Dietary supplement makers push the FDA to allow peptides and other new ingredients
WASHINGTON — Makers of dietary supplements are pushing the Food and Drug Administration to expand the types of ingredients they can put in their products, a change that could open the door to more marketing of peptides, probiotics and other trendy wellness offerings. The FDA was holding a public meeting...
The AI doctor is in: Survey suggests nearly one-third of Americans rely on chatbots for medical advice
An estimated one-third of U.S. adults are asking artificial intelligence to play doctor, according to a survey released Wednesday by KFF. The health policy nonprofit recently collected answers from more than 1,300 Americans as part of wider poll on how people sought medical information over the past year. The results...
Tango therapy: How the dance of passion is helping Parkinson’s patients
Tango is the national dance of Argentina, known for its passion, precision and heart. At a hospital in Buenos Aires, it has another purpose: as a therapy for patients with Parkinson’s disease. Once a week, about a dozen patients come to Ramos Mejía Hospital to dance — a session that...
Trump to delay nominating new CDC director
The White House plans to delay naming a candidate to head the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an agency that has been roiled by a string of high-level departures and has had three different leaders since President Donald Trump returned to the White House, according to people familiar with...
Means’ surgeon general nomination is stalled as senators question her experience and vaccine stance
NEW YORK — Wellness influencer Dr. Casey Means’ nomination to be U.S. surgeon general is stalled a month after senators of both major political parties grilled her on vaccines and other health topics during a tense confirmation hearing, deepening doubts about her ability to secure the votes she needs for...
World Food Prize goes to food safety scientist for preventing millions of cases of foodborne illness
DES MOINES, Iowa — A scientist who pioneered the modern food processing safety standards used around the world was awarded this year’s World Food Prize, the organization announced Wednesday, crediting his work for averting millions of cases of foodborne illness and reducing food waste. Huub Lelieveld of the Netherlands earned...
Highmark lost $175M in 2025, battered by high insurance claims
Highmark took a $175 million net loss last year as rising health insurance usage battered the Pittsburgh-based company. Financial results released Tuesday also showed a $674 million operating loss for Highmark, even as revenue rose year-over-year to $32 billion from $29 billion. Highmark Health Plans, the organization’s insurance division, was...
Abortion pills are gaining ground as a method for ending pregnancies, and opponents are responding
As states that already ban abortion look to further restrict access this year, much of the focus is on pills sent by out-of-state providers. A survey released Tuesday helps explain the emphasis. It suggests that more women in states with bans obtained abortions last year using the pills prescribed via...
As demand for GLP-1 pills and shots surges, healthy habits are still key
Whether they’re using weekly shots or daily pills, more Americans than ever are turning to anti-obesity drugs to lose weight and boost health. About 1 in 8 U.S. adults say they are taking a GLP-1 drug, according to a recent survey by the health research group KFF. Just since January,...
Welcome to allergy season. Here’s how to protect yourself
ATLANTA — Allergy season can be miserable for tens of millions of Americans when trees, grass, and other pollens cause runny noses, itchy eyes, coughing and sneezing. Where you live, what you’re allergic to and your lifestyle can make a big difference when it comes to the severity of your...
Combating youth suicide tilts increasingly toward early intervention
A suicidal child or teenager may never talk of taking their life. Parents, peers and teachers might not even know they’re living with mental illness. Despite younger generations showing greater openness to discussing mental health struggles, fears of punishment or social exclusion remain, experts say. Even at medical appointments, minors...
Concussion effects on women highlighted at symposium in Pittsburgh
While the medical field has made strides in recognizing sex-specific norms and risk factors in concussion recovery, it still falls short in tailoring treatment for high-risk women, according to Alicia Trbovich, a neuropsychologist with the UPMC Sports Medicine Concussion Program. At the Chuck Noll Foundation for Brain Injury Research symposium...
Nearly 90,000 bottles of children’s liquid pain medication recalled
WASHINGTON — Nearly 90,000 bottles of a children’s pain reliever have been recalled due to reports of black specs and other contaminants, according to federal regulators. The Food and Drug Administration posted an online notice about the recall of Taro Pharmaceuticals’ Children’s Ibuprofen Oral Suspension. The company’s website states that...
