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The sudden dismissal of public records staff at health agencies threatens government accountability
Mass layoffs at the Department of Health and Human Services are continuing as the agency makes good on its intention, announced on March 27, 2025, to shrink its workforce by 20,000 people. Among workers dismissed in early April were several teams responsible for fulfilling requests for access to previously unreleased government data, ...Read more

The AI doctor coming to read your test results
As generative artificial intelligence gets better at interpreting images, the tech industry is setting its sights on health care. Cue the AI radiologist.
The futuristic vision includes AI providing an accurate analysis of multiple medical scans, combining it with an understanding of patient history, and delivering a personalized diagnosis and ...Read more

Environmental Nutrition: Help control sugar cravings
Sugar cravings are a challenge for many, especially in a world where sugary snacks and beverages are everywhere. While indulging in a sweet treat now and then can be part of a healthy lifestyle, frequent cravings can lead to overconsumption, increasing the risk of weight gain, Type 2 diabetes, and other health issues. Fortunately, there are ...Read more

6 meat alternatives to add protein to a plant-based diet
Oftentimes, vegetables tend to assume the role of a side dish rather than the main course. However, according to a Gallup poll taken in September 2019, nearly one in four Americans said they had decreased their meat consumption, while nine in 10 people named health concerns as the reason they ate less meat (other factors were environmental ...Read more

Medication side effects: What are your options?
Medications can provide a host of health benefits. They may prevent or eliminate a disease. They might improve your quality of life and even help you live longer. But the medicines we take also have potential side effects. While listed side effects don’t always occur, it’s always possible.
And though that’s unfortunate, it also makes ...Read more

Mayo Clinic Q&A: Fertility considerations in cancer treatment
DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I’m a 28-year-old woman recently diagnosed with breast cancer. My care team recommends starting treatment as soon as possible. While I’m ready to do the necessary treatments, I’m worried about the effect it may have on my ability to have children in the future. Are there options that can help preserve my fertility during ...Read more
Let's Hear It for Gene Therapy
Ten out of 11 kids who received gene therapy for a rare variant of congenital deafness enjoyed significant improvements when tested one year after the surgery, according to doctors involved in the study.
The therapy addresses mutations in the OTOF gene that cause hearing loss by delivering a new working copy of the gene. The hope is that by ...Read more

This music festival season, stay on the fun side of the medical tent with this advice
As a veteran of more than 20 music festivals, Los Angeles law student Christian Langston has seen a little bit of everything.
Musically, he's seen indie rock bands and electronic dance music extravaganzas. He's witnessed unbelievable spectacles such as a giant flame-spouting metal octopus in Las Vegas – and that time EDM act Ookay brought out...Read more
Could Meds Be The Cause Of Mom's Dizziness?
DEAR DR. ROACH: My 86-year-old mother wears hearing aids, has tinnitus and is constantly dizzy. She also has atrial fibrillation, high blood pressure and some anxiety issues. She has had several urinary tract infections in the past few years. We have been to a neurologist, EN&T specialist, physical therapist and a chiropractor, and have had...Read more
Breakthrough in slashing elevated LDL cholesterol to save lives
More than 92 million Americans take statins, according to the Cleveland Clinic, and you can bet all of them are hoping that will protect them from having what doctors like to call "an adverse cardiovascular event" (aka heart attack, stroke, heart failure, peripheral vascular disease or A-fib) and prevent death from such conditions. But for folks...Read more
Africa’s healthcare funding crisis: 3 strategies to manage deadly diseases
The increasing trend of reducing foreign aid to Africa is forcing the continent to reassess its approach to healthcare delivery.
African countries face a major challenge of dealing with high rates of communicable diseases, such as malaria and HIV/Aids, and rising levels of non-communicable diseases. But the continent’s health ...Read more

How a Minnesota medtech startup with big backers treats prostate cancer with water
MINNEAPOLIS – Michael Hoey admits he’s terrible at names. He used to call his kids “One, Two and Three.”
When naming his startup seeking to treat a common cancer with only a few drops of water, Hoey had his colleagues decide. They avoided techy terms like his last company, NxThera, and chose Francis Medical in honor of the founder’s ...Read more

Preventive care may no longer be free in 2026 because of HIV stigma − unless the Trump administration successfully defends the ACA
Many Americans were relieved when the Supreme Court left the Affordable Care Act in place following the law’s third major legal challenge in June 2021. This decision permitted widely supported policies to continue, such as ensuring health coverage regardless of preexisting conditions, allowing coverage for dependents up to age 26 on their ...Read more

How bird flu differs from seasonal flu − an infectious disease researcher explains
The flu sickens millions of people in the U.S. every year, and the past year has been particularly tough. Although infections are trending downward, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has called the winter of 2024-2025 a “high severity” season with the highest hospitalization rate in 15 years.
Since early 2024, a ...Read more

Rural hospitals and patients are disconnected from modern care
EUTAW, Ala. — Leroy Walker arrived at the county hospital short of breath. Walker, 65 and with chronic high blood pressure, was brought in by one of rural Greene County’s two working ambulances.
Nurses checked his heart activity with a portable electrocardiogram machine, took X-rays, and tucked him into Room 122 with an IV pump pushing ...Read more

This bill aims to help firefighters with cancer. Getting it passed is just the beginning
As firefighters battled the catastrophic blazes in Los Angeles County in January, California’s U.S. senators, Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla, signed onto legislation with a simple aim: Provide federal assistance to first responders diagnosed with service-related cancer.
The Honoring Our Fallen Heroes Act is considered crucial by its supporters,...Read more
A two-step way to a longer life for older women
According to Mayo Clinic Proceedings, women gain around 1.5 pounds a year while going through menopause. That may not sound like a lot, but if your hormone shift takes 10 years, that's 15 pounds. So, it adds up -- 75% of women age 60 and older are overweight, increasing their risk for lower quality of life, more chronic disease, dementia, hip ...Read more
Unusual Cause Of Chronic Cough And Throat Clearing
DEAR DR. ROACH: Ten to 15 years ago, I had to constantly clear my throat and it was driving me and everybody around me nuts. You had written a column about chronic throat-clearing. In the article, you talked about how after all the serious things had been eliminated there was an expensive test to check out the throat or you could just ...Read more

Another brain tumor case reported amid Massachusetts nurse cluster
BOSTON — Another Newton-Wellesley Hospital staffer who worked in the maternity wing has reportedly been diagnosed with a brain tumor.
This sixth tumor case on the fifth floor of the Mass General Brigham facility comes as officials continue to assure staff and patients that there’s “no environmental risk” at the hospital.
Meanwhile, the...Read more

Mass. Democrats rally behind bill to 'fortify' protections for transgender, reproductive health care
BOSTON — Top Democrats in the Massachusetts Senate pledged to advance sweeping legislation Monday that they argue protects reproductive and transgender health care from “attacks” by entities in other states where some practices have been deemed illegal under local laws.
The proposal, filed by Sen. Cindy Friedman of Arlington and Attorney ...Read more
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