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Commentary: Subsidizing insurance just props up dysfunction. Empower consumers instead

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Congress ended its impasse to reopen the government, but the Democrats’ reason for the shutdown remains unresolved: the renewal of expiring subsidies for insurance premiums under the Affordable Care Act.

Republicans offered an olive branch to end the standoff by proposing to make payments into Americans’ health savings accounts or flexible ...Read more

Renée Jones Schneider/Minnesota Star Tribune/TNS

Trained to serve: Service dogs' roles are expanding to help more people

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

In short order, Teddy — a bright-eyed and bushy-tailed 3-year-old yellow Lab — punched a wall button with his nose, yanked a rope to open a kitchen cabinet door and tugged a walker across the floor.

After each feat, trainer Emma Hetrick rewarded Teddy with a well-earned piece of kibble. With just a few months to go before graduation, Teddy ...Read more

Having Ketones Is Not Necessary To Receive Benefit From Fasting

Health Advice / Keith Roach /

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a 50-year-old overweight woman (5 feet, 6 inches tall at 240 pounds). So far, I am not diabetic, but my A1C has been creeping upward. In an effort to control my weight and reap the benefits of fasting, I have been engaging in 36-hour fasts.

Although I have lost about 1 pound per week since embarking on this endeavor, I am...Read more

Is inflammation dulling your interest in life?

Chronic inflammation is an all-too-common condition that indicates your immune system is revved up and injuring your internal organ systems. It can trigger pain, weight gain, gastro distress, skin disruptions, fatigue, insomnia, cognition problems -- and depression.

That leads to an erosion of your quality of life, speeds up aging, and ...Read more

Appetite Suppresion Occurs After Starting Mounjaro Prescription

Health Advice / Keith Roach /

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a 66-year-old male who started Mounjaro a month ago for Type 2 diabetes in the hopes of losing 40 pounds. I keep an online food log. What is the minimum number of calories I should consume in a day? My appetite is definitely suppressed, and I am worried that I may not be getting enough nutrients. -- H.C.

ANSWER: Calorie ...Read more

Does TR therapy up your risk of serious cardiovascular problems?

It's hard to know how many guys are taking testosterone supplements to ease the loss of sexual drive, erectile dysfunction, fatigue, reduced lean muscle mass and depression. But according to the Urology Care Foundation, low levels of the hormone may affect 50% of men ages 80 and older. And two studies show that it affects 30% of men who are ...Read more

Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Many Californians face huge health care premium increases. Can Congress or Trump help?

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

WASHINGTON —Californians using Obamacare-inspired health care plans and facing huge premium increases at the start of next year got some hope this week that cost-cutting subsidies will continue.

Efforts by Reps. Kevin Kiley, R-Roseville, and Sam Liccardo, D-San Jose, to push for a two-year extension have gotten backing from bipartisan members...Read more

How much caffeine is in matcha?

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Matcha is having a moment. Matcha-flavored foods and drinks seem to be everywhere (Matcha soft serve! Matcha lemonade! Matcha soda! Matcha noodles!), but traditionally, the finely ground green tea powder is enjoyed as a hot beverage in Japan.

To make matcha, the tea is whisked with a small bit of hot water until smooth, and then more hot water ...Read more

Environmental Nutrition: Debunking dietary deceptions: Is a vegetarian or vegan diet automatically healthy?

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

With all the praise for plant-based diets, it’s easy to think that a vegan or vegetarian diet guarantees that your diet is healthful and nutritious. But does it? The research in support of plant-based diets is bountiful, which is likely because they include higher levels of vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients and fiber and lower levels of ...Read more

Mayo Clinic Q&A: Living kidney donation may be option for those with Type 2 diabetes

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I was surprised to learn that even though I have Type 2 diabetes, I possibly could be a candidate to donate a kidney to my husband who has end-stage kidney disease. Would donating a kidney be safe for me and my husband? I thought diabetes could cause kidney failure.

