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Dolly Parton says her immune and digestive systems 'got all out of whack,' creating health concerns

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

LOS ANGELES — Dolly Parton has been receiving treatment for unspecified health issues concerning her immune and digestive systems, she announced Monday, saying at the same time that her postponed Las Vegas residency has been canceled.

The legendary singer and beloved pop culture icon spoke candidly about her health in an Instagram video ...Read more

Epigenetic aging clocks are best used to study populations, not individual people.
              Jakub Zerdzicki/iStock via Getty Images

Biological age tests reveal what slows or hastens aging – but they’re useful only for researchers, not consumers

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Imagine receiving a test result that tells you your body is biologically five years older than your chronological age. You exercise regularly, get good sleep, eat healthy meals and have a happy personal life. What have you been doing wrong? Can this test be trusted?

Dozens of companies are marketing products that promise to reveal a ...Read more

Helmets are essential gear when skateboarding. Daniel Milchev/The Image Bank via Getty Images

Why do you have to wear a helmet when you’re skateboarding?

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to CuriousKidsUS@theconversation.com.

Why do you have to wear a helmet when you’re skateboarding? – Artie, age 13, Queens, New York

Back when I was 13, I was an avid skateboarder – the kickflip was my go-to...Read more

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New data show Illinois childhood vaccination rates remain high, despite national controversy

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

CHICAGO — Illinois parents are continuing to get their kids vaccinated at high rates despite ongoing controversy nationally about vaccines, according to data released by the state health department Monday.

More than 95% of children statewide had received 10 school-required vaccines as of October, including those against chickenpox, whooping ...Read more

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A 'barbaric' problem in American hospitals is only getting bigger

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

In the last months, weeks, and days of his life, “I will not go to the emergency room” became my husband’s mantra. Andrej had esophageal cancer that had spread throughout his body (but not to his ever-willful brain), and, having trained as a doctor, I had jury-rigged a hospital at home, aided by specialists who got me pills to boost blood ...Read more

Warangkana Charuyodhin/Dreamstime/TNS

Ask the Pediatrician: Understanding growth charts and percentiles

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

When you go to the pediatrician for a well-child check, you'll always review your baby's or child's growth together. One of the most important parts of a well-child checkup is the review of a child's growth. Growth can be a reflection of a child's overall health and nutrition. It can also help identify underlying medical conditions. So, it's ...Read more

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Medigap premiums leap, and consumers have few alternatives

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

After decades of selling insurance, Illinois-based broker John Jaggi had never seen anything like it.

More than 80 of his customers who were enrolled in the same Medicare supplemental plan from the insurer Chubb got hit last August with a 45% increase.

“In my 49 years of doing biz as a broker, I’ve never seen a premium increase be ...Read more

Are your food choices increasing your stress level?

Did you wake up this morning with tight shoulders and a grumpy outlook? Welcome to the world of chronic stress and inflammation.

If that's you, chances are you're cranking out too much of the stress hormone cortisol and opening yourself up to the wide range of health problems that it causes. They range from disruption in the metabolism of carbs...Read more

How To Help A Person Who's Experienced A Tonic-Clonic Seizure

Health Advice / Keith Roach /

DEAR DR. ROACH: My husband suffered a grand mal seizure about six months ago. He was in the hospital for seven days. When he came out of the seizure, he was very combative and experienced memory loss. He still deals with short-term memory loss, and his neurologist says that it could take a year for him to get back to normal. My question is: Is...Read more

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Why stomach pain, 'scromiting,' and compulsive hot showering are sending cannabis users to the ER

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

PHILADELPHIA — The morning after Christmas, 37-year-old Taylor Armendariz awoke in her South Jersey apartment with stomach pain and nausea like nothing she had ever experienced.

