Doctors Warn Pregnant Patients to Avoid Cannabis, New Guidance Says

Pregnant people should stay away from cannabis, and doctors should ask all patients about its use before, during and after pregnancy, according to new guidance from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG).

The recommendations come as cannabis use during pregnancy has climbed in the U.S., following wider legalization ...

Rare Flesh-Eating Bacteria Claims Fifth Life in Louisiana

Louisiana health officials have confirmed a fifth death this year linked to Vibrio vulnificus, a rare and dangerous flesh-eating bacteria found in warm coastal waters.

The bacteria is most common between May and October, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It can lead to severe illness, includin...

Lyme Disease: What To Know About Symptoms, Treatment & Prevention

Lyme disease is the most common vector-borne illness in the United States, a potentially disabling infection caused by bacteria transmitted through the bite of an infected tick to people and pets.

Another possible route of transmission, which is less well known and understudied, is from an infected pregnant mother to her unborn baby.

Tattoos Might Protect Against Melanoma -- And The More, The Better

Getting that tattooed arm sleeve or back design of your dreams might protect you against deadly skin cancer, a new study says.

People who’ve had two or more sessions under the tattoo needle show a lower risk of melanoma, according to a recent study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

Further, the...

Childhood Blood Cancers Linked To Radiation From Medical Imaging Scans

Children might be at greater risk from blood cancers due to radiation exposure from medical imaging, a new study says.

About 1 in every 10 cases of pediatric blood cancer may be due to radiation from imaging scans, researchers reported Sept. 17 in the New England Journal of Medicine.

“While medical imaging can be lifes...

Heading A Soccer Ball Linked To Poorer Brain Health

“Heading” the ball might affect amateur soccer players’ brain health, a new study says.

Players who used their heads to pass or deflect a soccer ball were more likely to develop changes within the folds of their brains, researchers reported Sept. 17 in the journal Neurology. These folds are in the wrinkly outer ...

Mediterranean Diet Might Protect Dental Health

The Mediterranean diet might help you at the dentist, a new study says.

People who follow a Mediterranean diet appear more likely to have better gum health, researchers reported Sept. 15 in the Journal of Periodontology.

On the other hand, folks who chowed down on red meat and sugary treats tended to have more severe gum dis...

Helping Your Child with Constipation: A Pediatrician's Advice

When a child struggles with constipation, it can be a source of frustration and discomfort for the whole family. But a leading pediatric expert offers a clear guide to understanding and treating this common issue.

According to Dr. Jaya Punati, a neurogastroenterologist and co-director of the Colorectal and Pelvic Anomalies Program at Child...

Why Mosquitos Might Be Attracted To You

Researchers in the Netherlands turned a major music festival into an unexpected laboratory to investigate a question that has long puzzled scientists and bug-bitten individuals alike: What makes some people more irresistible to mosquitoes than others?

For three consecutive days at the Lowlands festival in Biddinghuizen, Netherlands, scient...

Wildfire Smoke Now Kills 41,000 Americans a Year, Study Finds

Every summer, hazy skies and the smell of burning wood remind Americans that wildfires affect far more than just the communities where they ignite.

Their smoke drifts for hundreds, even thousands of miles, darkening the air in cities across the nation. But the health impact goes far beyond watery eyes and coughs.

A new study shows wi...

Organ Donation Agency Could Be First Ever Shut Down by U.S. Government

Federal health officials have moved to close down a Miami-based organ donation agency, citing unsafe practices, missed donations and critical paperwork errors.

The Life Alliance Organ Recovery Agency, part of the University of Miami Health System, is one of 55 nonprofit organ procurement organizations (OPOs) in the United States.

Th...

CDC Advisers Limit MMRV Combo Vaccine, Delay Hepatitis B Vote

Top vaccine advisers hand-selected by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. voted Thursday to limit the use of a combination shot that protects against measles, mumps, rubella and chickenpox.

By an 8 to 3 vote, with one person abstaining, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommended that the combined MMRV vaccine no...

West Coast States Issue Their Own COVID, Flu, RSV Vaccine Rules

Four Western states are taking a different approach from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on vaccines for COVID-19, flu and RSV.

California, Hawaii, Oregon and Washington — now working together as the West Coast Health Alliance — issued joint guidance Wednesday encouraging broader vaccine use than what&...

Mouth Microbes Might Contribute To Pancreatic Cancer

A person’s risk of pancreatic cancer might be tied to the microbes living in their mouths, a new study says.

People have a more than tripled risk of pancreatic cancer if their mouths contain 27 types of bacteria and fungi, including some directly linked to gum disease, researchers reported Sept. 18 in JAMA Oncology.

&l...

Sepsis Risk Doubled With Type 2 Diabetes

Type 2 diabetes appears to double a person’s risk for life-threatening sepsis, a new study says.

Men and people under 60 with diabetes are particularly at risk for sepsis, a condition in which the immune system overreacts to infection, researchers reported this week at the annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of D...

Weight-Loss Surgery Outperforms GLP-1 Drugs, Study Argues

Cutting-edge drugs like Ozempic and Zepbound are all the rage for dropping excess pounds, but weight-loss surgery might have a better impact on people’s health, a new study says.

People who had weight-loss surgery lost more weight, lived longer and faced fewer serious health problems compared to those prescribed GLP-1 drugs, research...

GLP-1 Pill Effective For Weight Loss, Clinical Trials Show

An effective weight-loss pill to rival injectable drugs like Ozempic and Zepbound might be on the horizon, clinical trial results show.

An experimental GLP-1 pill called orforglipron promoted substantial weight loss without the need for weekly injections, according to final clinical trial results published Sept. 16 in The New England J...