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  When a hearing aid isn't enough
Kitty Grutzmacher had contended with poor hearing for a decade, but the problem had worsened over the past year. Even with her hearing aids, “there was little or no sound,” she said.
“I was avoiding going out in groups. I stopped playing cards, stopped going to Bible study, even going to church.”
Her audiologist was unable to offer ...Read more
  Commentary: The collapse of patient trust -- How US health care lost its way
Just as the political health of a nation requires trust in elected officials, the physical and mental health of Americans depends on the trust embedded in the doctor-patient relationship.
For most of the past century, that bond was ironclad. Now, that relationship is fraying.
Gallup polling shows just 44% of Americans rate the quality of care ...Read more
  'Colorado sober' movement ditches alcohol for cannabis, psychedelics. Is it for real?
DENVER -- Everything in moderation. Including moderation.
That’s the idea behind the Colorado sober movement, an unofficial yet growing trend away from alcohol, and toward plant-based and psychedelic drugs.
But how can one be considered sober while, for example, smoking pot and taking LSD?
Because “Colorado sober” — a spin-off of the ...Read more
  In a small Alabama town, a dentist weighs whether to stop treating kids on Medicaid
FLORENCE, Ala. — Sometimes, in a quiet moment between appointments, Dr. Carson Cruise runs the financial numbers through his head. They make a cold but compelling case: If he dropped all of the Medicaid patients from his small-town pediatric dental practice, he could make the same money while working far fewer hours.
Cruise, 36, owns a dental...Read more
Alcohol and your brain
"Drink to me only with thine eyes" is the first line in a 17th-century poem by Ben Jonson -- and he might have been on to something. A study in BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine that looked at data on more than half a million folks ages 56 to 72 reveals that, while light alcohol consumption is associated with a low risk for dementia, there's no ...Read more
Surgery Is Prudent If Conservative Treatment Of Neuroma Fails
DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a 68-year-old woman who is in relatively good health. My primary exercise is walking my dogs anywhere from 2-5 miles per day. I have two Morton's neuromas in my left foot, and I've been receiving shots for them for at least the past eight to ten years, with the shots being more frequent in recent times.
Sadly, these shots...Read more
  Health insurance premiums to double next year on individual market
DENVER — Premiums will double next year for Coloradans who buy their health insurance on the state’s individual market, with higher-income families facing increases of $10,000 or more, the Colorado Division of Insurance announced Monday.
Marketplace customers face a double hit this year. The monthly “sticker price” of health insurance ...Read more
  Residents to see 78% average cost increase for Affordable Care Act exchange plans if subsidies expire
CHICAGO — Illinois residents will pay an average of 78% more across the state for health insurance through the Affordable Care Act exchange if Congress does not extend enhanced premium tax credits — the issue at the heart of the current government shutdown — state regulators said Monday.
Illinois residents who have health insurance ...Read more
  Officials show little proof that new tech will help Medicaid enrollees meet work rules
This summer, the state of Louisiana texted just over 13,000 people enrolled in its Medicaid program with a link to a website where they could confirm their incomes.
The texts were part of a pilot run to test technology the Trump administration says will make it easier for some Medicaid enrollees to prove they meet new requirements — working, ...Read more
  Innovation in epilepsy care: Alternatives to medication seek to reset, repair brain, expert explains
PHOENIX — Medication has long been the cornerstone of treatment for people with epilepsy, but it doesn't stop seizures for everyone and may come with significant side effects. New options in use or under development include devices and gene and cell therapies aimed at resetting or rehabilitating the brain circuits that cause seizures, explains...Read more
  Ask the Pediatrician: How to talk with kids about tragedies and other traumatic news events
After any crisis or disaster, families often struggle with what they should say to children and how to help them cope.
The American Academy of Pediatrics encourages parents, teachers, child care providers and others who work closely with children to review information about the event and present it in a way that their child can understand, ...Read more
Three heart-healthy exercise routines
If you're one of the 25% to 30% of U.S. adults who are sedentary, not getting even the minimum recommended 30 minutes of daily motion, you're setting yourself up for a roster of chronic conditions, starting with heart disease -- and heading to dementia, cancer, and joint woes.
Well, if you would like to change your ways and improve your heart ...Read more
Metoprolol Prescribed For Palpitations Exacerbates Anxiety
DEAR DR. ROACH: I just discontinued using metoprolol succinate extended release (ER) at a dosage of 6.25 mg. My heart rate is normally in the 70-80s, and my blood pressure is normal. My doctor prescribed metoprolol for palpitations, but it seems totally unnecessary. My issue is that I am experiencing tachycardia of over 100 beats every single ...Read more
  Eye implant reverses blindness in study co-led by Pitt researcher
A team co-led by a Pitt professor was able to restore sight to blind patients with advanced macular degeneration, according to a report published last week in the New England Journal of Medicine.
The study was conducted in Europe by a team of researchers including senior author José-Alain Sahel, who moved from his native France to join ...Read more
  'Cancer doesn't care': Citizen lobbyists unite to push past Washington's ugly politics
Mary Catherine Johnson is a retired small-business owner from outside Rochester, New York. She voted for Donald Trump three times.
Lexy Mealing, who used to work in a physician’s office, is from Long Island. She’s a Democrat.
But the women share a common bond. They both survived breast cancer.
And when the American Cancer Society Cancer ...Read more
  Despite the hoopla, vaccines should be in reach this cough-and-cold season
For people whose autumn agenda includes getting vaccinated against respiratory diseases — COVID, flu, and, for some, RSV — this year may be surprisingly routine.
Following several confusing months this summer when federal officials announced and then retreated from changes to COVID vaccine recommendations, the Centers for Disease Control ...Read more
  GOP talking point holds ACA is haunted by 'phantom' enrollees, but the devil's in the data
The idea that Affordable Care Act marketplaces are riddled with fraud has become a major talking point among Republicans, as lawmakers in Congress argue about whether to extend the enhanced tax credits that are helping offset the cost of health care marketplace coverage for low- and middle-income people. Those ACA subsidies expire at the end of ...Read more
  On Nutrition: Can nutrition help eczema?
Kim H. from Nevada writes: “I read an article you wrote about how gut health affects the brain and other parts of the body. Our 19-year-old son has severe eczema and is living in Hong Kong. We thought his eczema would get better because of the humidity (there) compared to dry Nevada where we live, but that has not been the case. Are there ...Read more
Woman Debates Whether To Get The New Covid Vaccine
DEAR DR. ROACH: I am an 80-year-old healthy woman (who is 5 feet, 3 inches tall and weighs 118 pounds). I have no underlying health issues except slightly high blood pressure. I have had all the COVID vaccines that have been offered. I did have a slight case of COVID in 2022.
I received the 2024-25 COVID vaccine on Aug. 1. Then they came up ...Read more
Gen X's addiction to ultra-processed foods
If you're 45 to 65 years old and love eating ultra-processed foods (UPF) -- even though you know they're damaging your mind and body -- you may be addicted to these seductive products.
A study in the journal Addiction looked at data on 2,000 folks and found that 21% of women and 10% of men ages 45 to 60, who grew up or were young adults when ...Read more
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