Health Advice
/Health
/ArcaMax

'Show up and share': How one UCLA ICU helps patients and staff live with dying
LOS ANGELES -- Extraordinary things happen in the cardiothoracic intensive care unit at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center.
The sick rise from bed with new hearts and lungs. Machines valiantly take over for faltering kidneys, heart valves, bronchial tubes. All patients enter with grave health concerns, and the vast majority leave recovered, or ...Read more
Reader Who Experiences Sleep Paralysis Writes In For Advice
DEAR DR. ROACH: My question to you is about an affliction I have struggled with since childhood. Apparently, it is called sleep paralysis. As explained to me in an old newspaper article, it is when your brain is awake, but your body is still sleeping. This leads me to have minor to moderate panic attacks!
It has lessened as I've aged, and I'...Read more
Choose a longer, healthier life
You may appreciate -- or regret -- that some of your emotional traits are genetically inherited. Research indicates an OCEAN of attitudes can be passed down from generation to generation: Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness -- and Neuroticism. But as we have said (a million times!) your physical health and longevity are not ...Read more

White House halts long-running HIV research network for youth
WASHINGTON — A study funded by the National Institutes of Health that would test if an antibiotic can prevent sexually transmitted infections in women has been terminated by the Trump administration as part of its ongoing attempt to halt what it considers “diversity, equity and inclusion” in scientific research.
While the drug has been ...Read more

RFK Jr. cites vitamin A for measles, as experts advise caution
Amid a measles outbreak that has seen U.S. cases for the year so far surge past the total tracked in 2024, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has responded, in part, by suggesting alternatives to vaccination, including treating with vitamin A.
"We're providing vitamin A," Kennedy told Sean Hannity in an interview that aired on Fox News in ...Read more

Medetomidine is replacing xylazine in Philly street fentanyl − creating new hurdles for health care providers and drug users
Philadelphia’s street opioid supply – or “dope” market – is constantly changing. As health care workers and researchers who care for people who use drugs in our community, we have witnessed these shifts firsthand.
New adulterants are frequently added to the mix. They bring additional and often uncertain risks for people who ...Read more

Environmental Nutrition: Spotlight on supplements: Berberine
Berberine is a bioactive compound from a range of plants grown throughout the globe.
Overview
Berberine has proposed benefits ranging from relieving canker sores to managing blood glucose levels in type 2 diabetes. This supplement also has a history of use in Traditional Chinese Medicine.
Special functions
Berberine has a well-documented ...Read more

5 foods to eat with dinner to help with digestion
At the end of the day, your long-awaited dinner is probably the only priority you’re focused on. You might scarf down a cheesy bowl of pasta or grab a fast-food sandwich on your way home. What’s hard to anticipate is your body’s reaction after you’ve finished eating — although you're done with dinner, your body is just getting started ...Read more

Want a calmer brain? Try this
For neuroscientist Sara Lazar, a form of meditation called open awareness is as fundamental to her day as breathing.
“I just become aware that I am aware, with no particular thing that I focus on,” explains Lazar, an associate researcher in the psychiatry department at Massachusetts General Hospital and assistant professor of psychology at ...Read more

Mayo Clinic Q&A: Understanding carrier screening for family planning
DEAR MAYO CLINIC: My husband and I want to expand our family and are trying to get pregnant with our first baby. I’ve read about family planning couples can do before conceiving and learned about carrier screening. We don’t have a family history of genetic conditions, but we want to know if there is a chance of passing a genetic disorder to ...Read more
An Afternoon Cup of No
A new study suggests that coffee drinkers who limit their consumption to the morning have a lower risk of dying of heart disease and a lower overall mortality risk than those who drink coffee throughout the day.
"Research so far suggests that drinking coffee doesn't raise the risk of cardiovascular disease, and it seems to lower the risk of ...Read more

Why sniffles and sneezes should make you think about heart health this allergy season
Most people probably would not connect seasonal allergies with their hearts. Itchy, watery eyes and stuffy noses, sure – but not cardiovascular issues.
Researchers are finding signs of just such a link between allergies, asthma and heart health. And while nobody is saying your next sneeze is cause for alarm, experts say the connection is ...Read more

The Colorado psychedelic mushroom experiment has arrived
BOULDER, Colo. — Colorado regulators are issuing licenses for providing psychedelic mushrooms and are planning to authorize the state’s first “healing centers,” where the mushrooms can be ingested under supervision, in late spring or early summer.
The dawn of state-regulated psychedelic mushrooms has arrived in Colorado, nearly two ...Read more
Patient With High Total Cholesterol Gets Recommended A Statin
DEAR DR. ROACH: Can you please explain what is cholesterol/high-density lipoprotein and the significance of a high HDL cholesterol value? What about non-HDL cholesterol? I have had cholesterol tests for the past 30 years with HDL readings that had a low of 68 mg/dL and a high of 117 mg/dL. Two first-degree relatives also have high HDL ...Read more
Foods that help keep you well-hydrated
In 1616, when Ben Johnson wrote "Drink to me only with thine eyes," you can bet he wasn't concerned with hydration -- just with getting drenched in love. These days, we're more likely to hear about how staying well-hydrated helps keep your heart health sweet and your sweetheart happy (hydration impacts hormones and boosts energy). But do you ...Read more

Measles outbreak sends warning for future of infectious disease
WASHINGTON — As the largest measles outbreak in the U.S. in 25 years spreads, health experts warn that more people choosing to be unvaccinated for infectious diseases will make it harder to replicate past successful responses to outbreaks.
Measles, a respiratory virus, was effectively eliminated in 2000, when the U.S. only saw 86 cases. ...Read more

Alaska medical board asks Legislature to limit gender-affirming care for minors
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — The Alaska State Medical Board is asking the Legislature to ban hormonal and surgical treatments for minors seeking to transition from one gender to another.
The board — whose members were chosen by Gov. Mike Dunleavy — on Thursday agreed to state that it “opposes hormonal and surgical treatments for gender dysphoria...Read more

Tuberculosis cases continue to increase in San Diego County
SAN DIEGO — Monday was World Tuberculosis Day and, as usual, Americans had reason to celebrate, with incidence rates that are among the best anywhere, according to the World Health Organization. But that does not mean there is not room for further improvement, especially in San Diego County.
In a recent announcement calling for greater ...Read more

Mayo Clinic Minute: Treatment options for advanced colorectal cancer
Colorectal cancer is one of the most treatable cancers, especially when detected early. For those in advanced stages, significant advancements in therapies are providing renewed hope.
Dr. Umair Majeed, a Mayo Clinic oncologist, says improved treatment options mean better outcomes for patients, even for those with late-stage colorectal cancer.
...Read more

Amid plummeting diversity at medical schools, a warning of DEI crackdown's 'chilling effect'
The Trump administration’s crackdown on DEI programs could exacerbate an unexpectedly steep drop in diversity among medical school students, even in states like California, where public universities have been navigating bans on affirmative action for decades. Education and health experts warn that, ultimately, this could harm patient care.
...Read more
Inside Health Advice
Popular Stories
- Party with gas, play with fire: the dangerous renaissance of 'whippets' in the music scene
- ‘Everyday discrimination’ linked to increased anxiety and depression across all groups of Americans
- Measles cases in Kansas more than double in one week; Most involve children under 18
- Chronic kidney disease often goes undiagnosed, but early detection can prevent severe outcomes
- Palisades and Eaton firefighters had elevated blood levels of mercury and lead, according to an early study