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Strike back against your surprise stroke risk
Every year, approximately 120,000 Americans under age 50 suffer a stroke -- often with no obvious risk factors, until now. A study published in the journal Stroke looked at 1,000 people ages 18 to 49 -- about half had suffered an ischemic (clot-caused) stroke that seemed to come out of the blue, the others were healthy. It found that having one ...Read more

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signs laws ordering universal health care study, emergency abortion protections
DENVER — Gov. Jared Polis on Wednesday signed a pair of health care bills that will enshrine federal protections for emergency care in state law and potentially start Colorado down the path of universal health care.
The emergency protections law will give Coloradans confidence that they’ll receive emergency care, no matter what’s ...Read more

Gov. Gavin Newsom calls for walking back free health care for eligible undocumented immigrants
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Gov. Gavin Newsom's 2025-26 revised budget proposal reneges on his signature policy to provide free health care coverage to all low-income undocumented immigrants as costs exceed expectations and the state anticipates challenging economic times ahead.
Newsom's office said the governor's spending plan, which will be ...Read more

RFK Jr. admits 'mistake' in slashing 9/11 health program
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. admitted making a “mistake” in slashing the health program that serves Sept. 11 first responders, but dodged questions about whether he would return it to full staffing.
RFK Jr. told Sen. Andy Kim, D-NJ, that firing many staffers at the World Trade Center Health Program was an error ...Read more

California Gov. Gavin Newsom calls for walking back free healthcare for eligible undocumented immigrants
LOS ANGELES — Gov. Gavin Newsom's 2025-26 revised budget proposal reneges on his signature policy to provide free healthcare coverage to all low-income undocumented immigrants as costs exceed expectations and the state anticipates challenging economic times ahead.
Newsom's office said the governor's spending plan, which will be released late ...Read more

Alcohol and your health: Risks, benefits, and controversies
Drinking to one’s health is a common tradition. But it may also be self-defeating: the alcohol that’s part of many toasts can actually harm your health.
Of course, alcohol consumption extends well past toasts. For millions of people, it’s a regular part of the dining experience, social and sports events, celebrations, and milestones. ...Read more

The 6 best convenience foods for better blood sugar
Most of us live such fast-paced lifestyles that prepackaged foods are not just convenient, they are a necessity. Although these foods have gotten a bad rap, they can be super helpful for getting your nutrition needs met without spending hours in the kitchen.
If you’re one of the almost 15% of U.S. adults with diabetes, you’ll be relieved to...Read more

Environmental Nutrition: Debunking dietary deceptions: Do carbs actually make you fat?
There are a lot of claims about why we should avoid carbohydrates, including the claim that carbs make us “fat.” But is that actually true? A closer look at nutrition suggests that the devil is in the details.
Added sugars, high-fructose corn syrup, and white flour are processed forms of carbohydrates. Carbohydrate-rich foods also include ...Read more

Mayo Clinic Q&A: What’s going on with my kneecap?
DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I was playing a pickup game of football with my kids, took a tumble, and my kneecap made a popping sound. It really hurt, then seemed to get better, but something's not right. Any idea what might be going on?
ANSWER: If your kneecap pops or slides to the outside of your knee, you’ll definitely know that something’s going ...Read more
This Is Your Brain in High School
Numerous studies have shown that education offers protective effects against late-life cognitive impairment. College-educated people are at lower risk.
But the quality of one's high school experience seems to play a role too.
"When we talk about education, the quality of your high school experience, not just whether you received a diploma or...Read more

Mayo Clinic Minute: Preventing stroke
May is National Stroke Awareness Month, and as part of everyday awareness, Mayo Clinic health care professionals suggest reducing stroke risk and knowing the signs. A stroke happens every 40 seconds in the U.S., and the likelihood of stroke increases with age, according to the National Institutes of Health.
Preventing a stroke is a crucial ...Read more

Meet the Florida group chipping away at public benefits one state at a time
PHOENIX — As an Arizona bill to block people from using government aid to buy soda headed to the governor’s desk in April, the nation’s top health official joined Arizona lawmakers in the state Capitol to celebrate its passage.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said to applause that the legislation was just the ...Read more

Wyandotte County, Kansas, offering low-cost measles vaccines to prevent potential outbreak
WYANDOTTE COUNTY, Kan. — Although Wyandotte County has yet to see a reported measles outbreak, public health officials are readying public guidance and offering vaccine services as the disease inches north from southwest Kansas.
As of May 7, Kansas’s 48 reported measles cases remained among eight counties in the state’s southwest corner, ...Read more
Patient With Scoliosis Is Advised To Get 10-Hour Back Surgery
DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a 72-year-old woman, and I have developed painful burning and tingling in my feet over the past several months, to the point that I cannot sleep many nights. Unfortunately, I cannot tolerate gabapentin on an ongoing basis, and topical anesthetic creams only help a little.
I do not have diabetes, but I do have significant ...Read more
A bone to pick about guys and osteoporosis
Hardly anyone realizes that around 2 million men in the U.S. have osteoporosis and another 16 million are at an increased risk for "brittle bone" disease because of low bone mass. The risk factors that men have include low testosterone levels, alcohol misuse, taking steroids (either for medical reasons or off the books) and/or smoking. And guys ...Read more

GOP House bill lays groundwork for thousands of Georgians to lose insurance
ATLANTA — Congressional Republicans’ proposed cuts to health care, unveiled this week, lay the groundwork for thousands of Georgians on subsidized private insurance plans under the Affordable Care Act to lose their coverage and go uninsured.
Some of the cuts are made directly in the bill, such as revoking ACA insurance from about 21,000 ...Read more

Children's health services could see trims even under scaled-back Medicaid cuts
Even as Republicans in Congress walk back their most aggressive proposal to slash federal Medicaid spending, they are weighing other options that could force states to cut services for children and other vulnerable populations.
U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters last week that his caucus won’t reduce the 90% federal funding match ...Read more

A California lawmaker leans into her medical training in fight for health safety net
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — State Sen. Akilah Weber Pierson anticipates that California’s sprawling Medicaid program, known as Medi-Cal, may need to be dialed back after Gov. Gavin Newsom releases his latest budget, which could reflect a multibillion-dollar deficit.
Even so, the physician-turned-lawmaker, who was elected to the state Senate in ...Read more

In the Deep South, health care fights echo civil rights battles
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Tara Campbell unlocked the front door of the Bricklayers Hall, a no-frills brick building on South Union Street in downtown Montgomery, half a mile from the white-domed Alabama Capitol.
She was dressed in leggings, a T-shirt and bright blue running shoes. It was 8 a.m. on a Saturday, and she exuded the bouncy enthusiasm of ...Read more

Medical students change lives -- and get crucial experience -- in tattoo removal program
SAN DIEGO -- Since she was a child, Maya Shetty knew she was going to be a doctor.
She wanted to follow in the footsteps of her parents, who are both primary care physicians in West Virginia. And she wanted to use her future career to help underserved populations that oftentimes fall through the medical system’s cracks.
So, as a first-year ...Read more
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