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Language service cutbacks raise fear of medical errors, misdiagnoses, deaths
SAN FRANCISCO — Health nonprofits and medical interpreters warn that federal cuts have eliminated dozens of positions in California for community workers who help non-English speakers sign up for insurance coverage and navigate the health care system.
At the same time, people with limited English proficiency have scaled back their requests ...Read more
Minnesota was among the first to launch Youth Mental Health Corps, but DOGE cuts could put it in jeopardy
Sometimes it’s their home life. Other times it’s friendships, dating or rumors circling at Murray Middle School.
Whatever the subject, Anjali Hay listens to the St. Paul students’ concerns, points them to others when she can’t meet a need and keeps on them about schoolwork.
“They feel they can come to me as a trusted adult,” the 20...Read more
Silence on E. coli outbreak highlights how the administration changes undermine food safety
Colton George felt sick. The 9-year-old Indiana boy told his parents his stomach hurt. He kept running to the bathroom and felt too ill to finish a basketball game.
Days later, he lay in a hospital bed, fighting for his life. He had eaten tainted salad, according to a lawsuit against the lettuce grower filed by his parents on April 17 in ...Read more
Glaucoma-related vision loss is often preventable, but many can't afford treatment
COLUMBIA, S.C. — It’s as if she’s squinting through a smoke-filled room. But it’s Charisse Brown’s eye condition, glaucoma, that diminishes her vision.
Brown, 38, has worked all her adult life, with a personal policy of keeping two jobs at once. But when she started losing sight in her left eye last year, she was forced to quit her ...Read more
US just radically changed its COVID vaccine recommendations: How will it affect you?
As promised, federal health officials have dropped longstanding recommendations that healthy children and healthy pregnant women should get the COVID-19 vaccines.
"The COVID-19 vaccine schedule is very clear. The vaccine is not recommended for pregnant women. The vaccine is not recommended for healthy children," the U.S. Department of Health ...Read more
Moderna wins narrower US approval for new COVID vaccine
Moderna Inc. gained U.S. approval for a new COVID vaccine for a narrower group of people, in the latest sign that regulators are restricting access to immunizations under the leadership of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
The company’s second-generation vaccine is cleared for all adults over 65 and anyone over 12 who ...Read more
On Nutrition: The power of food on mood
We were driving through a small (as in 158 people) town in the far northwestern corner of Colorado when I saw something that made me smile. Several yards from a small farmhouse, a white wooden container was perched on a stand about as high as a mailbox. It had three sides and was open in the front. Out of the elements and neatly placed inside ...Read more
Amitriptyline Should Be Avoided By Older People
DEAR DR. ROACH: I have been taking 25 mg of amitriptyline for sleep for several years; I am 79 and have noticed occasional difficulty remembering some facts. I read that this drug can affect cognition. I don't believe that amitriptyline is really effective in helping me sleep, so I have discontinued its use, believing that the risk outweighs ...Read more
Walk this way -- or that way
I'm a great fan of walking 10,000 steps a day -- or the equivalent. But what exactly is equivalent? And how does that get figured out?
Well, the conversion of steps into other activities is based on the estimated effort, called a Metabolic Equivalent for Task or MET, that it takes for each activity. And while it's been determined based on solid...Read more
Farxiga Reduces Man's A1C Level Enough To Avoid Diabetes
DEAR DR. ROACH: My question is: What is the difference between prediabetes and diabetes, and which do I have? I am male, 85 years old, 170 pounds, and 6 feet and 1 inch tall. I was treated for heart disease with Coreg, Crestor, isosorbide, lisinopril and amlodipine.
About one year ago, the cardiologist added 5 mg of Farxiga for its heart and ...Read more
Screening for dry eye
In the blink of an eye, relentless screen use causes dry eye. And these days, around half of 18- to 25-year-olds suffer from the condition and 90% have at least one symptom. Those symptoms include gritty or burning eyes, blurred vision, sensitivity to light, redness, stringy mucus, itching, pain, or discomfort wearing contacts. In addition, ...Read more
Partner Is Shy To Bring Up Spouse's Erectile Dysfunction Issues
DEAR DR. ROACH: How do I approach a problem my husband has without embarrassing him? I'm not sure why lately, but during sex, he just goes soft. I'm not sure if it's me who he's not attracted to anymore or what's going on. We have been married for over 20 years. He is 39 and in good health otherwise. I don't want to make a big deal of this, ...Read more
It's never too soon to protect yourself from dementia
You may think of Alzheimer's and dementia as something that suddenly appears when you're in your 70s or 80s. Well, think again (while you still can). A study from The Lancet Regional Health-Americas reveals that important risk factors like cardiovascular issues and blood biomarkers (tau protein and amyloid tangles) can start showing up in your ...Read more
On Nutrition: Sugar from zero to 50
I just survived a grueling 24 hours existing on nothing but clear liquids — tea, broth, jello, apple juice and the like. It didn’t kill me but let’s just say the nourishment in these foods didn’t last long. My suffering body was thankful, however, for the small amount of energy derived from the little bit of sugar in some of these foods....Read more
American Health -- The Short of It
New findings published in the New England Journal of Medicine report that Americans live shorter lives than Europeans, regardless of their wealth.
To be sure, people with more wealth tend to live longer than those with less wealth, especially in the U.S., but when comparing all demographics, the wealthiest Americans have shorter lifespans on ...Read more
On Nutrition: The science of salt
I have a weird habit of checking out food labels; it goes with the job. This one really grabbed my attention. It was on an electrolyte beverage and stated its case for the 1,000 milligrams of sodium in each 16-ounce can.
“Welcome to the Salty Rebellion,” the label reads. “The latest science reveals we’ve misunderstood salt. Electrolytes...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
On Nutrition: More on oxalates
A recent column on oxalates — natural components in plant foods that, when consumed in excess, can interfere with calcium absorption and contribute to kidney stones — brought these questions from readers:
“Thanks for your recent article on oxalates and calcium. I have osteoporosis and I'm trying to get enough calcium, magnesium and ...Read more
The Air Up There
Airplane air quality is generally regarded as good, comparable to or better than other indoor environments thanks to high air exchange rates and the use of high-efficiency particulate air filters. But any air traveler will tell you that flying seems to provoke a particular kind of air turbulence. Namely, increased flatulence.
It's a matter of...Read more
On Nutrition: What is the Mediterranean diet, really?
My husband and I traveled to Italy in 2019. Everything was wonderful, even the “house” wine in restaurants. We were surprised, however, that much of food we were served did not exactly match what we expected in this Mediterranean country.
In particular was the abundance of meat products, especially cold cuts, in the meals provided by our ...Read more
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