ANSWER: Thank you for considering the gift of life through ...Read more

GLP One Less for the Road

Health Advice / Scott LaFee /

Apart from their widely celebrated effect at weight loss and diabetes management, GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy might also reduce alcohol use.

In a pilot study published in Scientific Reports, researchers found that GLP-1 agonists (which mimic the effects of GLP-1 compounds) slowed the speed at which alcohol enters the bloodstream, ...Read more

Kirill Kudryavtsev/Getty Images North America/TNS

Is AI making some people delusional? Families and experts are worried

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Generative artificial intelligence has quickly permeated much of what we do online, proving helpful for many. But for a small minority of the hundreds of millions of people who use it daily, AI may be too supportive, mental health experts say, and can sometimes even exacerbate delusional and dangerous behavior.

Instances of emotional dependence...Read more

Handout/KFF Health News/TNS

A hidden health crisis following natural disasters: Mold growth in homes

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — After returning from what felt like the best internship of her life, Danae Daniels was excited to unwind and settle into a new semester at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University. But when she opened the door to her off-campus apartment, she was met with an overwhelming smell — and a devastating reality.

“There ...Read more

Learn More On How Candidates Are Selected For Research Trials

Health Advice / Keith Roach /

DEAR DR. ROACH: Your recent column about the advancement of medical science relying on clinical trials, not testimonials, begs me to ask the following: How are the candidates for these research trials selected? What information is provided to them to consider before volunteering? Are the candidates aware that they may receive a placebo rather ...Read more

Three biomarkers that reveal your increased risk of heart disease

You may be sailing along, thinking you're doing a good job of taking care of yourself. After all, your LDL is 110 mg/dL and you're only a little overweight, when -- bam! You have a heart attack.

That wake-up call may happen because you weren't paying close enough attention to five biomarkers: genetic risks, blood pressure, cholesterol, blood ...Read more

Marcus Jones/Dreamstime.com/TNS

Jefferson Health has been sued for violating federal rules during recent layoff of hundreds

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

A lawsuit filed Tuesday in Philadelphia accused Jefferson Health of violating federal labor rules when it laid off 1% of its 65,000 employees in October and this month without providing a 60-day notice.

The purported class action lawsuit says the proposed lead plaintiff, Ciara Brice, lost her job as a medical assistant on Nov. 12 with no notice...Read more

Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times/TNS

California braces for early, sharper flu season as virus mutation outpaces vaccine, experts say

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

LOS ANGELES — California could see an early start to the annual flu season, as a combination of low vaccination rates and late mutations to the virus may leave the state particularly exposed to transmission, health experts say.

Already, there are warning signs. Los Angeles County recently reported its first flu death of the season, and other ...Read more

Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images North America/TNS

Kennedy sharpens vaccine attacks, without scientific backing

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

As the federal government prepares for the next meeting of its Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has intensified his attacks on aluminum vaccine components used in many shots to boost the body’s immune response.

Kennedy, a longtime anti-vaccine activist before seeking ...Read more

Jerry Holt/The Minnesota Star Tribune/TNS

A 3-year-old's epilepsy care is uncertain due to UnitedHealth-Fairview dispute

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

CHANHASSEN, Minnesota — Keeping Parker McEnaney smiling has required well over a dozen expensive drugs, a medevac flight to California and the expertise of just about every specialty team at M Health Fairview Masonic Children’s Hospital in Minneapolis.

A cord snaking into the 3-year-old’s grippy sock connects to a device reading her pulse...Read more

National Cancer Institute/Unsplash/National Cancer Institute/Unsplash/TNS

US cancer registries, constrained by Trump policies, to recognize only 'male' or 'female' patients

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

The top authorities of U.S. cancer statistics will soon have to classify the sex of patients strictly as male, female, or unknown, a change scientists and advocates say will harm the health of transgender people, one of the nation’s most marginalized populations.

Scientists and advocates for trans rights say the change will make it much ...Read more