Federal Judge Halts Plan to Defund Planned Parenthood Through Medicaid

Planned Parenthood clinics across the country will continue to receive Medicaid funding, at least for now.

On Monday, a federal judge blocked a new federal rule that could have shut many of them down.

The ruling, issued Monday by U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani in Boston, replaces an earlier, more limited decision. The new order a...

The Gut-Healthy Secret Weapon Hiding in Your Sauerkraut

A small scoop of sauerkraut every day may do more than add crunch to your meal.

It could also protect your gut.

In a new study from the University of California- Davis, researchers found that fermented cabbage, also known as sauerkraut, may help support the gut lining and reduce inflammation in the body.

"A little bit of sauerk...

Words Used During Prenatal Ultrasound Might Affect Parenting Later

An ultrasound is typically a parent-to-be’s first glimpse of their child. 

New research suggests that the words hospital staff use to describe the fetus during an ultrasound can have an impact on later parenting — for good or ill.

For example, if an ultrasound’s poor quality is blamed on an “uncooperative...

Dementia Diagnosis Typically Comes 3.5 Years After Symptoms

It takes an average of three-and-a-half years for typical dementia symptoms to lead to a diagnosis, a new report finds.

Diagnosis often comes even later for early-onset dementias.

Speeding up the process is important, because “timely diagnosis can improve access to treatments and for some people prolong the time living with mil...

Is It Chronic Fatigue? Listen to Your Gut, Research Suggests

Artificial intelligence (AI) may be guiding doctors towards a gut-focused means of accurately diagnosing chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), new research shows.

The illness appears to disrupt relationships between a person’s gut microbiome, immune system and metabolism, explained a team led by Julia Oh. She’s a microbiologist and p...

Most Liver Cancers Are Preventable, Study Says

Liver cancer: In most cases, it doesn’t have to happen, a new global study finds.

Research suggests that 60% of cases of this often deadly disease are preventable by avoiding or treating big risk factors. 

Those risk factors include viral hepatitis infection, alcohol misuse or a dangerous, obesity-linked buildup of fat in ...

Walking for Health? A Faster Pace Boosts Benefits

Want to cut your odds of an early death by almost 20%?  Take just 15 minutes out of your day for a brisk walk, researchers advise.

While it’s known that regular walking is healthy, the new study suggests maintaining a peppy pace is key.

“Individuals should strive to incorporate more intense physical activity into the...

Surrogate Moms More Apt To Suffer Mental Illness

Women who carry a baby for someone else — also known as gestational carriers or “surrogate moms” — may be at higher risk for mental illness during and after the pregnancy, new research shows. 

“Our findings underscore the importance of adequate screening and counseling of potential gestational carriers be...

RFK Jr. May Remove Top Panel on Preventive Services Task Force

U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is considering removing all 16 members of an advisory group that helps decide which preventive services, like cancer screenings and HIV medications, should be fully covered by insurance.

The group, known as the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, is made up of doctors, nurses and public health e...

Boy Dies From Brain-Eating Amoeba After Swimming in S.C. Lake

A 12-year-old South Carolina boy has died after being infected by a rare, brain-eating amoeba found in freshwater, his family’s lawyer said.

Middle school student Jaysen Carr died July 18 after swimming in Lake Murray, a large reservoir near Columbia, S.C., according to a Facebook post from the law office of Tyler D. Bailey.

Do...

Dozens Sick After Eating THC-Tainted Food at Wisconsin Pizzeria

A pizza shop in Wisconsin accidentally served food made with oil containing THC, the main compound in marijuana, sickening dozens of people.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shared a report last week that identified the eatery as Famous Yeti’s Pizza in Stoughton, Wisc.

The mixup happened in October, whe...

Autoantibodies Influence Cancer Response To Immunotherapy, Study Says

Cutting-edge immunotherapy drugs are incredibly effective against some cancers but barely put a dent in others – and researchers might now know why.

Patients’ own autoantibodies – immune proteins traditionally associated with autoimmune diseases like psoriasis and lupus – appear to dramatically influence their indiv...

Green Spaces Promote Better Brain Development Among Children, Study Says

Living near lush green spaces appears to reduce a child’s risk of ADHD and autism, even before they are born, a new study says.

Children had lower odds of developing brain development problems if they lived near green spaces as infants, or if their moms did before or during pregnancy, researchers report in the August issue of the jou...

Personalized Brain Stimulation Improves Walking Among Parkinson's Patients

Parkinson’s disease can dramatically affect a patient’s ability to walk, with “Parkinson’s gait” increasing their fall risk and reducing their ability to get around.

But deep brain stimulation (DBS) custom-tailored to a patient’s brain activity and gait pattern can effectively improve walking ability, a ...

Terminally Ill Nursing Home Patients Face Needless ER Visits, Hospital Stays

Terminally ill nursing home residents are being hounded to their graves with needless trips to the hospital, a new study says.

About 80% of ER visits by terminally ill nursing home residents are potentially avoidable, researchers report in the Journal of the American Medical Directors Association.

Likewise, nearly one-third ...

Doctor's Advice Can Reduce Opioids Taken After Surgery

Some wise counsel in advance can reduce the amount of opioid painkillers a patient takes after orthopedic surgery, new clinic trial results show.

Knee surgery patients were much less likely to take oxycodone if they were counseled to pop the pills as a “last resort” if pain becomes unbearable, researchers report in the Jour...