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Katy Kildee/The Detroit News/TNS

Kratom faces increasing scrutiny from states and the feds

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

For years, state lawmakers have taken the lead on regulating kratom — the controversial herbal supplement used for pain relief, anxiety and opioid withdrawal symptoms. Some states have banned it entirely. Others have passed laws requiring age limits, labeling and lab testing.

At least half of the states and the District of Columbia have ...Read more

DREAMSTIME/TNS

COVID-19 surges nationwide with highest rates in Southwest as students return to school

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

COVID-19 rates in the Southwestern United States reached 12.5% — the highest in the nation — according to new data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released this week. Meanwhile, Los Angeles County recorded the highest COVID-19 levels in its wastewater since February.

Combined, California Nevada and Arizona clocked ...Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

Early lead exposure could result in memory issues later in life

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

PITTSBURGH — A new study has found that people who lived in areas with high levels of leaded gasoline emissions in the 1960s and '70s are more likely to report memory problems today — a finding that researchers say could deepen our understanding of environmental risks tied to dementia.

The study and others presented in July at the 2025 ...Read more

FREDERIC J. BROWN/Getty Images North America/TNS

COVID-19 cases surge in Maryland as summer ends and school begins

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

BALTIMORE – COVID-19 hospitalizations in Maryland are up 123% over the last two weeks, the most hospitalizations in a month since April. While the state has typically seen a surge in COVID-19 cases during summer, this one is coming later than usual.

According to data from Maryland Department of Health Vital Statistics Administration, newly ...Read more

Jason Armond/The Los Angeles Times/TNS

California valley fever cases hit record highs again in 2025, state reports

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

LOS ANGELES — The latest California numbers suggest 2025 will be another record-smashing year for valley fever, the illness linked to drought and precipitation and spread by fungal spores.

There were 6,761 cases reported through the end of July, according to state health officials — a significant increase over the 10-year average of 3,833 ...Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

On Nutrition: Kids eat the darndest things

Health Advice / Nutrition /

We spent an entire day baking cookies for my grandkids’ county fair projects. A total of six different recipes required a lot of staying on task, especially for the 11-year-old. After a couple of hours of intense measuring and mixing, I suggested we take a break for lunch.

No takers. Their idea to taste each cookie had taken its toll.

Kids�...Read more

Andy Cross/The Denver Post/TNS

A common sight at concerts, nitrous oxide abuse is soaring, prompting health concerns

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

DALLAS — Every party needs balloons. These just happen to be filled with laughing gas.

“We don’t do it that often. It’s funny for about 30 seconds,” said a concertgoer outside Red Rocks Amphitheatre, who was preparing to inhale nitrous oxide from a balloon before The String Cheese Incident played there in mid-July. She requested ...Read more

(Eric Harkleroad/KFF Health News)/KFF HEALTH NEWS/TNS

'Alternative facts' aren't a reason to skip vaccines

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

President Donald Trump’s administrations have been notorious for an array of “alternative facts” — ranging from the relatively minor (the size of inaugural crowds) to threats to U.S. democracy, such as who really won the 2020 election.

And over the past six months, the stakes have been life or death: Trump’s health officials have been...Read more

Platelet-Rich Plasma Isn't Yet Approved Due To Lack Of Evidence

Health Advice / Keith Roach /

DEAR DR. ROACH: I'm planning on getting platelet-rich plasma (PRP) for my knee (due to arthritis and years of previous steroid/gel injections) as well as my large toe joint (due to a bone spur removal three years ago).

The most recent bone spur removal left very rough bone, causing periodic pain plus hyperesthesia in my toe. I am a 76-year-...Read more

You gotta give love to get love -- and get healthier

When Blue Magic sang "To get love you must give love/To keep love you must share love/To know love you must show your loving ways," little did they know that almost 50 years later, researchers from Penn State would come to precisely the same conclusion.

Their study in PlosOne had 52 participants record their feelings about receiving love and ...Read more

Daniel Chang/KFF Health News/TNS

Even in states that fought Obamacare, Trump's new law poses health consequences

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

MIAMI — GOP lawmakers in the 10 states that refused the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion for over a decade have argued their conservative approach to growing government programs would pay off in the long run.

Instead, the Republican-passed budget law that includes many of President Donald Trump’s priorities will pose at least as ...Read more

Ian Andreiev/Dreamstime/TNS

This test can see a heart attack in your future

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

A long list of Lynda Hollander’s paternal relatives had heart disease, and several had undergone major surgeries. So when she hit her mid-50s and saw her cholesterol levels creeping up after menopause, she said, “I didn’t want to take a chance.”

A cardiologist told Hollander that based on factors like age, sex, cholesterol, and blood ...Read more

The Proper Amount Of Vitamin B12 For Supplementation Varies

Health Advice / Keith Roach /

DEAR DR. ROACH: How much vitamin B12 should I take as a diabetic? -- T.H.

ANSWER: Many people have strong feelings that vitamin B12 can dramatically improve their health, but it only helps to take vitamin B12 if you are deficient. Vitamin B12 deficiency isn't too common. Still, there are a few situations where supplemental vitamin B12 should ...Read more

Don't skip your statin

It is heartbreaking -- literally -- that more than 39,000 deaths, almost 100,000 non-fatal heart attacks and up to 65,000 strokes could be avoided if everyone who was eligible to take cholesterol-lowering medications did so.

A study in the Journal of Internal Medicine says that even though European and U.S. guidelines indicate that 47% to 87% ...Read more

ZBIGNIEW BZDAK/Chicago Tribune/TNS

West Nile Virus risk level raised to 'high' in Boston, other Eastern Massachusetts towns

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

BOSTON — The Massachusetts Department of Public Health raised the risk level for West Nile Virus, or WNV, to high in many communities, urging residents to protect against the mosquito-borne disease.

“WNV findings in mosquitoes have accelerated rapidly over the last several weeks,” State Epidemiologist Catherine Brown said. “We are now ...Read more

Mel Melcon/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Thousands of DACA recipients in California lose health coverage this month

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Thousands of DACA recipients in California who are no longer eligible for the Affordable Care Act coverage are urged to take action before losing health care access at the end of the month.

Last summer, the Biden Administration increased access to health coverage for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients. The rule allowed Covered ...Read more

Chris Torres/Fort Worth Star-Telegram/TNS

Measles in Texas has 'decreased dramatically,' but virus continues to spread

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

The measles outbreak in Texas has slowed “dramatically” in recent weeks, but experts still expect the virus to continue to spread.

“We’re very pleased to see this trend and optimistic about the trend going forward,” said Dr. Varun Shetty, the state’s chief epidemiologist, during a meeting of the state’s Public Health Funding and ...Read more

Viceandvirtue/Dreamstime/TNS

New York City legionnaires' disease outbreak up to 90 cases, 15 hospitalized

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

NEW YORK — There have now been 90 confirmed cases of legionnaires’ disease in central Harlem, and 15 people are currently hospitalized battling the disease, the city’s health department announced this week.

Three people have already died in the outbreak, which has affected zip codes 10027, 10030, 10035, 10037 and 10039, according to the ...Read more

DELETED: Considering a life change? Brace for higher Obamacare costs

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

This story has been deleted by the news provider.

How to navigate your Medicare Advantage plan in a disaster

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

In the event of a disaster or emergency, Medicare Advantage plans (MA plans) must ensure that members in affected areas can continue to access care and prescription drugs. These special rules are triggered by a formal declaration of emergency or disaster by a federal or state government. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) created a ...Read more

 

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