Health Advice
/Health
/ArcaMax
Mayo Clinic Q&A: Should I get screened for prostate cancer?
QUESTION: I'm a guy in my late 40s and trying to pay more attention to my health. But I'm confused about whether I should be screened for prostate cancer. Can you help?
ANSWER: The importance of all health screenings is that they can detect issues early. Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world, and the second-leading ...Read more
High Liver Enzyme Tests Cause Concern For Liver Disease
DEAR DR. ROACH: I'm a generally healthy 73-year-old man. I recently had blood work done and was incidentally noted to have high liver tests (ALT and AST). My doctor ordered a sonogram, which said that my liver was "diffusely echogenic, consistent with fatty infiltration." I used to have an occasional drink, but I haven't had any alcohol for ...Read more
Play nice with niacin
Niacin, aka vitamin B3, is essential for your health, and the only way you can get any is through foods and supplements. Niacin's job is to help convert food into energy and support the nervous system, and it is available from nuts, seeds, bananas, poultry and whole grains and is often added to cereals. The recommended daily amount is 16 ...Read more
Risk of long COVID in children doubles after second COVID-19 infection, according to study by Chicago doctor
CHICAGO — Children are twice as likely to develop long COVID after two COVID-19 infections, compared with children who’ve only had COVID-19 once, according to a new study co-authored by a doctor at Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago.
The results of the study come amid controversy over COVID-19 vaccines, especially for children, with the...Read more
States target ultraprocessed foods in bipartisan push
California Republican James Gallagher, the GOP’s former Assembly leader, has often accused the state’s progressive lawmakers of heavy-handed government intrusion, but this year he added his name to a legislative push for healthier school meals.
His party followed suit, with all but one Republican voting to send a bill to Democratic Gov. ...Read more
As Trump punts on medical debt, battle over patient protections moves to states
With the Trump administration scaling back federal efforts to protect Americans from medical bills they can’t pay, advocates for patients and consumers have shifted their work to contain the nation’s medical debt problem to state Capitols.
Despite progress in some mostly blue states this year, however, recent setbacks in more conservative ...Read more
Healthy emotions, healthier heart
Approximately 59 million people in the U.S. (about 23% of adults) are receiving treatment for some form of mental illness each year and about 1 in 20 adults are dealing with a serious mental illness, such as chronic depression, panic and bipolar disorders, phobic anxiety, and PTSD. Fully 6% report that their condition significantly interferes ...Read more
There Is No Identifiable Harm In Getting Multiple Mris
DEAR DR. ROACH: I had a pituitary tumor that was discovered over 25 years ago. For years, I had an MRI with and without dye every six months. Then it changed to once a year. Can you get damage from too many brain MRIs? -- D.J.
ANSWER: An MRI uses powerful magnetic fields to take pictures of the body, and the resulting detail of soft tissue (...Read more
Kansas Supreme Court upholds expanded religious exemption for COVID-19 vaccine
A Kansas law that gives employees and job applicants broad freedom to opt out of COVID-19 vaccine mandates on religious grounds has survived a legal challenge.
The Kansas Supreme Court on Friday sided with Katlin Keeran, whose job offer to work at a Johnson County rehabilitation center was rescinded after she refused to comply with a company ...Read more
Surgeon wrongly removed an entire organ, SC lawsuit says. Jury awards millions
A South Carolina jury awarded $5.1 million in damages to a woman in a medical malpractice case against her surgeon, who she accused of wrongly removing her entire thyroid gland.
Jurors unanimously sided with Natalie Boyd on Aug. 29, finding that Dr. Richard C. Osman and Coastal Otolaryngology Associates in Myrtle Beach breached the standard of ...Read more
How our health information can be used to criminalize us
In July, the Trump administration unveiled two policies: the “Making Health Technology Great Again” initiative and the executive order “Ending Crime and Disorder on America’s Streets.” At first glance, one seems aimed at health care modernization and the other at public safety. But beneath their branding lies a shared infrastructure (...Read more
De-stress to D-stroy diabetes
You know I am always stressing how important it is to stop prediabetes from progressing to full-blown Type 2 diabetes -- with all its life-altering complications involving your heart, eyes, nerves, joints, digestion and brain.
