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Florida’s proposed cuts to AIDS drug program threaten patient care and public health
More than 128,000 Floridians are living with HIV. The state has the second-highest rate of new HIV diagnoses after Georgia, with approximately 4,500 new diagnoses in 2023, the most recent year for which data is available.
But access to treatment could be in jeopardy if potential budget cuts, announced in January 2026 by the Florida ...Read more
Commentary: RFK Jr.'s focus on viral nonsense is putting children's lives at risk
This month, Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — the individual entrusted with safeguarding the health of 330 million Americans — posted a 90-second video of himself and Kid Rock doing shirtless calisthenics in blue jeans, riding a stationary bike in the sauna, doing a slow-motion cold plunge and toasting glasses of...Read more
Mayo Clinic Minute: Using combined therapy to treat obesity
Research shows that metabolic surgery and GLP-1 medications are both effective therapies for treating obesity. Medications typically result in a 10% loss of body weight in a real-world setting, while surgery can achieve more dramatic results, up to 25% to 30%.
Metabolic experts at Mayo Clinic say combining the two in some instances can be an ...Read more
Red and blue states alike want to limit AI in insurance. Trump wants to limit the states
It’s the rare policy question that unites Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida and the Democratic-led Maryland government against President Donald Trump and Gov. Gavin Newsom of California: How should health insurers use AI?
Regulating artificial intelligence, especially its use by health insurers, is becoming a politically divisive topic,...Read more
Are you making glaucoma worse as you sleep?
Glaucoma happens when a fluid called aqueous humor builds up in your eye, increasing pressure on the optic nerve and damaging it. Around 4.2 million people in the U.S. have the condition, although not all have been diagnosed. And glaucoma is a leading cause of blindness in folks ages 60 and older.
Usually, glaucoma progresses slowly. You might ...Read more
Man Declines Antibiotic Medication In Fear Of A C. Diff Recurrence
DEAR DR. ROACH: About one year ago, I had Clostridioides difficile (C. diff) that was treated with 125 mg of vancomycin for about four weeks. I had none of the usual risk factors, and the cause was never determined. I am 78 years old and in fair health.
Recently, my family doctor diagnosed me with prostatitis after ruling out a urinary tract ...Read more
FDA cracks down on weight-loss drug alternatives as thousands sickened in Maryland
BALTIMORE — Popular weight-loss drugs, including Ozempic, Wegovy, Trulicity and Mounjaro, produced by independent pharmacy labs, sickened some 8,000 or more Marylanders a year by 2024. The Food and Drug Administration announced this month that it will crack down on compounded versions of GLP-1 drugs, including the popular Hims and Hers brand. ...Read more
Trump required hospitals to post their prices for patients. Mostly it's the industry using the data
Republicans think patients should be shopping for better health care prices. The party has long pushed to give patients money and let consumers do the work of reducing costs. After some GOP lawmakers closed out 2025 advocating to fund health savings accounts, President Donald Trump introduced his Great Healthcare Plan, which calls for, among ...Read more
Start feeling your oats
Three simple facts: 1. Around 71 million Americans have high LDL cholesterol. 2. Elevated levels of lousy LDL cholesterol fuel coronary heart disease, which leads to around 371,000 deaths annually. 3. Americans get far too little fiber in their diet -- but if they just added one-third of an ounce of fiber a day to their diet, they could lower ...Read more
Trigeminal Neuralgia Causes Shock Pains In Woman's Lower Jaw
DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a 73-year-old female who is in above average health. I have recently been diagnosed with trigeminal neuralgia after many trips to the dentist and finding out that my pain wasn't dental-related. I experienced electrical shock pains in my lower left jaw when I talked, when I ate, and sometimes when I brushed my teeth.
I am ...Read more
Why you can salvage moldy cheese but never spoiled meat − a toxicologist advises on what to watch out for
When you open the refrigerator and find a wedge of cheese flecked with green mold, or a package of chicken that smells faintly sour, it can be tempting to gamble with your stomach rather than waste food.
But the line between harmless fermentation and dangerous spoilage is sharp. Consuming spoiled foods exposes the body to a range of ...Read more
Measles case confirmed in a person who visited a Montgomery County car dealership and a Wawa
PHILADELPHIA — Montgomery County health officials on Saturday warned residents of a possible measles exposure at two locations in the county, after confirming another case of the highly contagious disease.
A person infected with measles visited a car dealership and a convenience store in Royersford and Limerick earlier this week, officials ...Read more
Clinics sour on CMS after agency scraps 10-year primary care program only months in
CELO COMMUNITY, N.C. — On a 15-degree morning in January, a clinic in the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina began to fill up with patients.
An older couple in flannel pajamas sat together in the waiting room. A toddler waved as Patricia Hall walked past him, a stethoscope draped over her neck. The family physician waved and smiled back....Read more
What does it mean to medically neglect a child? Idaho lawmakers are divided
In Megan Egbert’s experience, it can often take dozens of calls reporting possible abuse or neglect of a child before the Department of Health and Welfare finally takes action.
The first time Egbert, now a Democratic state representative from Boise, served as a court-appointed representative for a child in foster care, the department received...Read more
Colorado has high levels of radon, which can cause lung cancer – here’s how to lower your risk
In Colorado, as of 2025, about 500 people a year die from lung cancer as the result of radon gas exposure. Nationally, the number of lung cancer deaths attributed to radon is about 21,000 per year.
Radon is present nearly everywhere outdoors, yet typically at levels that are not harmful. It becomes dangerous when it gets trapped and ...Read more
On Nutrition: The skinny on fat
This is the first celebration of Heart Month (it comes every February) since the release of the updated dietary guidelines for Americans. If you missed the news on these new recommendations, they are meant to represent the most current scientific evidence on how we are to eat to avoid chronic diseases, including heart disease.
While no one ...Read more
Raising Blood Pressure Levels Doesn't Help To Protect The Retina
DEAR DR. ROACH: I am an 82-year-old woman who was diagnosed with glaucoma about three years ago. I have been taking latanoprost eye drops at bedtime since then.
A glaucoma specialist in my health maintenance organization recently recommended that I take salt tablets to raise my blood pressure (usually 115-120/60-70 mm Hg) to at least 130/70 ...Read more
The nose knows
You may think of your nose as a pipeline for inhaling potential infections. Someone sneezes nearby and, with your next inhaled breath, those dastardly airborne viruses invade your body and torment your sinuses. But your nose is also one of your primary defenses against coming down with all the aches and pains that go along with catching a cold. ...Read more
Two months into 2026, Maryland mumps cases already six times last year's total
BALTIMORE — Maryland has reported six times as many mumps cases in early 2026 as it did all of last year, with most infections concentrated in the Baltimore metropolitan area, state health officials said Thursday.
The Maryland Department of Health, or MDH, reported 26 cases — 19 confirmed and seven probable, compared with four cases for all...Read more
Two months into 2026, Maryland mumps cases already six times last year's total
Maryland has reported six times as many mumps cases in early 2026 as it did all of last year, with most infections concentrated in the Baltimore metropolitan area, state health officials said Thursday.
The Maryland Department of Health (MDH) reported 26 cases — 19 confirmed and seven probable, compared with four cases for all of 2025. (The ...Read more
Inside Health Advice
Popular Stories
- FDA cracks down on weight-loss drug alternatives as thousands sickened in Maryland
- Mayo Clinic Minute: Using combined therapy to treat obesity
- Red and blue states alike want to limit AI in insurance. Trump wants to limit the states
- Commentary: RFK Jr.'s focus on viral nonsense is putting children's lives at risk
- Florida’s proposed cuts to AIDS drug program threaten patient care and public health
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