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Should dementia and other patients be able to choose death?
My grandfather would wipe down the walls of our kitchen — a flashback to his busboy days in New York after arriving from Italy in 1920 — then suddenly rocket from past to present. He’d stare in horror at the rag in his hands, then at us. His face would collapse. He’d cry.
Alzheimer’s is a brain disorder known to slowly destroy memory,...Read more
How meditation can improve heart and bladder health
Your emotional outlook on life influences your physical and mental health. According to the National Institutes of Health, research shows a connection between an upbeat outlook and lower blood pressure, reduced risk for heart disease, healthier weight, better blood sugar levels, and a longer life. And now, studies show that meditation, which ...Read more
Drinking Tea Won't Lower Cholesterol Levels By Much
DEAR DR. ROACH: I have read that drinking decaffeinated green tea brewed below 175 degrees Fahrenheit will lower cholesterol. Do you have a recommendation concerning this information? -- C.P.
ANSWER: All major types of tea (green, oolong and black) are associated with small drops in serum cholesterol, especially LDL cholesterol, which is most...Read more

Bird flu emergency response ends in US as infections decline
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ended its emergency response for bird flu as the outbreak that sickened dozens of people, spread to cattle and drove up egg prices has abated.
The emergency designation ended in the last week, according to a person familiar with the matter who wasn’t authorized to speak publicly about it.
...Read more

New measles exposure reported over July 4th holiday, as cases in Kansas slow
The number of new measles cases has slowed in recent weeks in Kansas, reaching 86 confirmed cases, according to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment’s 2025 Kansas Measles Case Data dashboard.
The number of patients infected with measles increased by six over the past two weeks, according to the data updated Monday.
All but three ...Read more

This dental clinic is bringing confidence and smiles to underserved communities
SAN DIEGO -- When Cheryl Martinez enrolled in an addiction recovery program last May, one of her first orders of business was calling Ms. Darlene.
Martinez had just spent a few months in jail and was sent to a recovery center in North County, after decades of struggling with a drug addiction. In the months before, during a relapse, she had lost...Read more

Mayo Clinic researcher harnesses uniqueness of space to advance medicine on Earth
JACKSONVILLE, Florida — Mayo Clinic physician and researcher Dr. Abba Zubair’s work combines two passions — medicine and space — for the benefit of astronauts and people on Earth. His research in space is yielding discoveries in cancer, stroke, bone loss and more.
In this expert alert, Dr. Zubair answers five questions about his ...Read more

Ask the Pediatrician: Preventing heat-related illness in children as temperatures rise
The arrival of summer should mean more outdoor playtime for children, but the lessons of last summer warn of a different experience. As pediatricians, we see that as climate change leads to higher temperatures each year and longer stretches of hot days, parents increasingly need to be aware of the risks of heat-related illness on children.
If ...Read more
How to KO KOA (knee osteoarthritis) pain
Every step you take on level ground puts pressure on your knees that is equal to 1.5 times your body weight. Weigh 200 pounds? That means you're pounding your knees with 300 pounds of pressure with each stride. And some studies estimate that the typical adult takes around 2.5 million steps a year. No wonder that about a quarter of all folks age ...Read more
Understanding How Systemic Lupus Affects A Person's Body
DEAR DR. ROACH: What is lupus, and what does it do to your body? I just had a friend diagnosed with it after many months of tests. -- T.S.B.
ANSWER: The term "lupus" generally means systemic lupus erythematosis (SLE), which is a systemic disorder (as its name suggests). So, by definition, it affects multiple systems of the body.
One of the ...Read more
Men under 40 are most at risk for testicular cancer. Few know it
Many people don't know it, but men under age 40 are the most likely age group to develop testicular cancer.
Just ask Jay Riepenhoff of Upper Arlington, Ohio, who was 29 and still adjusting to life as a new father when he discovered a suspicious lump.
He wasn't thinking cancer. In fact, Riepenhoff got up for work the next morning and forgot all...Read more

Measles exposure reported at Wesley Medical Center in Wichita, Kansas
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment has announced that there was a measles exposure this week at Wesley Medical Center in Wichita.
On Friday, the agency gave details of the exposure. It occurred from 10 p.m. Tuesday until 4:45 p.m. Thursday on the fifth floor of the pediatric unit in Building 4. Wesley is located at 550 N. Hillside....Read more

'Chaotic and deeply frightening': Once a global gold standard, US government health guidance is falling apart
LOS ANGELES — Weeks after President Donald Trump took office, multiple government webpages referencing gender and sexual orientation abruptly disappeared from the internet.
Many returned after a February court order. But they came with an unusual addition: a disclaimer from the Department of Health and Human Services denying facts provided by...Read more
Man's PSA Level Skyrockets, Making Cancer Recurrence Likely
DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a healthy 89-year-old United States Army veteran. In August 2017, I was diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer and was treated with Lupron and radiation. These treatments have given me new life with my PSA level initially being undetectable, but my PSA slowly rose in 2023 and 2024. Then on April 28, it elevated to 29.3 ng/...Read more
Managing magnesium
Around half of Americans get less than the recommended amount of magnesium from food and beverages. And that's not good, because the mineral is an essential component of energy production, muscle and nerve function, DNA production, and absorption of other minerals. It's also an important component of treating and managing migraine, heart disease...Read more

To keep Medicaid, mom caring for disabled adult son faces prospect of proving she works
Four years before Kimberly Gallagher enrolled in Medicaid herself, the public health insurance program’s rules prompted her to make an excruciating choice — to give up guardianship of her son so she could work as his caregiver.
Now, another proposed twist in the rules could mean that, even though Missouri pays her to do that work, she might...Read more

GOP governors mum as Congress prepares to slash Medicaid spending for their states
The last time a Republican-controlled Congress and President Donald Trump moved to slash Medicaid spending, in 2017, a key political force stood in their way: GOP governors.
Now, as Congress steamrolls toward passing historic Medicaid cuts of about $1 trillion over 10 years through Trump’s tax and spending legislation, red-state governors are...Read more

California immigrants weigh health coverage against deportation risk
For months, Maria, 55, a caregiver to older adults in California’s Orange County, has been trying not to smile.
If she opens her mouth too wide, she worries, people will see her chipped, plaque-covered front teeth. An immigrant without legal status, Maria doesn’t have health or dental insurance. When her teeth start to throb, she swallows ...Read more

As mosquito season peaks, officials brace for new normal of dengue cases
As summer ushers in peak mosquito season, health and vector control officials are bracing for the possibility of another year of historic rates of dengue. And with climate change, the lack of an effective vaccine, and federal research cuts, they worry the disease will become endemic to a larger swath of North America.
About 3,700 new dengue ...Read more

'MAHA Report' calls for fighting chronic disease, but Trump and Kennedy have yanked funding
The Trump administration has declared that it will aggressively combat chronic disease in America.
Yet in its feverish purge of federal health programs, it has proposed eliminating the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion and its annual funding of $1.4 billion.
That’s one of many disconnects between what the ...Read more
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