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The heart-brain connection
Did you know that having heart disease ups your risk of dementia by 27% and a third of Alzheimer's disease related dementias can be attributed to modifiable coronary risk factors such as high blood pressure? Add to that the fact that the highway from the heart to brain -- called the heart-brain axis -- transports shared metabolic processes (...Read more
Man Considers Hyperbaric Oxygen For Post-Covid Symptoms
DEAR DR. ROACH: My husband is considering a hyperbaric chamber to see if it can possibly help him for possible post-COVID symptoms. He contracted COVID this past July, and his atrial fibrillation also started to act up at this time. He spent a week in the hospital and was so weak that he had to use a wheelchair to get home.
Two days after ...Read more
Youth cannabis use continues to decline after legalization
Fewer young Minnesotans reported using cannabis in the years since the state legalized recreational marijuana for adults 21 or older in 2023, according to data released by the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH).
The 2025 Minnesota Student Survey, which is conducted every three years and most recently released on April 20, found that the ...Read more
Vaccinations urged as dangerous strain of virus emerges
A potentially more dangerous strain of the mpox virus has been confirmed in Northern California, prompting officials to urge vaccinations to residents of the Golden State.
The disease was formerly known as monkeypox, but the World Health Organization phased out that name in 2022 in favor of mpox because of “racist and stigmatizing language”...Read more
'It'll be a while' before doctors can confirm if measles has spread
BALTIMORE — A new case of measles reported in Maryland last week could become an outbreak if gone unnoticed in under-vaccinated, susceptible areas, doctors told The Baltimore Sun. As a highly contagious disease starting with less dramatic symptoms, measles can fly under the radar, complicating efforts to track its spread.
Unlike many airborne...Read more
UCSD marijuana study affirms drug's negative effect on youth
SAN DIEGO — A new UC San Diego study strengthens the growing body of evidence that marijuana use impacts adolescent brain development.
Researchers observed slower gains in cognitive tests that measured memory, focus and thinking speed among middle and high school-age kids who used cannabis when compared to those who abstained.
Scheduled for ...Read more
Intimate partner homicide has clear warning signs – and is often preventable, research shows
Dr. Cerina Wanzer Fairfax was an accomplished dentist and a loving mom to two teenage children. On April 16, 2026, she was killed by her estranged husband, former Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax, who then killed himself, according to news reports. This apparent intimate partner murder-suicide has garnered widespread media attention because ...Read more
Police shootings expose failures in Maryland's mental health crisis response
When 25-year-old Alex LaMorie called Howard County Police for help during a mental health crisis, his family expected officers trained to de-escalate the encounter. Instead, police fatally shot the Columbia man, who had autism.
Advocates say LaMorie’s March 1 death reflects a broader problem across Maryland and nationwide: Police are often ...Read more
How to make a high-deductible health plan work for you
An elementary school teacher chose a low-price health insurance plan but soon realized she wasn’t clear about what it would mean for her family’s finances.
When enhanced federal subsidies expired at the end of 2025, a lot of people buying their own health insurance on the state and federal exchanges saw their expected monthly rates jump. To...Read more
Pennsylvania man finds sleep apnea relief via implantable tech
For years, Nino Orsini Jr. thought his restless nights were normal.
“I would go to bed at a decent hour. I would log six to eight hours of sleep where I was unconscious, but I wasn't getting what is ‘actual’ sleep,” said Orsini, 48, of Seven Fields, Pennsylvania.
Like an estimated 30 million Americans, Orsini was living with ...Read more
Mayo Clinic Minute: Treating severe headaches caused by nerve compression
Some severe headaches aren't migraines. They may be caused by a nerve being pinched. When other treatments don't work, surgery may offer relief. Learn more from Dr. Antonio Forte, a Mayo Clinic microvascular plastic and reconstructive surgeon with deep experience in migraine surgery.
Often called trigger site-induced headaches, pain from ...Read more
Ask the Pediatrician: Walking and biking to school: How to keep kids safe
Many parents wonder when their child is ready to walk or bike to school. Children usually aren't ready to start walking to school without an adult until about fifth grade, or around age 10. Younger children are more impulsive and less cautious around traffic, and they often don't fully understand other potential dangers they could come across.
...Read more
Menopause, hormones and hunger
Women typically gain weight during perimenopause and post menopause. And around 43% of women ages 40 to 59 in this country are obese; millions more are overweight. Theories as to why this happens range from poor nutrition and a sedentary lifestyle even before menopause, to age-related changes in muscle mass and hormone-related emotional upset.
...Read more
What Is The Correct Amount Of Water Humans Should Drink?
DEAR DR. ROACH: Please write about the correct amount of water that people should drink. There's so much misinformation! -- E.N., MD
ANSWER: There is so much misinformation since a simple answer, like "more is always better," is easier than a nuanced answer. It depends on your age, activity level, the temperature and humidity, any medications...Read more
Colorado youth mental health emergencies peak in April, hospital says
DENVER — People treating mental health problems at Children’s Hospital Colorado don’t have to look at the calendar or the weather to know that April has arrived.
Kids and teens who previously felt fine are seeking outpatient help, existing outpatients need more support and the number of young people showing up in mental health crisis is ...Read more
New federal Medicaid rules require one month of work. Some states demand more
Millions of people who apply for Medicaid in the coming years will have to prove they’ve been working, going to school, or volunteering for at least a month before they can gain or retain health insurance through the government program.
But Republican lawmakers in some states think the new rules — part of the GOP’s One Big Beautiful Bill ...Read more
California urges mpox vaccination after more-severe strain detected in San Francisco
California health officials are urging high-risk residents to get vaccinated against mpox after a potentially more-severe strain of the virus was detected for the first time in San Francisco.
The strain in question, known as Clade I, was identified in a San Francisco resident and announced by local health officials this week. The case occurred ...Read more
1,200% jump in kratom-related calls to poison control centers in last decade, analysis shows
Over the last decade, poison control centers around the country have received tens of thousands of calls from consumers of kratom products reporting adverse and life-threatening health effects, with researchers saying reports in 2025 reached a new level.
Last month, researchers analyzed information from the National Poison Data System and found...Read more
Trump says he's going after Medicaid fraud, but is mostly focusing on blue states
The Trump administration is taking aim at what it calls rampant fraud in state Medicaid programs. But by focusing almost exclusively on Democratic-led states, it has handed ammunition to critics who say it mainly wants to embarrass its political enemies, not save taxpayer dollars.
In announcing earlier this month that Vice President JD Vance ...Read more
First-of-its-kind study allows some liver transplant recipients to stop antirejection drugs
PITTSBURGH — As Barbara Bowser was preparing for a liver transplant in 2018, doctors at the University of Pittsburgh asked her if she’d be willing to participate in a study.
She said yes, happy to repay the good fortune of receiving a liver and help science in the process.
“We were just looking at research in the future,” she said. “...Read more
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Popular Stories
- How to make a high-deductible health plan work for you
- Ask the Pediatrician: Walking and biking to school: How to keep kids safe
- Intimate partner homicide has clear warning signs – and is often preventable, research shows
- Mayo Clinic Minute: Treating severe headaches caused by nerve compression
- California urges mpox vaccination after more-severe strain detected in San Francisco






















