes carpal tunnel syndrome
DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a 78-year-old woman. Last September I had severe pain in my right hand. The pain was so bad that I had to go to the emergency room, where they did an MRI. Results showed I have cervical radiculopathy, a pinched nerve in my neck. They put me on hydrocodone and prednisone. A few days later I had extreme pain in both upper arms...Read more

Stop blaming Tuskegee, critics say. It’s not an ‘excuse’ for current medical racism
For months, journalists, politicians and health officials — including New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Dr. Anthony Fauci — have invoked the infamous Tuskegee syphilis study to explain why Black Americans are more hesitant than white Americans to get the coronavirus vaccine.
“It’s ‘Oh, Tuskegee, Tuskegee, Tuskegee,’ and it’s ...Read more

Smoking may disappear within a generation, analysts predict
In 10 to 20 years there could be no smokers left in many markets, according to analysts at Jefferies. Governments and tobacco companies are on the same side in this shift, as more countries adopt smokefree targets and companies push smokers over to reduced-risk products such as vaping and oral nicotine.
“With regulators and tobacco ambitions ...Read more
COVID-19 Pounds
The news is in. We managed to gain 2 pounds a month during our shelter-in-place quarantine. That's according to a new study published in JAMA. Overall, that's where the extra 20 pounds registering on our scale comes from. Just blame COVID-19.
Ugh.
So, we're already getting older and exercising less, and now we need to buy a new size of pants. ...Read more

Quinn on Nutrition: When you can't eat
It had been festering for a long time … an infection that didn’t show up on routine tests. But we knew sometime was not right. Cal was not eating as enthusiastically as he usually does. And he was steadily losing weight.
His routine doc was stumped and sent him to a specialist. Further testing found the answer to his weakened condition—a ...Read more

Nosing in on kids who had COVID and lost their sense of smell
Orange. Eucalyptus. Lavender. Peppermint.
Doctors at Children’s Hospital Colorado and Seattle Children’s Hospital will use scents like these to treat children who lost their sense of smell to COVID-19. Parents will attend clinics and go home with a set of essential oils for their child to sniff twice a day for three months. Clinicians will ...Read more

Side effects mean your COVID-19 vaccine is working. But what if you don’t have a reaction?
As millions now know from personal experience, the COVID-19 vaccines can cause temporary side effects. It’s a good sign, as it suggests your immune system is paying attention, preparing you in case of infection with the coronavirus.
But if you don’t experience side effects, does that mean the vaccine did not work?
Good news: The short ...Read more
Are new symptoms from return of previous tumor or dementia?
DEAR DR. ROACH: My mother was diagnosed with right frontal lobe meningioma 17 years ago when she was 83 years old. Surgery was successful in that most of it was removed and it was found to be nonmalignant. The doctor told us he couldn't remove it completely, and that it was a very slow-growing type of tumor and wouldn't return for about 20 years...Read more
Catching up with kombucha
When the cartoon program "Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!" premiered in 1969, hardly anyone in the U.S. had heard of the ancient Chinese brew kombucha, a fermented drink that's made from tea, sugar and a glob of yeast and bacteria called a SCOBY (symbiotic cultures of bacteria and yeasts). But recently, kombucha has become one of the top-selling ...Read more

Krispy Kreme post-vaccine doughnut offer sparks joy – and concerns about sugar overload
Krispy Kreme fans are rejoicing over the company's latest promotion: a free glazed doughnut every day this year, as long you show proof that you've gotten a COVID-19 vaccine.
But not everyone is a fan of the sugar rush.
Some experts, including the top public health official in North Carolina — the birthplace of and perhaps biggest ...Read more

‘Milestone’ surgery: Illinois health care worker dying of COVID-19 receives lungs from person who recovered from the disease but died in an accident
CHICAGO – Surgeons at Northwestern Memorial Hospital last month performed the first known double lung transplant in the U.S. that used lungs donated from someone who recovered from COVID-19 to save another person who was dying of the disease, a surgery that the doctors called an “important milestone.”
The donor lungs used in the surgery ...Read more

Democrats gave Americans a big boost buying health insurance. It didn’t come cheap
When Democrats pushed through a two-year expansion of the Affordable Care Act in the COVID-19-relief bill this month, many people celebrated the part that will make health insurance more affordable for more Americans.
But health care researchers consider this move a short-term fix for a long-term crisis, one that avoids confronting an ...Read more
One more way to strengthen your immune system
In "Parks and Recreation," Chris Pratt was a lovable tubby; today, as one of the Guardians of the Galaxy, he's toned and healthy. Making $10 million a movie may be an incentive, but you don't have anything if you don't have your health -- and his amazing exercise routine has given him a lot of valuable perks.
Turns out exercise doesn't just ...Read more
A range of blood pressure readings can be telling
DEAR DR. ROACH: My doctor recently retired, my new one is very concerned about my systolic blood pressure, which was 150. I made quarterly visits to my old doctor, who never had a comment about my pressure numbers. My new doctor wants me on medication, and we agreed I would buy a home blood pressure machine to check my pressure.
I recorded it ...Read more

Expert alert: 5 tips for getting back into the game
ROCHESTER, Minn – People look forward to opening day of baseball season, perhaps even more this year amid the pandemic.
Mayo Clinic orthopedic surgeon and Minnesota Twins medical director Dr. Christopher Camp has treated all levels of athletes – from pro athletes to youth getting started in their sport. Whether returning to their activity ...Read more

Importance of preventive health care during COVID-19 pandemic
Preventive health care helps you maintain your health. Screenings are important to avoid future health problems or catch them early when they are easier to treat. But the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a decrease in preventive screenings because some patients have been hesitant to see their health care provider.
"People are driven to seek medical...Read more
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