Health Advice
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Mpox strain that may be more severe and easily spread is found in L.A. County for first time
Two cases of a potentially more severe strain of mpox have been confirmed in Los Angeles County this week.
It's the first time this particular type of mpox, known as "Clade I," has been found in the United States among people who had no history of traveling overseas to high-risk areas.
The first case, reported publicly on Tuesday, involved a ...Read more

Health officials warn of possible measles exposure in southern Colorado town
An out-of-state visitor with a confirmed case of measles may have exposed people at a southern Colorado hotel and gas station earlier this week, according to state and Huerfano County health officials.
The person was in La Veta from Sunday through Wednesday, and people who were exposed will likely develop symptoms between Nov. 3 and 5.
People ...Read more

Newly formed Governors Public Health Alliance is 15 strong, but doesn't include Pa.
A newly formed, multistate coalition represents the largest coordinated pushback to federal public health guidance under Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to date.
Preceded by similar, more regional approaches, including a Northeast collaborative that Pennsylvania joined in mid-September, the Governors Public Health Alliance includes 14 ...Read more

Newsom signs veteran-backed bill to accelerate study of psychedelics for PTSD, mental health
Gov. Gavin Newsom recently signed a bill to fast-track the study of psychedelic drugs, which a coalition of veterans say hold enormous potential to treat post-traumatic stress disorder and depression.
More veterans die from suicide in America on a daily basis than average daily combat deaths in Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan combined, according ...Read more

University of California researchers, patients wary of Trump cuts even as some dollars flow again
In August, an 80-year-old woman walked into the emergency room at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. She was lucid but experiencing a stroke. Within minutes, doctors asked for permission to pull out the stroke-causing clot before any more brain damage could occur.
She hesitated. The procedure was part of a clinical trial, and she’d heard ...Read more

Tribal traditional healing gets Medicaid reimbursement in 4 states
CHANDLER, Ariz. — Art Martinez has seen the power of ceremony.
Martinez, a clinical psychologist and member of the Chumash Tribe, helped run an American Indian youth ceremonial camp. Held at a sacred tribal site in Northern California, it was designed to help kids’ mental health. He remembers a 14-year-old girl who had been struggling ...Read more

Major insurers scale back Medicare Advantage and Part D plans for 2026
CVS Health, Humana, and UnitedHealth Group have announced that they will pull back on Medicare Advantage (MA) and Part D prescription drug plans next year. These changes are a response to financial pressures, including changes to government funding and rising healthcare costs. This has led insurance carriers to scale back their offerings in less...Read more

Environmental Nutrition: Take and bake pizza
Frozen pizza ... is there an easier, more convenient comfort food out there?
I doubt it. But pizza often gets a bad rap from a healthy eating perspective. With loads of cheese and fatty meats, it’s not hard to understand why. That doesn’t mean, however, that pizza can’t still be part of a healthy eating plan. Taking a few extra minutes to...Read more

5 long-lasting vegetables that stay fresh for weeks
Have you ever opened the fridge in hopes of using some of the fresh produce you recently picked up, only to find those veggies already rotting? Fruits and vegetables are some of the hardest foods to keep fresh for long periods of time, yet many of us are too busy to consume these products before they expire.
“Due to the delicateness of some ...Read more

Mayo Clinic Q&A: Understanding colorectal cancer
DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I recently read that more and more young people are getting diagnosed with colorectal cancer. I’m in my 30s, am I at risk? What does colorectal mean?
ANSWER: The term colorectal cancer combines colon and rectal cancer, two parts of the intestine. The first part of the large intestine is called the colon, and the last part ...Read more

Mayo Clinic Q&A: How to decide which breast cancer surgery is right for you
DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I understand surgery is often included as part of the treatment plan for breast cancer. If I'm a candidate for lumpectomy but am also considering a mastectomy, what are some things I should keep in mind? Should my breast density be a factor in my decision-making?
ANSWER: Women diagnosed with breast cancer are almost ...Read more

Cops on ketamine? Largely unregulated mental health treatment faces hurdles
If you or someone you know may be experiencing a mental health crisis, contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by dialing or texting “988.”
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ASHEVILLE, N.C. — A few months ago, Waynesville Police Sgt. Paige Shell was about to give up hope of getting better. The daily drip of violence, death, and misery from almost 20 years in law...Read more

California's nursing shortage is getting worse. Front-line workers blame management
TURLOCK, Calif. — California, like much of the nation, is not producing enough nurses working at bedsides to meet the needs of an aging and diverse population, fueling a workforce crunch that risks endangering quality patient care. Nearly 60% of California counties, stretching between the borders with Mexico and Oregon, face a nursing shortage...Read more

The key health bills California Gov. Newsom signed this week focused on how technology is impacting kids
New laws signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom aim to make the artificial intelligence and social media landscape in California safer, especially for minors.
Senate Bill 243, sponsored by state Sen. Steve Padilla (D-Chula Vista) will require AI companies to incorporate guardrails that prevent so-called "companion" chatbots from talking to users of any ...Read more

Michigan state board rejects 'misinformation' on controversial health, sex education plans
A State Board of Education resolution to spike new health education standards failed in a 5-2 Tuesday evening vote along party lines, shutting down an effort by conservatives to halt certain subjects in sex education from being offered in Michigan classrooms.
The resolution by the board's two Republican members sought to stop the proposed new ...Read more

California's health insurance marketplace braces for chaos as shutdown persists
California this week plans to notify Affordable Care Act marketplace enrollees that their costs could rise sharply next year unless Congress extends subsidies to help people buy health insurance.
Health care analysts say the nation’s uninsured population will rise significantly if federal lawmakers do not agree to renew covid-era tax credits,...Read more

Senators press Deloitte, other contractors on errors in Medicaid eligibility systems
Senators have launched an inquiry into companies paid billions in taxpayer dollars to build eligibility systems for Medicaid, expressing concern that error-riddled technology and looming work requirements “will cause Americans to lose Medicaid coverage to this bureaucratic maze.”
The letters, dated Oct. 10, were sent to four companies and ...Read more

Shutdown forces Medicare patients off popular telehealth and hospital-at-home programs
The federal government shutdown is forcing a reckoning for two remote health care programs because they automatically expired Oct. 1.
The telehealth and in-home hospital care programs were both temporary — but increasingly popular — options for Medicare recipients. They allowed doctors and hospitals to bill Medicare for telehealth ...Read more

Trump claims Democrats want to use federal funds to give undocumented residents health care. That's misleading
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Though raging thousands of miles to the east, the entrenched stalemate in Washington over federal spending and the ensuing government shutdown has thrust California’s expansive health care policies into the center of the pitched, partisan debate.
The Trump administration and the Republican leaders in Congress continue ...Read more

'Outer space science' procedure has rejuvenated over 700 lives
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- After having her head shaved by nurses at Novant Health Mint Hill Medical Center, patient Catherine Klie’s right hand shook as she tried to trace spiral circles and straight lines with a marker.
It didn’t look good, with scribbly markings on the test paper.
Tremors run in her family and began affecting her in her 20s. ...Read more