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'How low can you go?' The shifting guidelines for blood pressure control

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

The patient initially came to see Mark Supiano in 2017 because her family was concerned about her short-term memory loss.

While taking her history and vital signs, Supiano, a geriatrician at the University of Utah, saw one disturbing signal: Her blood pressure was 148/86, above normal despite her taking two medications intended to lower it. “...Read more

Heather Diehl/Getty Images North America/TNS

Democrats eye 2028 for bigger health care push

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

WASHINGTON — As Democrats vie to take control of Congress in the midterms this fall, their main message on health care policy is fairly straightforward: undo Republicans’ Medicaid cuts and restore the health care subsidies that lapsed at the end of last year.

But some analysts and lawmakers say momentum is growing for a bigger health care ...Read more

DREAMSTIME/TNS

On Nutrition: Pulling together in a crisis

Health Advice / Nutrition /

It comes in many forms … those times when the unexpected turns into disaster. We have just watched in horror as the largest outbreak of wildfires in Nebraska state history cut a path of destruction through more than 800,000 acres of precious natural grassland, burning farms and ranches in its path.

The largest of these fires ignited from a ...Read more

Ai Scribes Help Doctor To Better Focus And Interact With Patients

Health Advice / Keith Roach /

DEAR DR. ROACH: In your recent column, a reader complained about a doctor using AI to write after-visit summaries. I think my doctor has begun using AI for this purpose, but I like it. The reason why I think she is using AI is because she has begun looking at me while we discuss my health, rather than looking at her computer while she types ...Read more

Will you join the fight to restore your children's health?

Almost 15% of 2- to 5-year-old kids in this country are obese -- and that's propelling them toward a difficult future that's loaded with hugely increased risks of everything from depression and diabetes to premature heart disease, cancers and social problems. And overall, 21% of U.S. children and teenagers ages 2 to 19 have obesity and are on ...Read more

Liz Rymarev/The Dallas Morning News/TNS

Michigan measles outbreak: State urges earlier vaccination for infants

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

A measles outbreak in Washtenaw County may be spreading due to community transmission, health officials said Thursday, announcing that a case has now confirmed in neighboring Monroe County.

Due to the continued spread, state officials are temporarily recommending that families in southeast Michigan have their infant children vaccinated at an ...Read more

Kratom powder is produced by the plant Mitragyna speciosa. iStock via Getty Images Plus

Kratom poisonings surged 1,200% over the past decade, and regulators are struggling to keep up with the dangers

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Proposals to ban or regulate kratom, a plant-based substance sold in gas stations, convenience stores and vape shops, are making headlines in local newspapers across the United States. But as lawmakers debate whether to regulate or ban kratom, public health problems associated with the drug continue to rise.

In late March 2026, the ...Read more

NBC News/KFF Health News/TNS

After man's death following insurance denials, West Virginia tackles prior authorization

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Six months after a West Virginia man died following a protracted battle with his health insurer over doctor-recommended cancer care, the state’s Republican governor signed a bill intended to curb the harm of insurance denials.

West Virginia’s Public Employees Insurance Agency enrolls nearly 215,000 people — state workers, as well as their...Read more

Take time to identify the goals that are most important to you. Luis Alvarez/DigitalVision via Getty

For adults with ADHD – or even those with just some symptoms – using smart strategies to start and complete tasks can make all the difference

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Do you ever find yourself at the end of a nonstop day feeling like you haven’t made progress on the things that are actually important to you? If so, you’re not alone.

If you are a person with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, you might find it even harder to direct your effort toward what’s most important – ...Read more

KFF Health News/TNS

Inside the high-stakes corporate fight over feeding preterm babies

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

In 2013, a scientist at Abbott Laboratories saw study results with potentially big implications for the company’s profits and the lives of some of the world’s most fragile people: preterm infants.