Well, let's all take a deep breath -- and exhale very slowly. A preliminary lab study in Nature has found a brain ...Read more
Pcsk9I Drugs Are Reasonable Alternatives To Statins
DEAR DR ROACH: In a recent column, you wrote about reducing cholesterol with the help of statins along with a PCSK9i, such as Repatha or Praluent. My question is: Are these PCSK9is at all beneficial if one cannot take statins? -- D.C.S.
ANSWER: Yes, PCSK9 inhibitors are very effective at lowering cholesterol and reducing the risk of heart ...Read more
Off-label drug helps one boy with autism speak, parents say. But experts want more data
Caroline Connor’s concerns about her son’s development began around his first birthday, when she noticed he wasn’t talking or using any words. Their pediatrician didn’t seem worried, but the speech delay persisted. At 2½, Mason was diagnosed with autism.
The Connors went on a mission, searching for anything that would help.
“We just...Read more
On Nutrition: You can be too thin
On our recent horse camping trip, we watched a couple unload their two horses near our site. When these beautiful animals stepped out of the trailer, we were shocked to see their prominent ribs and protruding hip bones.
I hesitated to jump to conclusions, especially as we later observed the good care and plentiful feed given these animals. ...Read more
Who Should Get Vaccinated For Covid Based On CDC Guidance
DEAR DR. ROACH: I read that there is updated advice on who should get the COVID vaccine based on age and risk factors. How many Americans were hospitalized for COVID who did not have these latest qualifying risk factors? -- N.R.
ANSWER: Although the most recent update on the licensing of the COVID vaccines from the Food and Drug Adminstration ...Read more
The lowdown on LDL and HLD
LDL is often called bad or lousy cholesterol -- for good reason. If you have too much floating in your bloodstream and sticking to the walls of your blood vessels and arteries, your arteries stiffen, and you can end up with blockages that cause a heart attack, stroke, peripheral artery or kidney disease, dementia and/or depression.
Lowering LDL...Read more
'Kissing bug' disease is now endemic in the South. What should you do?
Chagas disease, also known as “kissing bug disease,” is now considered endemic in the United States, with the insects that transmit it established in 32 states, according to a new report from the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The potentially fatal condition caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi is typically ...Read more
Health insurance marketplace rate hikes top 20% in most states, Cantwell says
WASHINGTON — People who receive insurance through the top marketplace plan in most states can expect sticker shock this fall, according to data compiled by the office of Sen. Maria Cantwell.
Cantwell, D-Wash., who’s urging congressional leadership and President Donald Trump to find a way to extend expiring health care subsidies, on Thursday...Read more
FDA Tylenol label change could bolster autism lawsuits, says law firm
BALTIMORE — A change in the safety labels on Tylenol and other acetaminophen products could be a game changer for people claiming they weren’t properly warned about possible links between the pain reliever and autism, according to the law firm of the late Peter Angelos.
The Baltimore firm of the longtime Orioles owner, who was known for ...Read more
Inside Health Advice
Popular Stories
- Shutdown halts some health services as political risks test parties' resolve
- The Therapeutic Benefits of Being Strapped In
- Environmental Nutrition: Here’s to jicama
- Doctors with troubled pasts are performing cosmetic surgeries tied to crippling pain and injury
- New study builds evidence of immune system's role in ALS
Related Channels
Ask Amy
By Amy Dickinson
Asking Eric
By R. Eric Thomas
Billy Graham
By Billy Graham
Chuck Norris
By Chuck Norris
Dear Abby
By Abigail Van Buren
Dear Annie
By Annie Lane
Dr. Michael Roizen
By Dr. Michael Roizen
God Squad
By Rabbi Marc Gellman
Keith Roach
By Keith Roach, M.D.
Miss Manners
By Judith Martin, Nicholas Ivor Martin and Jacobina Martin
My So-Called Millienial Life
By Cassie McClure
Positive Aging
By Marilyn Murray Willison
Scott LaFee
By Scott LaFee
Sense & Sensitivity
By Harriette Cole
Single File
By Susan Dietz
Social Security and You
By Tom Margenau
Toni Says
By Toni King
Comics
