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Editorial: Blue states learn a lesson

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

In recent years, a handful of deep-blue states have aggressively tried to offer “free” health care to those in the country illegally only to develop alligator arms when the check arrived. Go figure.

In Illinois, Gov. J.B. Pritzker has proposed ending the Health Benefits for Immigrant Adults (notice the word “illegal” is nowhere to be ...Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

This tick-borne disease continues to rise in Pennsylvania

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Janine Hauck doesn't know which tick gave her anaplasmosis and Lyme disease. She just remembers the fatigue, weakness and nausea.

The Mt. Lebanon, Pa., resident was an avid hiker, backpacker, dancer, biker and swimmer until she got sick in 2019, at age 57. After throwing up at work and becoming dizzy from walking down the block, she visited her...Read more

Medicines Labeled As "P.M." Are Not Recommended For Sleep

Health Advice / Keith Roach /

DEAR DR. ROACH: My wife was having problems getting to sleep and has stocked our medicine cabinet with various p.m. versions of popular pain relievers that have been advertised as sleep aids. Recently, I've had problems getting to sleep as well and began taking a single pill before retiring, but I can't honestly say that they're helping.

I ...Read more

The magnificent seven heart-healthy foods

Take this to heart: Seven tasty everyday foods are front-line warriors against heart disease.

That's the conclusion of researchers from King's College London who recently published results of a 10-year study of the diet and heart health of more than 3,100 people and the metabolites in the urine of more than 200 of those adults. They found that ...Read more

Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune/TNS

As federal health tax credits end, Chicago-area leaders warn about costs to Cook County and Illinois hospitals

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

With health care subsidies expiring in the new year, Cook County Health officials and political leaders on Wednesday warned the impact will not only hurt millions of Americans but also affect the county’s bottom line and hospitals around the state.

Congress remains at a stalemate over the future of subsidies for certain households that buy ...Read more

Tim Tai/The Philadelphia Inquirer/TNS

Amid conflicting vaccine recommendations, Americans are less likely to trust Trump's CDC, a Penn study finds

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

After a year of major shifts in the federal government’s policy toward vaccines, Americans are now more likely to trust the American Medical Association than the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention when the two conflict on vaccine guidance, a new survey shows.

The survey, conducted by the University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg Public...Read more

Alex Wong/Getty Images North America/TNS

Pennsylvania awarded $193 million for rural health care from Trump bill that also cut Medicaid

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

WASHINGTON — Pennsylvania's plan to stabilize its struggling rural health care systems will get a $193 million infusion as President Donald Trump's administration implements a new five-year program that some say will not offset future Medicaid cuts.

The federal funding — which the state plans to first spend on the most pressing rural care ...Read more

Environmental Nutrition: Freezer rules

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Q: How long can I safely freeze certain foods?

A: Freezing food is a smart way to cut waste and save time, but even frozen food has limits on quality. While frozen items kept at 0 F (-18 C) remain safe indefinitely, their taste and texture can suffer over time.

Meats like beef steaks or whole chicken maintain best quality for up to 12 months. ...Read more

Does eating fruit help with weight loss?

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Eating fruit can help you lose weight, particularly if you choose fruit rather than processed foods that are high in added sugar and fat. Making fruit a daily staple in your diet can offer many health and nutritional benefits. The high fiber content can help you feel full, and the natural sweetness can help stave off cravings.

Fruit often gets ...Read more

Mind your heart for a longer, healthier life

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Stories about people with remarkably long life spans — like the Spanish woman who died at the age of 117 earlier this year — often spark speculation about longevity secrets. They’ve also fueled the growing interest in longevity clinics. But what does the science actually say?

“There are plenty of affordable, proven strategies to live a ...Read more

Mayo Clinic Q&A: Emotional exhaustion: When your feelings feel overwhelming

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: Recently, I’ve been feeling physically and mentally drained from the demands of work, caregiving and other responsibilities. I struggle to find motivation and have trouble concentrating on tasks. Are there strategies to help me find emotional balance?

ANSWER: Turning on the news or opening a newspaper to see local and world ...Read more

You Go, Girl

Health Advice / Scott LaFee /

When men and women are given exercise routines to reduce coronary heart disease risk, one group does better. It's not men.

Women had a 22% lower risk of coronary heart disease if they logged 150 minutes per week of moderate to vigorous exercise. Men doing the same amount of exercise had a 17% lower risk.

The caveat: As in previous similar ...Read more

Udra11/Dreamstime/TNS

Get to know your microbiome: It can improve gut health and more

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Resolutions to improve health typically include measures such as more exercise, a healthier diet and stopping smoking. But what about your gut microbiome? Taking steps to protect and improve it can benefit digestive health and more, says Purna Kashyap, M.B.B.S., a gastroenterologist at Mayo Clinic who specializes in the gut ...Read more

Jeremy Wade Shockley/KFF Health News/TNS

Bill of the month: Scorpion peppers caused him 'crippling' pain. Two years later, the ER bill stung him again

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Maxwell Kruzic said he was in such “crippling” stomach pain on Oct. 5, 2023, that he had to pull off the road twice as he drove himself to the emergency room at Mercy Regional Medical Center in Durango, Colorado. “It was the worst pain of my life,” he said.

Kruzic was seen immediately because hospital staff members were pretty sure he ...Read more

Defining What It Means To Be A 'healthy' Person Nowadays

Health Advice / Keith Roach /

DEAR DR. ROACH: I read your column daily in my local newspaper. The people who write in often describe themselves as "healthy" or "in good health." Then they always add that they are taking some sort of medication for some sort of ailment. Can you please clarify which attributes make a person healthy as opposed to unhealthy? -- L.S.

ANSWER: I...Read more

Of all the nerve

Around 180 million Americans contend with tension and migraine headaches, making them the top two nervous system disorders, according to a new study that looked at 36 unique neurological health conditions that affect more than half the U.S. population.

If you are battling tension headaches, you may be surprised to learn that stress isn't the ...Read more

Angela Palermo/Idaho Statesman/TNS

Rural health is a 'real concern,' Gov. Little says. Idaho to get millions to help

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Idaho is set to receive over $900 million in federal money over the next five years to improve the state’s provision of healthcare in rural areas, Gov. Brad Little’s office announced. The funds were allocated as part of the Rural Health Transformation Program under House Resolution 1, also called the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

“For many ...Read more

Stephanie Breijo/The Los Angeles Times/TNS

Salmonella outbreak update: Maryland cases, hospitalizations increase

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

BALTIMORE — Since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released its initial report on a recent outbreak of a strain of Salmonella linked to raw oysters, cases and hospitalizations in Maryland have seen a slight increase.

On Dec. 23, the CDC reported one Maryland resident as having fallen ill after being infected with the strain. In ...Read more

Andrew Harnik/Getty Images North America/TNS

Health care fight returns in January with affordability at center

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

WASHINGTON — Health care policy will be top of mind when Congress returns to Washington in January, with lawmakers acknowledging that escalating insurance premiums are hitting millions of Americans.

That’s about where the agreement ends. The parties and even the factions within them are sharply divided on the path forward — with several ...Read more

Alex Wong/Getty Images North America/TNS

Texas gets largest share of reconciliation law's rural health fund

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

The Trump administration on Monday announced that all 50 states will receive proceeds from a $50 billion rural health fund, the creation of which helped secure the support for President Trump’s tax cuts law from Republican senators worried about the impact of Medicaid cuts in their states.

In 2026, the first year of the program, states will ...Read more