A self-described “avid” cannabis user, she had smoked before her holiday meal of beef Wellington, mashed potatoes, and ice cream-topped apple pie. “In the ...Read more

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Maryland shopping center exposed to measles last week, officials say

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

BALTIMORE — Shoppers and employees at a Hyattsville shopping center were potentially exposed to measles on April 24, health officials say, when a Washington resident confirmed to have measles visited.

In addition to several locations in the nation’s capital, including parts of Dulles International Airport and several buses, the measles ...Read more

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Study reveals potential link between 'forever chemicals' and childhood leukemia

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Prenatal exposure to PFAS, or “forever chemicals,” is linked to acute lymphoblastic leukemia, the most common childhood cancer, in a new study led by the University of California, Irvine.

“Forever chemicals” is a catch-all term for a group of about 14,000 man-made compounds linked to cancers and fertility issues, so named because they ...Read more

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Three new measles cases reported in South Florida; state still ranks fourth in US

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Three additional measles cases were reported in South Florida in April as the state, for two consecutive months, ranks fourth in the U.S. for the highest number of cases this year.

As of April 25, the latest data available, there have been a total of 149 measles cases in the state since Jan. 1, Florida Department of ...Read more

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On Nutrition: Safe catches

Health Advice / Nutrition /

A recent column on best seafood choices brought this question from a reader in Brazoria County, Texas:

“Canned tuna in olive oil is what I typically eat for my weekly fish intake. I typically drain most of the olive oil unless it is going into a salad. I could easily eat at least three or four cans of tuna per week, but would love your ...Read more

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Mayo Clinic Q&A: What does a VO2 max have to do with overall fitness?

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I like to challenge myself physically, whether it's working out, cycling or cross-country skiing. I've heard about VO2 max testing. What could I gain from it?

ANSWER: A VO2 max test measures the amount of oxygen you breathe in and use at peak levels of exercise intensity, and it assesses how well your heart, lungs and muscles ...Read more

Carline Jean/South Florida Sun Sentinel/TNS

'I intend to stay on it forever.' Along with rapid weight loss, patients see other benefits and risks of GLP-1 drugs

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Two years ago, Jennifer Kirtley looked down at the scale and saw 328 pounds. Today, she’s looking in the mirror at a size 6.

After a transformative 180-pound weight loss from weekly Wegovy shots, Kirtley says she is happy with her overall weight and health.

“My blood pressure is down. My A1C is down. I have no ...Read more

Understand Why Treatments For Some Cancers Haven't Advanced

Health Advice / Keith Roach /

DEAR DR ROACH: We're all amazed at the substantial advances in treating cancer in recent years. But are there certain cancers that science and medicine haven't had much success with? -- A.M.H.

ANSWER: I'm afraid so. Many cancers remain difficult or almost impossible to cure, due to a combination of factors. One is that certain cancers usually...Read more

Reduce your risk for 8 major diseases in minute

The intensity of your daily activities and exercise routines, even in short bursts like climbing stairs or pedaling a stationary cycle at 90-100 rpms for a minute, has a huge impact on your protection from eight life-altering conditions: major cardiovascular disease, irregular heartbeat, Type 2 diabetes, dementia, immune-mediated inflammatory ...Read more

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Novo obesity shot Wegovy helped alcoholics drink less in study

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Novo Nordisk A/S’s obesity shot Wegovy helped people with alcoholism reduce their drinking, in the first controlled study of patients who sought help with their addiction.

Volunteers on Wegovy reported drinking heavily for five days in a 30-day period after six months of treatment, 12 fewer days than before they started. The improvement ...Read more

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Ving Rhames released from hospital after collapsing in a Los Angeles restaurant

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

LOS ANGELES — "Mission: Impossible" star Ving Rhames is reportedly recovering after a health scare at a local restaurant.

Rhames, who has portrayed computer hacker Luther Stickell in all eight "Mission: Impossible" films, collapsed at his table while eating at a restaurant with his family on Wednesday, according to TMZ. The Los Angeles Fire ...Read more