LOS ANGELES — There's a rush on Rush.

Stores up and down Santa Monica Boulevard have seen a run on the iconic red and yellow vials this week, as the Food and Drug Administration cracks down on poppers, a product that has long existed in legal limbo.

The active ingredient in Rush and other poppers is alkyl nitrite, a chemical that instantly ...Read more

Claire Lindell had to wait months for treatment when doctors in April 2020 were forced to suddenly cancel the little girl’s spine surgery.

The delay was particularly stressful because the operation addressed several issues, including the 4-year-old’s high risk of respiratory infection — such as from the emerging COVID-19 virus.

“That ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA -- Mara Nissley has a rare disorder that causes her brain to swell as if she has a tumor. Losing weight can help treat the condition, called pseudotumor cerebri. Last year, her doctor recommended she start a popular weight-loss drug in the hopes of alleviating her debilitating headaches and vision problems.

In just a few months, ...Read more

Colorectal cancer, the third-most common cancer in the U.S., has been rising among younger people for the past two decades. It is not one type of cancer but two cancers: colon cancer, which starts in the large intestine, and rectal cancer, which begins in the last part of the large intestine, known as the rectum.

Dr. Derek Ebner, a Mayo Clinic ...Read more

ATLANTA — A recent report about cancerous synthetic hair extensions has sparked a heated conversation, prompting the Black beauty community to question if there are alternatives for protective styles.

According to a study published Feb. 27 at Consumer Reports, toxins were found in 10 brands of synthetic braiding.

“The products were tested ...Read more

About 10% of Americans say they have chronic insomnia, and millions of others report poor sleep quality. Ongoing research has found that bad sleep could lead to numerous health problems, including heart disease.

Dr. Julio Fernandez-Mendoza is a professor of psychiatry and behavioral health, neuroscience and public health sciences at ...Read more

In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers struggled to grasp the rate of the virus’s spread and the number of related deaths. While hospitals tracked cases and deaths within their walls, the broader picture of mortality across communities remained frustratingly incomplete.

Policymakers and researchers quickly ...Read more

In 2019, Cristina Iglesias filed a lawsuit that changed the course of treatment for herself and other transgender inmates in federal custody.

Iglesias, a trans woman who had been incarcerated for more than 25 years, was transferred from a men’s prison to a women’s one in 2021. And in 2022, she reached a landmark settlement with the Federal ...Read more

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I just turned 45 and am dreading my first colonoscopy. Why do I need to be screened if I'm not having issues? Can you walk me through the process?

ANSWER: Feeling anxious or afraid surrounding a procedure, particularly when you've never done it before, is completely normal. The purpose of screening is to act before someone ...Read more

CHICAGO — The practice of drawing blood has changed very little over the decades. It looks about the same now as it did 50 years ago.

That process, however, may be about to get a modern makeover. Several health systems across the U.S. — including Northwestern Medicine — are gearing up to try a new way of drawing blood: using a robot.

...Read more

Following through on intentions broadcast a year ago, a federal judge is putting control of California's troubled inmate mental health programs into the hands of an outsider: President Biden's former chief of prisons.

With inmate suicide rates at an all-time high, U.S. District Senior Judge Kimberly Mueller said her aim is to force changes in ...Read more

A sweeping bill that would expand reporting requirements related to sexual misconduct allegations against health care workers and impose fines for failure to report serious incidents gained initial approval from a House committee Wednesday.

The bill follows a Tribune investigation last year that exposed how Illinois health care systems failed ...Read more

AURORA, Colo. — Researchers at the University of Colorado’s Anschutz Medical Campus have lost two scientific grants since President Donald Trump returned to office, but worry they’ll lose both money and their future colleagues if federal grant funding upheaval continues.

The two grants total about $1.7 million. One is to study vaccine ...Read more

In the early 1990s when I was a young pediatrician, I was responsible for evaluating children with developmental and learning problems. Two unrelated boys, ages 7 and 9, were found to have IQs in the range of 60-70, which indicates a severe cognitive disability.

During my medical review, the mothers revealed that their children were ...Read more

The measles outbreak that started in Texas in late January continues to grow. As of March 18, 2025, confirmed cases in the outbreak, which now spans Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma, reached 321, surpassing the number of confirmed cases recorded for all of the U.S. in 2024. The vast majority of cases are in people who are not vaccinated. ...Read more

A new strain of a highly pathogenic bird flu known as H7N9 has surfaced at a poultry farm in Mississippi where chickens are raised for breeding.

The finding of the new strain came as researchers separately reported a potentially positive development: Exposure to human seasonal flu may confer some immunity to H5N1 bird flu.

The new strain found...Read more

Measles may seem like a disease of the past. Indeed, the highly contagious virus was declared eradicated in the United States in 2000 after a full year had passed without any infections. But times have changed. Texas is now experiencing the largest measles outbreak in nearly three decades, and the virus is spreading across the country.

The good...Read more

Increasing vegetable intake during midlife is associated with lower likelihood of physical frailty in later life, according to a Chinese study. The Journal of Nutrition, Health and Aging, November 2024, says data from nearly 12,000 participants, with a mean age of 52 at the start of the study and 72 at follow-up, showed that compared to those ...Read more

Most of us grew up hearing the same refrain: It’s important to eat your vegetables. But between cruciferous, allium, marrow, root, and so many more, it can be hard to identify the different types of vegetables and their nutritional benefits. Vegetables with a high water content are known for their refreshing taste, delicious flavor, and ...Read more

Recently, a friend asked me about tonsil stones. He has sore throats several times a year, which are instantly relieved by gargling to remove them. When I told him I thought tonsil stones were pretty rare, he asked: “Are you sure about that? My ear, nose, and throat doctor says they’re common as rocks.” (Get it? stones? rocks?)

It turns ...Read more