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Gastroenterologist Doesn't Recommend Colonoscopy For Senior

Health Advice / Keith Roach /

DEAR DR. ROACH: I'm an 85-year-old woman. I took the Cologuard test a month ago, and it came back positive. My gastrointestinal doctor said that at my age, he wouldn't perform a colonoscopy. I asked for other alternatives, and he said that there's a virtual colonoscopy CT scan. I had soft tissue sarcoma a year ago and have been getting CT ...Read more

Hitting the wall

Almost half of all adults in the U.S. have high blood pressure, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and only 22% of them have it under control, with a blood pressure below 130/80. (In my opinion, true control comes with 115/76.) That means they're at a hugely increased risk of heart attack, stroke, cognition problems, ...Read more

Nathaniel Levine/The Sacramento Bee/TNS

When should I get my COVID shot? 'Viruses are more active' in California

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Fall is in full swing across California, bringing cooler weather and the start of another respiratory virus season.

Although respiratory viruses circulate year-round, many become more active during the fall and winter months.

“Many respiratory viruses, including flu, (respiratory syncytial virus) and COVID-19 circulate...Read more

Frederic J. Brown/Getty Images North America/TNS

900+ women criminally charged for their conduct during pregnancies

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

In the first three years after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the constitutional right to an abortion in June 2022, more than 900 women faced criminal charges for conduct related to their pregnancies, according to a new report.

Most state laws that prohibit or regulate abortion seek to penalize those who provide abortions, not the women who...Read more

8 tricks to shop for glasses if you’re over 50

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Life is simpler when you’re young. You can mow the lawn without breaking a sweat. Climb a tree without breaking a leg. Buy new prescription glasses in the blink of an eye.

But buying eyeglasses often gets more complicated somewhere around age 50. Single-vision lenses suddenly don’t help you decipher the small print on restaurant menus. Eye ...Read more

Environmental Nutrition: What to know about lab-grown meat

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Q: What is lab-grown meat?

A: You’ve probably been hearing more and more about the possibility of seeing meat products on the supermarket shelves that have been grown in a lab (instead of coming directly from a farm). And now you’re wondering: Meat from a lab? Is this a real thing? The short answer is yes, this is a real thing. So, unlike ...Read more

Are you eating too much fiber?

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

No doubt you’ve heard the call from health experts to eat a high-fiber diet. You’re probably aiming for the recommended target of about 25 grams of fiber daily for women, and 38 grams for men.

But you may also have heard that more fiber — lots more — is even better. After all, “fibermaxxing” is trending on social media, where health...Read more

Mayo Clinic Q&A: Seasonal affective disorder: More than feeling sad

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I love the fall, but I dread the shorter days and how I feel. I’ve read about seasonal affective disorder, but could you please tell me more about it?

ANSWER: Seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, is a type of depression that’s related to the changes in seasons. Symptoms typically appear in the fall, worsen through the ...Read more

Fatty Breath

Health Advice / Scott LaFee /

Engineers at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich have created a portable device that detects when the body starts burning fat while dieting or exercising.

The device detects the acetone content in exhaled breath nearly as accurately as a much larger mass spectrometer. Acetone is the byproduct of fat metabolism that is exhaled ...Read more

Matt Odom/KFF HEALTH/TNS

Many Medicare patients could lose access to remote monitoring devices

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Dianne Williams said she lost weight and lowered her blood pressure thanks to quarterly doctor appointments, monthly phone calls with a nurse, and a blood pressure cuff she uses at home that transmits data to her care team.

“It’s good to have somebody talk to you and tell you what your progress is like. And she’s a very nice person,” ...Read more

Widow Deals With Trauma After Her Husband Dies Of Suicide

Health Advice / Keith Roach /

DEAR DR. ROACH: I have a sensitive issue I'd like to ask you about. I'm a 79-year-old woman who's dealing with a lot of stress and anxiety due to the recent suicide of my husband, the trauma of finding him, and all the trauma that followed. I'm in therapy, and I'm healthy and active. I don't take any prescribed medications.