Judge rules U.S. government overreached with transgender health care declaration
PORTLAND, Ore. — A federal judge said the government overreached by issuing a declaration that called treatments like puberty blockers, hormone therapy and surgeries unsafe and ineffective for young people experiencing gender dysphoria, according to a ruling Thursday in Oregon. Judge Mustafa Kasubhai ruled that Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy...
RFK Jr. makes food sound like a miracle drug. Researchers say he often overstates the science
In the Trump administration’s campaign to promote healthy eating, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has not stopped at his slogan urging people to “eat real food” to prevent disease. In recent speeches and podcast appearances, the nation’s health secretary also has claimed that diet can “cure” schizophrenia and diabetes and allow...
Ozempic is about to go generic for billions of people
The blockbuster weight loss drug sold as Ozempic and Wegovy will soon go generic in countries that are home to 40% of the world’s population, significantly lowering the price of a costly medicine that had been largely unaffordable to nearly all but the wealthiest people. On Saturday, Novo Nordisk, the...
March Madness vasectomy surge turns Western Pa. into SnipsburghVideo
It’s been almost 20 years since a marketing master stroke by the Oregon Urology Institute established March Madness as one of the most popular times to book a vasectomy. The pitch went something like this: For men looking to park themselves on the couch during the tournament’s jam-packed early rounds,...
Can the keto diet really improve mental health?
Maya Schumer, 32, a neuroscientist in Belmont, Massachusetts, was living with bipolar disorder for more than a decade. She had tried nearly every treatment — therapy, antipsychotics, mood stabilizers, anticonvulsants — to help control her symptoms. But her panic attacks, mania, depression and brain fog still lingered. By 2024, she...
Can you prevent or reverse gray hair?Video
For something universal, graying remains oddly mysterious. Each strand of hair starts out nearly translucent, and its color is determined by melanin, essentially pigment dust. If it’s packed densely, you get dark hair. Leave only a few black and brown specks, and it appears blond. Over time, the pigment-producing cells...
Costco adds fertility treatments to its discount services
Costco, the membership warehouse club known for selling bulk items at discount, is now offering lower prices for fertility treatments. Costco members will be able to save up to 80% on certain fertility medications like Follistim through the big-box store’s pharmacy programs, People reported. Some medications can cost thousands of...
Pittsburgh faces longer allergy seasons, study findsVideo
Allergy season in Pittsburgh kicks off in spring, but symptoms like sneezing, itchy eyes and congestion are starting sooner and lingering longer, a study shows, as warmer temperatures extend the pollen season. Climate Central, a nonprofit organization that researches climate science, released a study that showed Pittsburgh’s freeze-free season, which...
Judge blocks U.S. government from slimming down vaccine recommendations
A federal judge on Monday temporarily blocked federal health officials from cutting the number of vaccines recommended for every child, and said U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. likely violated federal procedures in revamping a key vaccine advisory committee. The decision halted an order by Kennedy — announced in...
UPMC warns embattled data exchange Health Gorilla may have improperly pulled patient records
UPMC says its medical records may have been improperly accessed by Health Gorilla, a patient data gatekeeper accused in federal court of mismanaging sensitive information. Health Gorilla requested data “under the pretext of providing treatment to shared UPMC patients and claimed it had permission to do so,” according to a...
In a tense meeting, Dr. Oz pressed medical societies on trans care for teens
Over the winter, Dr. Mehmet Oz, the head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, summoned the leaders of the country’s major medical societies to his office for what he called a “grand rounds” — a hospital term for a meeting where doctors discuss complex cases. The topic was...
Stair climbers love their exercise, even when security guards act like they’re up to something
NEW YORK — Tom McGee began climbing stairs for exercise 20 years ago as part of an effort to stay off cigarettes. It hasn’t always been easy: His climbs in hotel stairwells sometimes draw the attention of security guards. “I’ve gotten kicked out of about every hotel in the city,”...