The upshot, she wrote in an email: Babies fed rival Mead Johnson Nutrition’s acidified liquid human milk fortifier — a nutritional supplement...Read more

Michelle Bruzzese/KFF Health News/TNS

Bill of the Month: She owed her insurer a nickel, so it canceled her coverage

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Last summer, Lorena Alvarado Hill received a series of unexpected medical bills.

A teacher’s aide in Melbourne, Florida, Hill is a single mom who works shifts at J.Crew on the weekends to send her daughter to college. Hill and her mother, who lives with her, had been enrolled in an insurance plan through HealthFirst.

Hill paid nothing toward...Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

Trump's hunt for undocumented Medicaid enrollees yields few violators

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Last August, as part of the federal government’s crackdown on people in the country illegally, the Trump administration sent states the names of hundreds of thousands of Medicaid enrollees with orders to determine whether they were ineligible based on immigration status.

But seven months later, findings from five states shared with KFF Health...Read more

Kts/Dreamstime/TNS

Once-daily pill could help teens with common genetic heart disease, study finds

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

PHILADELPHIA — A once-daily pill could change how doctors treat teens with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a genetic heart condition that can block blood flow, a Philadelphia researcher has found.

Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia cardiologist Joseph Rossano led an international trial involving 44 patients ages 12 to 17 that studied a drug ...Read more

Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty Images North America/TNS

Trump team claims successes against ACA fraud while pushing for more controls

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Complaints about enrollment fraud in Affordable Care Act health insurance coverage have bedeviled the federal marketplace for years.

Now, the Trump administration is claiming wins in reducing the problem while simultaneously saying more controls are needed.

It has proposed a sweeping set of ACA regulations for next year, including stepped-up ...Read more

Efforts To Increase Sodium Level In Woman Lead To Frustration

Health Advice / Keith Roach /

DEAR DR. ROACH: I'm a 71-year-old female. I weigh about 96 pounds, and I'm 4 feet, 9 inches tall. My blood pressure has always been good. When I was 25 years old, I donated a kidney. I was told by doctors and nurses to drink lots of fluid to take care of my one remaining kidney. After watching what happened to my brother and the many patients ...Read more

There's nothing monotonous about monounsaturated fats

We're continually deepening our understanding of how your body works. One recent insight reveals that your T-cells, which manage your immune responses, are changed depending on the kind of fats you eat.

Research published in Nature found that a lower ratio of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) to monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) in your ...Read more

Araya Doheny/Getty Images North America/TNS

Roseanne Barr reveals 'damaged heart,' fears dying in surgery

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Roseanne Barr provided an update about her health, revealing to fans she may have to undergo surgery soon for a “damaged heart.”

Barr opened up about her fears and concerns during a recent episode of her podcast, the “Roseanne Barr Podcast.”

“This doctor says I have to go get my heart checked out because it’s damaged,” she ...Read more

The financial costs of cancer screening and treatment can make accessing care feel impossible. Thai Noipho/iStock via Getty Images Plus

How long young cancer patients survive often depends on the insurance they have

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Cancer is becoming increasingly common among young people, with cases slowly and steadily rising every year for the past decade. And what type of insurance adolescents and young adults have affects at what stage of cancer they’re diagnosed and how long they survive.

As researchers who study cancer disparities in young adults, we ...Read more

Environmental Nutrition: Spotlight on supplements: MCT Oil

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

MCT is a type of fat called medium chain triglycerides found naturally in coconut oil and palm kernel oil and offered as supplements. MCTs were developed in the 1950s from coconut and palm kernel oil, and were first used medically for mal- absorption disorders, and more recently they have been promoted for weight loss and enhanced athletic ...Read more

Does exercising in the evening affect sleep?

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Q: I’ve heard that you shouldn’t exercise in the evening because it can interfere with restful sleep. Is this true?

A: Traditional sleep hygiene guidelines include the recommendation to avoid exercising late in the day. However, research suggests that many people can exercise in the evening without it affecting their sleep as long as it’s...Read more