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This HIV expert refused to censor data, then quit the CDC
John Weiser, a doctor and researcher, has treated people with HIV since the beginning of the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s. He joined the CDC’s HIV prevention team in 2011 to help lead its Medical Monitoring Project, the only in-depth survey of HIV across the United States. The project has shaped the country’s response to the epidemic over two ...Read more
How delays and bankruptcy let a nursing home chain avoid paying settlements for injuries and deaths
Nancy Hunt arrived at an emergency room from a Genesis HealthCare nursing home in Pennsylvania in such dreadful shape, including maggots infesting her gangrened foot, that the hospital called an elder abuse hotline and then the police, her son alleged in a lawsuit.
Hunt died five days later. Her death certificate said the foot injury was a “...Read more
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Is More Effective Than Sleep Aids
DEAR DR. ROACH: I am an 82-year-old female who has a hard time staying asleep. I have been taking melatonin to help. I read recently that if you have taken melatonin for a long time, you could have a danger of heart problems. Should I stop?
I started taking 1/8 of a gummy with CBD instead. It helps me sleep but makes me feel dopey and dizzy. ...Read more
It takes (healthy) guts to fight cancer
Bear Bryant, who won six national championships and 13 conference championships as the head coach at the University of Alabama, once said, "There's no substitute for guts." And while gumption can power a lot of positive accomplishments, when it comes to fighting cancer (instead of Auburn), you want to make sure your guts are healthy enough for ...Read more
Illinois should recommend hepatitis B vaccines for all newborns, committee says, despite federal guidance
Illinois should continue to recommend that nearly all newborns be vaccinated against hepatitis B, a state advisory committee decided Tuesday, in a move that could represent another break with federal vaccine guidance.
The Illinois Department of Public Health Immunization Advisory Committee voted unanimously Tuesday that Illinois “reaffirm and...Read more
Health care premiums set to soar as GOP leaders see no expanded credits
WASHINGTON — House Speaker Mike Johnson Tuesday all but ruled out approving an extension of Obamacare health insurance premium subsidies before Congress ends its 2025 session later this week, virtually guaranteeing consumer costs for the policies will double next year.
Rep. Kevin Kiley, R-Calif., and a small group of other House Republicans ...Read more
US is spending big on child mental health, addiction treatment, study says
As a children’s emergency room doctor in San Francisco, Ashley Foster has found herself treating an increasing number of adolescents for substance abuse, anxiety, depression and other behavioral health issues over the last decade. Often, they arrive at the hospital in crisis, she said.
Foster’s experience aligns with a well-known and ...Read more
Mayo Clinic Q&A: Can holiday stress trigger a heart attack?
DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I've heard that all the stress of the holidays can lead to a heart attack. What's the link, and what can I do to reduce my risk?
ANSWER: It's easy to get caught up in the stress and chaos that accompany the holiday season. For some women, their busy lives become even more hectic, and the result can be overwhelming. Also, women...Read more
Trump's idea for health accounts has been tried. Millions of patients have ended up in debt
Sarah Monroe once had a relatively comfortable middle-class life.
She and her family lived in a neatly landscaped neighborhood near Cleveland. They had a six-figure income and health insurance. Then, four years ago, when Monroe was pregnant with twin girls, something started to feel off.
“I kept having to come into the emergency room for ...Read more
Out-of-pocket pain from high-deductible plans means skimping on care
David Garza sometimes feels as if he doesn’t have health insurance now that he pays so much to treat his Type 2 diabetes.
His monthly premium payment of $435 for family coverage is roughly the same as the insurance at his previous job. But the policy at his current job carries an annual deductible of $4,000, which he must pay out-of-pocket ...Read more
Editorial: The GOP's Obamacare price spike -- Heath care costs are going up, just as the Democrats feared
At long last, surprising no one, Senate Republicans have blocked bills to extend Obamacare subsidies, sidestepping one more chance to address the issue careening towards a Dec. 31 cliff after which premiums for more than 20 million Americans will skyrocket.
So the Democrats were right and this was the point of the longest-ever government ...Read more
Editorial: Nothing is free -- Bill to extend 'temporary' subsidies fails
Senate Republicans on Thursday rejected efforts to create another long-term entitlement when the nation is $37 trillion in debt and counting. It was a wise move.
Democrats recently shut down the government for six weeks to pressure the GOP to extend “temporary” Obamacare subsidies passed to soften the blow of the pandemic.
Democrats ...Read more
Is your LDL cholesterol level cumin down?
Cumin, a member of the parsley family, is a spice used in Asian and Indian cuisines and shows up in garam masala, curries, and rice and vegetable dishes -- either as a powder or whole seeds. But it may do a lot more than add a warm, earthy flavor to your food. A new study in Food Science & Nutrition looked at the effect of eating 5 grams of ...Read more
Osteoboost Belt Needs More Study Before Being Recommended
DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a 68-year-old female who was first diagnosed with osteopenia and now osteoporosis. My physician has highly recommended medication or a monthly injection. I have completed hours of research and am very unhappy with the many personal stories of side effects. Evenity, the one drug that actually claims to rebuild bone, is not ...Read more
Republicans offer their own health care plan. Will it help California consumers?
House Republican leaders plan votes this week on their plan to reduce health care costs, but consumers shouldn’t expect much help with soaring premiums anytime soon.
The 111-page GOP blueprint, likely to get a House vote Wednesday, does not include an extension of the expiring health care premium subsidies.
Those credits for qualified ...Read more
Highly infectious 'stomach flu' spreads. How to disinfect after norovirus
Norovirus, also known as the “stomach flu” or “winter vomiting sickness,” is active in California and across the nation. But cleaning and disinfecting can help check its spread, experts say.
Precautions are crucial because the virus is highly infectious and there’s no real treatment for it, the Centers for Disease Control and ...Read more
House GOP unveils draft health bill package
WASHINGTON — House Republican leaders released draft legislation Friday consisting of a package of health proposals aimed at reducing health care costs in 2026, setting up a possible floor vote this week.
The House Rules Committee is scheduled to meet Tuesday afternoon to consider the bill for floor action.
The 111-page bill combines a ...Read more
Tanning bed users have nearly twice as much damage to skin cells, Northwestern study finds
Though tanning may be far from people's minds this winter, a new study out of Northwestern Medicine is highlighting the risks of tanning beds, and showing how they can lead to skin cancer.
Not only is the use of tanning beds associated with nearly triple the risk of developing melanoma, but heavy users of tanning beds also had more damage to ...Read more
Newsom taps former CDC leaders critical of Trump-era health policies for new initiative
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday announced a new California-led public health initiative, tapping former U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials who publicly clashed with the Trump administration, including the former agency chief who warned that the nation's public health system was headed to "a very ...Read more
When should kids get a smartphone? A study links owning one before age 12 to health risks
PHILADELPHIA -- Ran Barzilay, a psychiatrist and researcher at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, won’t be letting his 9-year-old son get a smartphone before age 13.
He made the decision based on data from his recent study, published in the medical journal Pediatrics, which linked getting a smartphone at a young age to worse health ...Read more
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