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Dentist Catches Squamos Cell Carcinoma During A Routine Visit
DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a healthy 69-year-old female. I walk every day and belong to an exercise group that I attend twice a week. I'm writing because during a routine dental cleaning, my dentist noticed a spot on the left side of my tongue that turned out to be squamous cell carcinoma.
I've never smoked, and I drink less than one alcoholic ...Read more

How California health care premiums could skyrocket if shutdown continues
WASHINGTON — Sixty years old, living as a couple in the Sacramento area or California's Central Valley? Figuring your income next year will be about $85,000?
The premium increases for that couple are likely to be among the nation’s steepest, if enhanced federal subsidies for people using Obamacare-inspired health insurance policies are ...Read more

LGBTQ+ youth's mental health struggles are getting worse, according to a new survey
There are many stresses that come with being an LGBTQ+ youth: fear, isolation, bullying, feeling as if the world hates you, loved ones pressuring you to change.
Those realities come into sharper view in the first release of findings from an ongoing study by the Trevor Project to track the mental health of about 1,700 youth across the U.S. over ...Read more

Confused about current vaccine recommendations? Here's what to know
With shakeups at a key federal agency that releases vaccine guidelines, it's been a confusing past few months regarding immunization for younger people.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in June fired all 17 members on the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, leading to outrage among independent medical societies and the formation...Read more

Ask the Pediatrician: How a suicide prevention safety plan can save your child's life
Most young people who experience suicidal thoughts keep those thoughts to themselves. They might not bring it up on their own unless they are asked directly. Any time your adolescent visits their pediatrician, for any reason, they may be asked a simple question "Have you been having thoughts of killing yourself or ending your life?"
The ...Read more

Commentary: Cuts to Medicaid and to insurance subsidies will push ERs past the brink
Back in 2007, President George W. Bush was being challenged on his opposition to the Children’s Health Insurance Program — which provides health coverage for children in families too poor to afford private insurance, yet too “wealthy” to qualify for Medicaid. His response was honest, if characteristically clumsy: “People have access to...Read more
Some fermented foods deliver probiotics, some don't
Your gut contains 10 times as many microbial cells as there are in the rest of your body -- for a total of around 100 trillion microbes (bacteria, fungi, viruses, etc.) from up to 5,000 different species. These busy little organisms help you get energy from food; help manufacture neurotransmitters like dopamine (involved with movement, pleasure,...Read more
Breaking Down The Differencet Between A Cold And Influenza
DEAR DR. ROACH: What is the difference between a cold and the flu? -- A.T.R.
ANSWER: Both colds and influenza (the "flu") are respiratory illnesses that are caused by viruses. Influenza is caused specifically by the influenza viruses, which come in two main types (A and B). Influenza A is further broken down into different subtypes based on ...Read more

Fact check: RFK Jr. misses mark in touting rural health transformation fund as historic infusion of cash
“It’s going to be the biggest infusion of federal dollars into rural health care in American history.”
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Sept. 4, 2025, in a Senate hearing
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At a September Senate hearing, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. boasted about a rural health initiative within President Donald Trump’s “One ...Read more

After chiding Democrats on transgender politics, Newsom vetoes a key health measure
California Gov. Gavin Newsom this week signed a suite of privacy protection bills for transgender patients amid continuing threats by the Trump administration.
But there was one glaring omission that LGBTQ+ advocates and political strategists say is part of an increasingly complex dance the Democrat faces as he curates a more centrist profile ...Read more

On Nutrition: More is not always better
At my recent dental checkup, I was gently informed by the dentist that I’d been a bit too vigorous with my brushing technique.
“Hold your toothbrush lightly with two fingers,” he demonstrated. “Not like you’re getting ready to stab something.”
Moderation is true in nutrition as well. Many of the nutrients we need for optimal health...Read more
Low-Dose Lithium For Dementia Is Not Yet Supported By Evidence
DEAR DR. ROACH: Would it be risky to take a low dose (20 mg) of over-the-counter lithium orotate to treat cognitive decline? The recent study in the journal Nature recommended waiting for further studies to look at the benefits and risks of taking this compound. Given the promising findings in mice/rats and the anecdotal evidence of reversing ...Read more
Resistance exercise is not futile
When the Borg declared "resistance is futile," in "Star Trek: The Next Generation," they seemed to be right on, much of the time. But new research shows that resistance -- exercise, that is -- is never futile, it slows aging, protects nerve health and keeps your muscles and brain in top condition. And you're never too old to reap the benefits!
...Read more
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
Low Pulse Could Be A Concern In An Older Endurance Athlete
DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a 64-year-old male who is a lifelong endurance athlete. For the past 15 years, my primary activities are cycling and swimming. I work out around 10 hours a week now, so it's nothing really excessive. But I always push myself to the edge of what's a comfortable pace.
My lifelong cardio exercise enthusiasm has resulted in ...Read more