Almost 40% of Americans Live With Dirty Air: Report

Nearly 40% of Americans live where the air is polluted enough to harm them, a new report warns.

In the American Lung Association's “State of the Air” report, released Wednesday, the number of people living with levels of air pollution that could jeopardize their health climbed from about 119 million in 2023 to 131 million now.

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Fragments of Bird Flu Virus Found in U.S. Milk Supply

Bits of inactive bird flu virus have been discovered in samples of pasteurized milk from across the United States, health officials said Tuesday, although they stressed the viral fragments don't threaten humans.

However, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration did note that testing suggests that bird flu has likely infected far more dairy co...

There's an 'Epidemic' of Loneliness Among U.S. Parents, Poll Finds

Anne Helms is one busy mom, constantly juggling the demands of working from home with parenting two young children.

Despite that whirl of activity, Helms says she often feels isolated and lonely.

“I work from home full time and I actually have a job where I’m on camera a lot and I’m Zoom calling people very often,” Helms, who...

Infertility Is Rising Among Young Married Women

The percentage of married American women under the age of 50 who are infertile rose between 2011 and 2019, new government statistics show.

Data from the National Survey of Family Growth show that "the percentage of married women ages 15-49 who were infertile rose from 2011-2015 (6.7%) to 2015-2019 (8.7%)," according to researchers.

T...

New Rules Mean 3.6 Million Americans Could Get Wegovy Via Medicare, Costing Billions

A budget-busting 3.6 million Medicare recipients could now be eligible for coverage of the weight-loss drug Wegovy, a new KFF analysis says.

That’s because the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the use of Wegovy (semaglutide) to reduce the risk of heart attacks and stroke in certain patients, the study says.

The FDA’...

'Dream It, Be It?' Study Finds Teens Who Focus on Life Goals Often Succeed

“Dream it, be it” might sound like a cliche, but a new study says there’s something to the notion.

Teenagers who set ambitious goals for themselves tend to be more successful as young adults, researchers reported recently in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.

Teens who set higher educational and career g...

Cancer Takes Tough Toll on Family Finances

About six out of 10 working-age adults hit with a cancer diagnosis say it put real pressure on their financial survival, a new report finds.

“Today’s findings reiterate the critical role access to affordable, quality care and paid family medical leave plays in reducing the financial toll of cancer on those diagnosed -- particularly whi...

You Might Fare Better If Your Doctor Is Female, Study Finds

The gender of your doctor may play a part in your prognosis: New research shows that hospitalized patients are less likely to die if they’re treated by a female physician.

About 10.15% of men and 8.2% of women died while under the care of a female doctor, versus 10.23% and 8.4% when treated by a male doctor, according to results publishe...

CDC Launches Online 'Heat Forecaster' Tool as Another Summer Looms

Last summer was a record-breaker for heat emergencies, so the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Monday launched a new online heat forecaster to help folks better prepare as summer nears.

The HeatRisk Forecast Tool is a joint effort between the CDC and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Weather S...

Biden Administration Sets Nursing Home Staffing Minimums

The first-ever minimum staffing rule has been set for nursing homes, the Biden administration announced Monday.

Central to the final rule, first proposed in September, is a requirement that a registered nurse be in every skilled nursing facility 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

It also mandates that there be enough staff to provi...

Neosporin Ointment in the Nose Might Be Potent Antibiotic

Want to prevent a respiratory infection?

A fingerful of Neosporin antibiotic swabbed inside your nose might help you fight off a range of invading respiratory viruses, a new study claims.

Lab animals whose noses were treated using neomycin -- the main ingredient in over-the-counter Neosporin ointment -- mounted a robust immune defens...

Physical Ills Often Plague People With Schizophrenia, Bipolar

Severe mental illness can contribute to a decline in a person’s physical health, with many chronic conditions slowly eroding their wellness, a new review finds.

People with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder are more than twice as likely to have multiple chronic health problems such as heart disease or diabetes, researchers reported recen...

Taking Psilocybin for Depression? Relationship With Therapist Is Key

Many people dogged by depression are turning to the psilocybin found in "magic mushrooms" to ease the condition, and often reporting success.

Now, new research suggests much of the credit for that success lies in the relationship between the patient and his or her therapist.

It's the magic of what researchers at Ohio State University...

Stick to Heimlich Maneuver Not 'Anti-Choking' Devices, FDA Says

People should rely on the well-established Heimlich maneuver to save a choking victim, rather than newfangled “anti-choking” devices, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration says.

“The safety and effectiveness of over-the-counter anti-choking devices have not been established; they are not FDA approved or cleared,” the agency said in...

Women in the Military at Risk for Low-Weight Babies

Active military service appears to increase a woman’s risk of having a low birthweight baby, a new review finds.

Nearly two-thirds of studies (63%) conclude that women on active service could be at higher risk of having a baby with low birth weight, researchers reported April 22 in the journal BMJ Military Health.

However,...

Repeat Blasts Can Damage Soldiers' Brains, Study Confirms

Soldiers can suffer brain injury if they are repeatedly exposed to explosive blasts, a new study shows.

Further, the more frequently a soldier is exposed to explosions, the greater their risk for brain injury, researchers reported April 22 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Based on this, researchers int...

Few Young Adults Could Administer Naloxone to Reverse Fentanyl Overdose

Even though fentanyl-linked fatal overdoses are soaring among young adults, a new survey of American college students found that just 1 in 7 knew how to administer the overdose antidote drug naloxone.

Many who took the survey "reported high willingness to intervene during an overdose, yet only a small proportion knew how to administer nalo...

Pandemic Had Only Minor Effect on Young Kids' Development

The pandemic caused only “modest” delays in developmental milestones for infants and toddlers, a new study has found.

Previous research has reported that pandemic-related lockdowns disrupted the lives of many people, including families with young children.

Day-to-day life was upended as schools and child care centers closed, many...

What Folks Consider 'Old Age' Is Getting Older

People’s idea of “old age” is aging itself, with middle-aged folks and seniors believing that old age starts later in life than did peers from decades ago, a new study finds.

The study revolves around the question “At what age would you describe someone as old?”

Decades ago, folks born in 1911 set the beginning of old age a...

A-Fib More Common in Middle-Aged Folk Than Thought

The dangerous heart rhythm disorder called atrial fibrillation is becoming more common in middle-aged people, a new study warns.

More than a quarter of patients at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) seeking care for A-Fib during the last decade were younger than 65, researchers found.

That’s much higher than the 2% ...