I recently had my ...Read more

Cool it! Battling chronic inflammation to improve heart health

America is on fire -- and not just from wildfires. Almost 35% of the adult population contends with chronic inflammation that heats up their risk for metabolic diseases like Type 2 diabetes and fatty liver disease, gastrointestinal woes, cancer, and autoimmune conditions. But that's not all, according to experts at the UT Southwestern Medical ...Read more

Laura Dickinson/San Luis Obsipo Tribune/TNS

3 kids with E. coli are in ICU, as officials investigate California pumpkin patch

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — Three California children are in serious condition after contracting E. coli — and health officials are investigating a farm as a potential source.

On Tuesday, the San Luis Obispo County Department of Public Health reported five total confirmed cases of E. coli throughout the county, potentially linked to ...Read more

Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune/TNS

'A destination for transplant innovation': Northwestern launches new transplant institute

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Northwestern Medicine has consolidated its robust transplant program into a new Transplant Institute, with a focus on tech and innovation.

Spearheaded by transplant surgeon Dr. Satish Nadig, the announcement of the Northwestern Medicine Transplant Institute comes just a month after the hospital’s 3,000th liver transplant, according to a ...Read more

Michelle Marchante/Miami Herald/Miami Herald/TNS

New Miami-area group breaks organ recovery record. How it plans to change transplantation

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

MIAMI — The new group tasked with retrieving organs for transplantation across South Florida and the Bahamas is already breaking records, just months after taking over operations from a decades-old nonprofit that was ordered shut by the federal government over safety-related issues and other concerns.

The South Florida Donor Network ...Read more

When traveling abroad, asking your doctor ahead of time about treatments for minor ailments can help keep your trip on track. Nansan Houn/iStock via Getty Images Plus

Leave home with a plan: What to pack in your medical kit and when to seek care for symptoms abroad

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

When people prepare to see a doctor before an international trip, vaccines usually dominate the conversation.

And while vaccines are important, many of the health problems most likely to derail a trip cannot be prevented with a vaccine: Diarrhea, respiratory infections, motion sickness and flare-ups of existing medical conditions are ...Read more

Maria Fabrizio for WPLN/KFF Health News/TNS

More medications, more risks. If You're worried, start a deprescribing discussion

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

For nearly three years, Jonathan Bledsoe of Reading, Pennsylvania, took one prescription to stabilize his mood and one to keep his cholesterol in check, among a handful of other medications.

“You wouldn’t think you would have to be your own advocate and look out for yourself as far as managing your medications,” the Marine veteran said. �...Read more

Courtesy Kara Holden/KFF Health News/TNS

New arrivals in the ER? Georgia gears up to solve rural maternal health crisis

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

LAVONIA, Ga. — It had been a decade since Kara Holden last had a baby. But as the former obstetric nurse prepared for her fourth child, her head was swimming with contingency plans.

The labor and delivery unit where she used to work in this rural northeastern Georgia community is no longer open. So, she asked former co-workers to be on ...Read more

(Kristina Barker for KFF Health News and Tradeoffs)/KFF HEALTH/TNS

States are forcing hospitals to offer more people financial aid. In Oregon, it's working

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Four years ago, Oregon hospitals were under fire from state authorities and patient advocates. Hospitals, critics said, had made it too hard for patients to apply for and receive help paying their bills.

Within months, the state enacted a sweeping law that required hospitals to proactively screen patients and give financial aid to those who ...Read more

DREAMSTIME/TNS

Mayo Clinic Q&A: How is breast cancer screening becoming more personalized?

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I've always heard that women should begin getting mammograms at a certain age, but now I'm hearing that breast cancer screening can be based on a person's individual risk. How do healthcare professionals determine when and how someone should be screened? And are there newer screening options available for people at higher risk?...Read more

 

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