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...