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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Spring’s warmer weather lures people outdoors – and into possible contact with ticks that spread Lyme disease.

Already, the 2026 tick season is booming. On April 23, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned that emergency room visits due to tick bites are at their highest level since 2017. That may portend an ...Read more

The U.S. Supreme Court has cleared the way for a chain of crisis pregnancy centers based in New Jersey to challenge a subpoena from New Jersey’s attorney general.

First Choice Women’s Resource Centers operates at several locations throughout New Jersey. There are more than 2,500 of these Christian-led nonprofits in the United ...Read more

Nearly four years after doctors declared Marielle Santos McLeod free of colon cancer, she has yet to feel liberated from the burden of medical expenses.

McLeod, who lives near Charleston, South Carolina, is still paying off chemotherapy bills that followed her 2017 diagnosis. She also now faces an onslaught of out-of-pocket costs for follow-up ...Read more

The social media ad for a 2-ounce tonic called "Feel Free" caught Melanie Clark's attention because it promised she could eliminate drinking from her life while still feeling a buzz.

"It was just advertised as a healthy, natural botanical drink," Clark said of the advertisement, which featured a guy paddleboarding down a stream.

It spoke to ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA -- University of Pennsylvania researchers are developing a blood test to better predict the risk of kidney disease in Black Americans, a group that is disproportionately affected in part due to genetics.

Their test was able to predict kidney outcomes with more than 80% accuracy among Black individuals at increased genetic risk of ...Read more