Health Advice
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Donations sought as Red Cross laments 'severe' blood shortage
The Red Cross is appealing to past donors and potential new donors as it says a "severe blood shortage" could result in delays for surgeries and other medical procedures.
During a virtual news briefing Tuesday, officials said there was a 35% reduction in blood donations nationally in December. That equates to about 40,000 units of blood. More ...Read more
168 chemicals found in food linked to gut damage and fertility risks, study shows
Many everyday chemicals can impact your gut health and even male fertility, research shows. Proper food preparation, including washing and peeling fruits and vegetables, can protect from common pesticides.
Researchers from the University of Cambridge tested common chemicals, including many without known health impacts, and found 168 that could ...Read more
Minnesota doctors say ICE deters patients from seeking health care
ST. PAUL, Minn. — The ongoing federal immigration campaign is hurting patients too scared to attend checkup appointments, pick up prescriptions or even give birth in hospitals, doctors said at a State Capitol news conference Tuesday.
One diabetic patient rationed insulin and ran low on food to avoid leaving home, the doctors said. A pregnant ...Read more
Lurie Children's Hospital in Chicago scales back gender-affirming care, days after call for federal investigation
CHICAGO — Lurie Children’s Hospital is scaling back its gender-affirming care for minors, the hospital said Tuesday, days after a top federal official called for an investigation into the hospital.
The hospital will no longer offer gender-affirming medications for patients younger than 18 who have not previously been treated with the ...Read more
In 1 decade, 170 babies, kids and teens died in NC after fentanyl encounters
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — One hundred and seventy babies, kids and teens in North Carolina died after fentanyl exposure between 2015 and 2024, new state data shows.
Infants, children younger than 5 and teenagers aged 13 to 17 were the most likely to die after fentanyl exposure here during the past decade, according to updated data from the Office of ...Read more
Native Americans are dying from pregnancy. They want a voice to stop the trend
Just hours after Rhonda Swaney left a prenatal appointment for her first pregnancy, she felt severe pain in her stomach and started vomiting.
Then 25 years old and six months pregnant, she drove herself to the emergency room in Ronan, Montana, on the Flathead Indian Reservation, where an ambulance transferred her to a larger hospital 60 miles ...Read more
GOP cuts will cripple Medicaid enrollment, warns CEO of largest public health plan
When the head of the nation’s largest publicly operated health plan worries about the looming federal cuts to Medicaid, it’s not just her job. It’s personal.
Martha Santana-Chin, the daughter of Mexican immigrants, grew up on Medi-Cal, California’s version of Medicaid, the government-run health care program for people with low incomes ...Read more
9/11 WTC Health Program workforce cut by 25% under Kennedy as patient count rises, advocates say
NEW YORK — The staff running the federal World Trade Center Health Program has been cut by 25% as the number of sick 9/11 survivors the group treats is expected to increase by 10,000 this year, the Daily News has learned.
Survivor advocates are demanding U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. lift the ...Read more
Minnesota bags almost all of requested $200 million federal grant to boost rural health care
MINNEAPOLIS — Fearing political reprisals from President Donald Trump’s administration, Minnesota leaders were relieved late last month when they received almost all of the $200 million in federal grants they requested to boost rural health care in the state in 2026.
Now they have precious few months to invest the $193 million in areas such...Read more
Ask the Pediatrician: Dealing with warts
Warts are small, firm bumps on the skin caused by viruses from the human papillomavirus (HPV) family. Warts are common among school-aged children but can affect people of any age.
The good news is, many kinds of warts often go away on their own without treatment. But they can become painful if they are bumped, and some children are embarrassed ...Read more
Families at Mayo Clinic explore how a smartwatch can give early warnings of severe tantrums
Evenings in the Staal household often carried a delicate unpredictability. After a full school day — and as Ethan's medication began to wear off — the shift from playful to overwhelmed could happen in seconds. Ethan has attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, a condition that can make emotional regulation especially challenging.
Ethan's ...Read more
States race to launch rural health transformation plans
Imagine starting the new year with the promise of at least a $147 million payout from the federal government.
But there are strings attached.
In late December, President Donald Trump’s administration announced how much all 50 states would get under its new Rural Health Transformation Program, assigning them to use the money to fix systemic ...Read more
'Largest outbreak that we've seen in California': Death cap mushrooms linked to deaths, hospitalizations
An exceptionally wet December has contributed to an abundance of death cap mushrooms, or Amanita phalloides, on the Central Coast and Northern California, causing what officials describe as an unprecedented outbreak of severe illness and death among people who consume the fungi.
Public health officials are issuing a second warning this winter, ...Read more
Kaiser Permanente to pay $556 million in record Medicare Advantage fraud settlement
In the largest Medicare Advantage fraud settlement to date, Kaiser Permanente has agreed to pay $556 million to settle Justice Department allegations that it billed the government for medical conditions patients didn’t have.
The settlement, announced Jan. 14, resolves whistleblower lawsuits that accused the giant health insurer of mounting a ...Read more
Trump health plan asks Congress for drug, insurance legislation
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Thursday released a health care plan that calls on Congress to end negotiations over Affordable Care Act subsidies and instead enact bipartisan legislation on drug and health insurance costs.
Trump’s proposal, which he calls “The Great Healthcare Plan,” touts the potential to lower drug prices and ...Read more
Trump's 'Great Healthcare Plan' aims to lower drug prices and insurance premiums
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is asking Congress to pass legislation to implement health care reforms he unveiled Thursday aimed at lowering drug prices and insurance premiums, as he moves to address one of his party’s political liabilities ahead of midterm elections.
“I’m calling on Congress to pass this framework into law ...Read more
UNC Health will no longer provide gender-affirming medical care to 18-year-olds
RALEIGH, N.C. — UNC Health will no longer provide gender-affirming medical services to 18-year-old transgender patients, even though North Carolina’s ban applies only to minors.
Alan Wolf, a spokesperson for UNC Health, confirmed to The News & Observer that the organization decided last year to raise the age limit to 19.
“While state law...Read more
'One of our priorities': 'Superbug' still dangerous for Nevada
LAS VEGAS — Cases of a potentially lethal fungus have stabilized in Nevada, according to public health officials, who urge continued vigilance against the drug-resistant “superbug.”
Nevada’s first case of Candida auris was detected in Las Vegas in August 2021. By 2022, Southern Nevada was experiencing the largest outbreaks in the ...Read more
Flu cases surging in California as officials warn of powerful strain
LOS ANGELES — California officials are issuing warnings about a new flu strain that is increasing flu-related cases and hospitalizations statewide, with public health experts across the nation echoing the alerts.
A newly emerged influenza A strain, H3N2 subclade K, is already wreaking havoc globally and is affecting hospitals and clinics in ...Read more
45 sick in salmonella outbreak tied to Super Greens powder
A nationwide outbreak of salmonella linked to Live It Up Super Greens diet supplement powder has sickened 45 people, federal authorities said Wednesday.
Twelve of the 45 people were hospitalized for their illnesses, but no one has died in the outbreak, the Centers for Disease Control said in a statement.
Live It Up, the brand behind the ...Read more
Popular Stories
- Environmental Nutrition: Make your diet less inflammatory
- Ask the Pediatrician: Dealing with warts
- GOP cuts will cripple Medicaid enrollment, warns CEO of largest public health plan
- Families at Mayo Clinic explore how a smartwatch can give early warnings of severe tantrums
- Native Americans are dying from pregnancy. They want a voice to stop the trend








