'The Pitt' Informs, Educates Viewers, Study Says

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• January 9, 2026
• Full Page

Gritty medical drama "The Pitt" has made a big difference in the way patients and families understand dicey issues like organ donation or end-of-life decision making, a new report says.

"The Pitt" — which returned to HBO Max for its second season Thursday — i...

Your Teen Sleeping In During The Weekend? It Could Protect Them From Depression, Experts Say

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• January 9, 2026
• Full Page

Experts agree that keeping a regular sleep schedule is important for everyone, even night-owl teenagers and young adults.

But catching a few extra Z’s over the weekend might be good for young folks’ mental health, a new study says.

Young people who slee...

Babies' Brain Development Lags In Cash-Crunched Families, Study Shows

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• January 9, 2026
• Full Page

A family’s financial difficulties might shape how an infant’s brain develops, potentially altering the course of their life, a new study says.

Babies tend to have signs of delayed brain development if their caregivers are struggling to make ends meet, researc...

Gifted Dogs Can Learn Words By Eavesdropping On Family Conversations, Experiments Show

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• January 9, 2026
• Full Page

A basic part of dog training is teaching your pooch to recognize and respond to certain words like "sit,” “down” or “stay.”

But some particularly clever canines can develop an even more extensive vocabulary in the same way toddlers do: By ea...

Nestlé Recalls Baby Formula Over Toxin Risk

• I. Edwards HealthDay Reporter
• January 8, 2026
• Full Page

Nestlé has announced a global recall of some baby formula products, saying they may contain a toxin that can cause food poisoning in infants.

The recall affects specific batches of SMA infant formula and follow-on formula, the company said.

Nestlé str...

Study Finds Rise in Chagas-Carrying Bugs Near U.S.-Mexico Border

• I. Edwards HealthDay Reporter
• January 8, 2026
• Full Page

Researchers in the Southwest are raising new concerns about Chagas disease after finding some very high infection rates in the insects that spread it.

Scientists from University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) collected kissing bugs near homes and outdoor spaces along the U.S...

FDA Misses Deadline to Ban Formaldehyde in Hair Straighteners

• I. Edwards HealthDay Reporter
• January 8, 2026
• Full Page

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has again missed a deadline to propose a ban on chemicals in hair-straightening products that may pose a serious cancer risk.

Its target date for the proposed rule on formaldehyde was Dec. 31. No action has yet been taken.

New U.S. Diet Guidelines Push Whole Foods, Meat and Dairy

• I. Edwards HealthDay Reporter
• January 8, 2026
• Full Page

The federal government has released new dietary guidelines that shift how Americans are urged to eat.

The new focus? Whole foods, protein and healthy fats.

At a news conference Wednesday, U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. introduced a new food pyramid.

Laughing, Crying Are Normal But Rare Responses To Orgasm, Women's Study Reveals

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• January 8, 2026
• Full Page

Ladies, do you laugh or cry uncontrollably following an orgasm?

How about experiencing headaches, tingling, foot pain, nosebleeds or hallucinations?

These responses to orgasm are a rare — but normal — phenomenon among women, a new study says.

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Walking Eases Fatigue Among Colon Cancer Patients

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• January 8, 2026
• Full Page

Regular physical activity — especially walking — can significantly reduce fatigue among people with colon cancer, a new study says.

Fatigue scores improved significantly within a couple of years if colon cancer patients adopted an exercise regimen, according ...

World’s First Minimally Invasive Heart Bypass Could Make Open-Heart Surgery a Thing of the Past

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• January 8, 2026
• Full Page

Open-heart surgery might soon become a thing of the past for people suffering from heart disease caused by clogged arteries.

The world’s first minimally invasive heart bypass procedure — done without cutting open the chest wall — has been performed in a...

Back Pain Might Predict Future Sleep Problems Among Men

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• January 8, 2026
• Full Page

Back pain appears to predict sleep problems years before they occur among senior men, a new study says.

Older guys suffering from back pain had poorer sleep six years later, researchers recently reported in the journal Innovation and Aging.

Men with back p...

'Forever Chemicals' Might Triple Teens' Risk Of Fatty Liver Disease

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• January 8, 2026
• Full Page

PFAS “forever chemicals” might nearly triple a young person’s risk of developing fatty liver disease, a new study says.

Each doubling in blood levels of the PFAS chemical perfluorooctanoic acid is linked to 2.7 times the odds of fatty liver disease amo...

Depressed? Exercise Works As Well As Talk Therapy, Antidepressants, Evidence Suggests

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• January 8, 2026
• Full Page

Depressed folks might benefit as much from working out as they would from resting on a therapist’s couch, a new evidence review says.

Exercise appears to relieve symptoms of depression to an extent similar to psychological therapy, researchers reported Jan. 7 in th...

Poll Shows Most Americans Want to Slim Down

• Deanna Neff HealthDay Reporter
• January 7, 2026
• Full Page

As the New Year’s resolutions take center stage, a new nationwide poll shows that while a majority of American adults want to be thinner, only a fraction are doing anything about it.

In all, 52% of Americans want to lose weight but just 26% are making a serious eff...

The Gender-Stress Gap: Women Benefit Most from a Daily Workout

• Deanna Neff HealthDay Reporter
• January 7, 2026
• Full Page

If you are looking to lower your stress levels this year, hitting the gym — or going for a brisk walk — might be your best strategy, especially if you are a woman. 

A new report from the Gallup National Health and Well-Being Index reveals that women expe...

Wyoming Supreme Court Keeps Abortion Legal in the State

• I. Edwards HealthDay Reporter
• January 7, 2026
• Full Page

Abortion will stay legal in Wyoming after the state Supreme Court ruled that a pair of abortion bans passed by lawmakers violate the state constitution.

Tuesday’s ruling blocks a nearly complete abortion ban as well as a separate law that would have made Wyoming th...

Study Finds ADHD Drugs May Work Differently Than Scientists Once Thought

• I. Edwards HealthDay Reporter
• January 7, 2026
• Full Page

For decades, doctors assumed ADHD medications like Ritalin and Adderall work by fixing problems in the brain’s attention system.

A new study suggests that assumption may be wrong.

Instead of acting on attention centers, these stimulant drugs appear to target ...

Walking, Household Chores Can Be Lifesaving Therapy For People With Metabolic Syndrome

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• January 7, 2026
• Full Page

Walking or doing a few household chores may be lifesaving for people with metabolic syndrome, a new study says.

Just a one-hour daily increase in such light physical activity was associated with a 14% to 20% lower risk of death over 14 years among people with cardiovascu...

Ozempic, Wegovy Might Lower Colon Cancer Risk

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• January 7, 2026
• Full Page

Ozempic and Wegovy might help people avoid colon cancer as well as promote weight loss or control diabetes, a new study says.

People who took a GLP-1 drug were 36% less likely to get colon cancer than people who took aspirin, according to findings scheduled for presentat...