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Gaza's health system has collapsed, multiplying the war's toll on children
As the head of a humanitarian organization, I have been working for more than 30 years both to save the lives of injured children in Gaza and to help establish a modern health care system for specialized pediatric care in Gaza. That dream has been shattered. The lives of more than 5,000 children killed or missing in Gaza over the past month ...Read more
Wave 'hello' to your curls
Curling, that sport in which a skater frantically sweeps the ice in front of a gliding stone with a handle on top, is finally getting its day in the sun. These days it rates as one of the most watched contests in the Winter Olympics.
If curling can achieve widespread popularity, maybe curly hair can, too. As many as 40% of African American ...Read more
Chlorhexidine Scrubs And Cleansers Are Safe To Use
DEAR DR. ROACH: I am at my wit's end and hope that you can answer this for me. I am a 76-year-old male. Next week, I'm going to have surgery in my genital area. My urologist told me to wash with Hibiclens starting one week prior to surgery. He then went on vacation, returning several days prior to my surgery. However, I am supposed to start ...Read more

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson names Chicago Health commissioner
Mayor Brandon Johnson appointed the next leader of the Chicago Department of Public Health Monday, his office announced three months after he fired the prior commissioner in the high-profile post.
Dr. Olusimbo “Simbo” Ige is the managing director at the nonprofit Robert Wood Johnson Foundation based in New Jersey. She succeeds Dr. Allison ...Read more

What I learned from the world's last smallpox patient
Rahima Banu, a toddler in rural Bangladesh, was the last person in the world known to contract variola major, the deadly form of smallpox, through natural infection. In October 1975, after World Health Organization epidemiologists learned of her infection, health workers vaccinated those around her, putting an end to variola major transmission ...Read more

Mayo Clinic Minute: Stomach cancer concerns
Stomach cancer, also called gastric cancer, is an abnormal growth of cells that begins in the stomach. It can affect several areas of the stomach, including the main stomach lining or where the esophagus meets the stomach.
November is Stomach Cancer Awareness Month, and experts at Mayo Clinic say there is hope for patients with the disease as ...Read more

Sitting down all day is killing us. The cure is surprisingly simple -- and difficult
From head to toe, our bodies are adapting to accommodate our devices. A majority of U.S. workers spend most of each weekday seated and looking at screens. We’ve thereby put ourselves in the midst of a slow-moving health crisis marked by alarming rates of early-onset diabetes and hypertension. Plus, by the end of most days — though it’s not...Read more

Consumer Health: Recognizing the signs of pneumonia
Pneumonia causes more than 1 million hospitalizations and 50,000 deaths per year in the U.S., according to the American Lung Association.
Pneumonia is an infection that inflames the air sacs in one or both lungs. The air sacs may fill with fluid or pus, causing cough with phlegm or pus, fever, chills, and difficulty breathing.
Pneumonia can ...Read more

A new RSV shot could help protect babies this winter -- if they can get it in time
Emily Bendt was in her third trimester of pregnancy when she first heard the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had approved a new shot for infants to protect them from the respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV.
By Oct. 5, Bendt was cuddling with her new baby, Willow, on the couch at home in Vancouver, Washington. She was excited to get ...Read more
Reduce your risk of cancer: get involved and have fun
Around 30% of American households are one-person abodes. According to the 2020 census, that's the case for around 4% of folks ages 18 to 24 and about 26% for those over age 65. And about one in six Americans 55 and older don't have children.
Living alone at any age turns out to have some health risk -- emotionally and physically. A new study ...Read more
Patient With Pbc Needs Calcium Supplement Amid Normal Levels
DEAR DR ROACH: I am a 60-year-old female. I was diagnosed with primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) in 2020. At the time, I had a bone density scan that showed osteopenia of the left femoral neck with a T-score of -1.3. My 10-year risk of any fracture was 6.9%, with 0.5 % for hip fractures.
My hepatologist wants me to take a calcium supplement, ...Read more

On Nutrition: Ageless books
With so much information at the touch of my phone or computer, I find myself opening a book less often. Shame.
So, in a fit of clean-out-the-old-stuff, I took to my bookshelves. I am pleased to report that age is not always a reason to toss out a text.
I’ll never give up Julia Child’s "Mastering the Art of French Cooking," for example. Its...Read more
Covid Might Have Triggered An Achalasia Diagnosis
DEAR DR. ROACH: I have achalasia, which I understand is quite rare. Can you tell me the cause, and is it in any way related to the COVID vaccination? I heard from one professional doctor that it might be. I had excessive coughing before, during and long after recovery from COVID. Could it have damaged my esophagus? The report stated that "the ...Read more
Type 2 diabetes vs. longevity
The pandemic and the opioid epidemic may have shortened the expected lifespan in the U.S. to 76.4 years (from birth), shorter than it's been in 20 years. But the epidemics of obesity and Type 2 diabetes are also contributing.
A study published online in The Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology, using data from 19 high-income countries, reveals ...Read more
This Fall, Don't Fall
In 2021, according to the latest data from the CDC, 100 older adults (age 65-plus) died from falls every day. Nonfatal falls were higher among women than among men, but fall-related death rates were higher among men than among women. Fall rates have steadily risen in recent years.
Falling is not an inevitable part of aging. It can be ...Read more

Diabetes Quick Fix: Spaghetti with Clams and Herb Sauce and Italian Salad
From "Delicious One-Pot Dishes" by Linda Gassenheimer, published by the American Diabetes Association. Linda Gassenheimer’s latest book published by the American Diabetes Association: The 12-Week Diabetes Cookbook
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Spaghetti with clam sauce is flavorful, has a fresh taste and is easy to make. When buying clams, look for shells that are ...Read more

On Nutrition: Index of healthy eating
Halloween is over and the candy bags are empty. Now begins the season of favorite foods and traditions. And with each passing year, I’m reminded that I want to be around for many more.
I recently listened to a fascinating webinar sponsored by the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University. “Keeping Life in Your Years: Dietary ...Read more
Which is Witch
If you happened to reside in Salem, Massachusetts, in 1692-93, being a witch (or simply being accused of being one) was bad for your health. You would be tried and, if found guilty, imprisoned and/or executed.
Over the course of the infamous Salem Witch Trials, which ran for 15 months, 19 persons were hanged and one killed by torture. Five ...Read more

On Nutrition: Don't toss those pumpkin seeds
It all started with a question from a reader in Missouri: “Can pumpkin seeds minimize an overactive bladder? Is it better to eat ground-up pumpkin seeds or whole seeds? How much is advisable?”
Sure enough, there is evidence that pumpkin seeds — more specifically the oil in pumpkin seeds — may help treat what is known as overactive ...Read more
The Other Half Is Crazy
A Lancet Psychiatry study that analyzed responses from a 21-year-long World Health Organization survey projects that half of the world's population will develop a mental disorder by the age of 75, ranging from major depressive disorder and anxiety to substance abuse and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorders.
Most of these mental health ...Read more
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