Health

WASHINGTON — Weather and health officials are advising those living in some of the most heavily populated communities in the U.S. to consider donning face masks and varying their daily routines in light of a blanket of smoke rolling over... Read More

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Human Rights Campaign declared a state of emergency for LGBTQ+ people in the U.S. on Tuesday and a released “a guidebook for action” summarizing what it calls discriminatory laws in each state, along with “know your... Read More

WASHINGTON (AP) — Women often use hormone therapy to relieve hot flashes and other menopause symptoms — and new research suggests patches or creams may be safer for their blood pressure than pills. As women's bodies produce lower levels of... Read More

ATLANTA — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported this week that estimated annual new HIV infections were 12% lower in 2021 compared to 2017, a drop from about 36,500 infections to about 32,100. According to the CDC, the... Read More

WASHINGTON — The Food and Drug Administration wants to make it easier for patients to understand why they’ve been prescribed specific medications and how to ensure they don’t suffer any preventable adverse reactions when taking them. Toward that end the... Read More

WASHINGTON — The evidence is, well, almost everywhere you turn. According to the National Institutes of Health, more than 50% of American adults are struggling with belly fat. And the problem becomes more acute as we age. That’s because belly... Read More

BOSTON — People who have type 2 diabetes should set aside time to exercise in the afternoon rather than the morning to better manage their blood sugar, according to a study published in Diabetes Care, a journal of the American... Read More

ATLANTA — If you're sick and work in the restaurant industry, stay home. That’s at least one underlying takeaway from a new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that found roughly 40% of foodborne illness outbreaks between 2017 and... Read More

WASHINGTON — The Department of Veterans Affairs announced Tuesday that it is relaxing face mask requirements at all of its medical facilities. Beginning Tuesday, face masks were no longer required in most clinical areas of these facilities. “Now that the... Read More

CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) — Nevada's Joe Lombardo on Tuesday became one of the first Republican governors to enshrine protections for out-of-state abortion patients and in-state providers, adding the western swing state to the list of those passing new laws to solidify... Read More

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — President Joe Biden marked Tuesday’s eighth anniversary of one of the saddest days of his life, the death of his son Beau, by attending a memorial Mass and visiting his gravesite. Biden, his wife, Jill, and other family members... Read More

Disgraced Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes is scheduled to move to her new home — a federal prison where she has been sentenced to spend the next 11 years for overseeing a blood-testing hoax that became a parable about greed and... Read More

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration has proposed using new tools to monitor costs associated with prescription drugs so it can hold pharma manufacturers accountable for what Medicaid programs pay for them. The Notice of Proposed Rule Making was made through... Read More

ATLANTA — A fourth death has been linked to a recalled brand of artificial tears made by EzriCare and Delsam Pharma, as the number of infections with a highly drug-resistant bacteria grew to 81 across 18 states, the Centers for... Read More

PRAGUE, Czechia — Patients with especially strong legs are less likely to develop heart failure following a heart attack, according to a new report from the European Society of Cardiology. Myocardial infarction (a heart attack) is the most common cause... Read More

WASHINGTON — An independent panel of health care experts said Tuesday that there’s simply not enough evidence to recommend for or against oral health screening being done by primary health care providers. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has been... Read More

WASHINGTON — While social media use may be beneficial to some people, the U.S. surgeon general warned Tuesday that not enough is being done to fully understand or address the likely harm it does to the mental health and well-being... Read More

NEW YORK — “Broken” home-based health care experiences are causing avoidable hospital readmissions, exacting worrisome financial and psychological tolls on patients and caregivers alike, a new survey by Tomorrow Health has found. According to the American Hospital Association, 35 million... Read More

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — The only five women in South Carolina's 46-member Senate have vowed to resist new abortion restrictions up for debate after the group filibustered a near-total ban last month. But it remains to be seen whether the... Read More

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. health regulators on Monday approved a new easy-to-use version of a medication to reverse overdoses caused by fentanyl and other opioids driving the nation’s drug crisis. Opvee is similar to naloxone, the life-saving drug that has been used for decades... Read More

WASHINGTON (AP) — One woman had to carry her baby, missing much of her skull, for months knowing she'd bury her daughter soon after she was born. Another started mirroring the life-threatening symptoms that her baby was displaying while in... Read More

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Conservative Nebraska lawmakers are expected to have just enough votes to pass a bill Friday that combines a ban on gender-affirming care for minors with a 12-week abortion ban. The mood in the Nebraska Capitol since... Read More

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has highlighted efforts by Republican governors and statehouses across the country to embrace proposals limiting the rights of transgender people, signing new restrictions as he moves closer to a presidential bid. The restrictions are spreading quickly despite criticism from... Read More

BOSTON — The use of enteral probiotics among infants with very low birth weight has been found to lower their risk of necrotizing enterocolitis, though it appears to have far less of an impact on either sepsis or mortality, according... Read More

RALEIGH, N.C. — North Carolina’s Republican-led Legislature voted Tuesday night to ban most abortions after 12 weeks, overriding Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s previous veto of the measure. In a pair of party-line votes, the North Carolina General Assembly voted 72-48... Read More

WASHINGTON — Vigorous exercise does not appear to increase the risk of death or life-threatening arrhythmia for people with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a rare, inherited heart disorder, according to a new study. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, also called HCM, affects about one in... Read More

Edna Adan Ismail, a nurse-midwife, hospital founder, and health care advocate who for decades has combated female circumcision and strived to improve women’s health care in East Africa, was named Tuesday as winner of the 2023 Templeton Prize, one of... Read More

SALISBURY, Md. (AP) — Thousands of women living in rural, eastern Maryland have few options when they're looking for someone to deliver their babies. The local hospital doesn't have an obstetrics doctor on staff so most women in this region,... Read More

As Republican-governed states across the nation advance myriad bills targeting transgender young people, America’s faith leaders are starkly divided in their assessment. Some view the legislation as reflecting God’s will; others voice outrage that Christianity is being invoked to justify laws they... Read More

WASHINGTON — A panel of federal health advisors voted unanimously on Wednesday to approve the first over-the-counter sale of a medical contraceptive. The vote came at the end of a two-day meeting during which the panel, which offers nonbinding recommendations... Read More