Longtime Head of 9/11 Health Program Let Go Amid Federal Job Cuts

The longtime leader of a federal health program for 9/11 survivors and first responders has been fired, worrying many advocates and lawmakers.

The program serves more than 100,000 people.

Dr. John Howard, head of the World Trade Center Health Program, lost his job during a wave of government job cuts ordered by U.S. Health and Human ...

23 States Sue Over $12B in Public Health Cuts

A group of 23 states and Washington, D.C., is suing the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) over a sudden cut of $12 billion in public health funding.

The lawsuit says the rollback will disrupt vital services. It was filed Tuesday and asks the court to stop the cuts right away.

Most of the money -- roughly $11.4 billio...

Two Louisiana Infants Die of Whooping Cough Amid Drop in Vaccinations

Health experts are warning that whooping cough, also known as pertussis, is making a dangerous comeback.

Cases are rising across the country, and Louisiana recently reported that two infants have died -- the state’s first deaths from the illness since 2018.

“For infants, it’s really rather terrifying,” Dr. Joh...

How Cory Booker Prepped His Body To Break 25-Hour Senate Speech Record

U.S. Sen. Cory Booker stood on the Senate floor and spoke for 25 hours and 5 minutes this week, breaking the modern record for the longest Senate speech ever.

Senate rules allow a member who is recognized by the presiding officer to speak for as long as they wish, as long as they don't stop or sit down. The 55-year-old New Jersey Democrat ...

Blood Test Can Predict Recovery From Spinal Cord Paralysis

An experimental blood test might be able to help doctors predict whether someone will recover their mobility following a spinal cord injury.

The test looks for fragments of spinal cord DNA floating freely in a person’s blood, researchers recently reported in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

Higher levels of this ...

Unnecessary Imaging Scans Contributing To Climate Change

Thinking of splurging on a whole-body MRI or CT scan, based on the latest health fad?

Just keep in mind that you’ll be contributing to climate change, a new study says.

Unnecessary imaging scans for Medicare recipients alone create up to 129 metric kilotons of carbon dioxide emissions a year – equivalent to powering a tow...

Screen Time Linked To Poor Sleep, Depression Among Teen Girls

THURSDAY, April 3, 2025 -- Can’t get your teenage girl off her smartphone, iPad or laptop?

This could cost her much-needed sleep and increase her risk of depression, a new Swedish study says.

Teenagers who spend more time on screens tend to get worse sleep, both in terms of sleep quality and duration, researchers reported April...

Even Wealthy Americans Die Younger Than Europeans

Death comes for everyone, be they rich or poor.

But no amount of money will help Americans live longer than Europeans, a new study says.

Even the richest Americans face shorter lifespans compared to well-heeled Europeans, according to results published April 2 in the New England Journal of Medicine.

And in some cases, ...

'Weekend Warriors' Reap Similar Health Benefits As Steady Exercisers

Life is busy, and some folks simply don’t have time until the weekend to work out.

Turns out, that’s just fine for their health, a new study suggests.

“Weekend warriors” who cram their week’s exercise into one or two days appear to gain as much benefit as people who are physically active throughout the w...

Stroke Risk From Neck Artery Tears Is Rising Fast

Strokes caused by an artery tear are landing five times as many Americans in the hospital these days, a new study says.

Cervical artery dissection involves a small tear in the inner lining of an artery in the neck that supplies blood to the brain.

Blood can clot at the site of the tear. If the clot breaks loose, it can travel to the ...

Shingles Vaccine Protects Against Dementia

The shingles vaccine can do more than protect seniors from painful, blistering rashes.

It also appears to protect older folks from dementia, researchers say.

Seniors who got the shingles vaccine when it became available in the U.K. were 20% less likely to develop dementia than those who did not take the jab, according to research pub...

FDA Removes Top Expert on Vaping and Tobacco

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) top tobacco regulator, Brian King, has been placed on leave as part of a large wave of cuts across federal health agencies. 

King, who led the FDA's tobacco control efforts, told his staff Tuesday that he was removed with “a heavy heart and profound disappointment.”

More Americans Can't Afford Health Care, Prescriptions

The inability to pay for health care has reached a new high in the United States, a new study says.

More than one-third of Americans — an estimated 91 million people — say they couldn't afford to access quality health care if they needed it today, according to the latest West Health-Gallup Healthcare Affordability Index.

...

Swallowing Disorder Not Widely Known, Understood By Public

Insomnia and vertigo are health conditions so well-known that movies have been named after them.

But only a quarter of Americans know about a condition that occurs even more often than vertigo or insomnia, called dysphagia, a new study says.

Dysphagia is a condition in which people have trouble swallowing, due to nerve, muscle or str...

Drug Overdose Deaths Rising Faster in Black Americans, Study Finds

Black Americans have been dying from drug overdoses (OD) at higher rates than white Americans, a new study says.

Both Black men and women are at greater risk of a fatal OD compared to white people, researchers reported April 1 in JAMA Network Open.

The OD death rate for Black men surpassed the rate for white men in 2016, and...

Eye Exam Can Assess Risk Of Delirium Following Surgery

They say the eyes are the windows to the soul.

The eyes also might help detect seniors at risk for a common syndrome in which they emerge from surgery in a state of delirium, new research suggests.

Seniors who have thicker retinas are about 60% more likely to develop post-surgical delirium, researchers reported April 1 in the journal...

Low 'Bad' Cholesterol Might Protect Against Dementia, Alzheimer's

Lower levels of “bad” LDL cholesterol could mean a lower risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, a new study says.

People with low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels lower than 70 mg/dl had a 26% lower risk of dementia and 28% lower risk of Alzheimer’s, compared to people with LDL levels above 130 mg/dl,...

Experts Concerned as NIH Axes Critical Vaccine Study Funds

Hundreds of U.S. research projects aimed at boosting vaccine confidence have been shut down -- just as preventable diseases like measles and flu are on the rise.

Since Jan. 20, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has canceled more than 1,600 research grants. 

Around 300 of those were for vaccine-related projec...

Brain Implant Lets Woman Talk After 18 Years of Silence Due to Stroke

For nearly two decades, a stroke had left a woman unable to speak -- until now. 

Thanks to a new brain implant, her thoughts are being turned into real-time speech, giving her a voice again for the first time in 18 years.

The device was tested on a 47-year-old woman with quadriplegia who lost her ability to speak after a stroke....

Major Job Cuts at NIOSH Pose Risks to Worker Safety, Critics Warn

A major round of job cuts at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) could weaken efforts to protect American workers, according to federal health officials.

About two-thirds of NIOSH staff -- roughly 875 people -- may lose their jobs as part of a larger restructuring ordered by U.S. Department of Health and Human...