Plastic Surgeons Urge Waiting Until Age 19 for Gender Surgery

A major group of U.S. plastic surgeons is now urging doctors to delay gender transition surgeries for young patients until they are at least 19 years old.

The American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) announced the change Tuesday. It said there is not enough quality research showing long-term benefits of surgery for teens, and that newer...

New Mexico Baby Dies From Listeria Linked to Raw Milk, Health Officials Warn

New Mexico health officials are urging residents to avoid raw milk after a newborn died from listeria, a dangerous foodborne illness.

The New Mexico Department of Health said officials suspect the infant became infected because the baby’s mother drank unpasteurized milk while pregnant. While they can't confirm the exact source, they ...

Measles Spreads to College Campuses as Cases Rise Across 17 States

Measles is now extending beyond families with young children, with outbreaks reported on college campuses and communities across the country.

At least 12 people have tested positive for measles at Ave Maria University in Florida, near Naples, since Jan. 29, according to local officials. Three people were taken to the hospital.

A stud...

The Reason Why Many Older Americans Skip Seasonal Vaccines

Many middle-aged folks and seniors are shrugging off their annual flu or COVID-19 shot for a very simple reason, a new survey has found.

They just don’t think they need another jab.

About 28% of people older than 50 didn’t get a flu shot for that reason, and 29% didn’t get a COVID vaccination, according to the Unive...

Mediterranean Diet Can Lower Stroke Risk

People who follow a Mediterranean diet might lower their risk of stroke, a new study reports.

Overall, women who stuck most closely to an eating pattern resembling the Mediterranean diet had an 18% lower risk of any sort of stroke, researchers reported Feb. 4 in the journal Neurology Open Access.

They specifically had a 16% ...

Beyond Grip Strength: Study Shows Daily Movement is Key to Living Well With Osteoarthritis

For the millions of people with osteoarthritis, the ability to squeeze a handgrip may be less important to their quality of life than the ability to get out of a chair.

A study, published recently in the European Journal of Applied Physiology, examined data from more than 38,000 people over 50 to determine what physical factors mo...

Family Meals Protect Teens From Drinking, Drug Use

Want to keep your teenager from using drugs or drinking?

Make time to have dinner with them, a new study suggests.

Most teens who have regular dinners with their family are less likely to turn to substance use, researchers reported today in the Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma.

Quality dinner time &ndas...

Researchers Identify Two Emerging Animal Viruses as Potential Global Health Threats

Infectious disease experts are sounding the alarm about two pathogens in animals that have the potential to trigger the next major health crisis.

Researchers warn that influenza D and canine coronavirus are increasingly jumping from animals to humans.

Researchers warn in the January issue of Emerging Infectious Diseases that...

Wildfire Smoke Contributes To Tens Of Thousands Of U.S. Deaths Annually

Tens of thousands of Americans are expected to die each year from exposure to wildfire smoke, a new study projects.

Wildfire smoke could contribute to as many as 24,100 deaths every year, researchers estimate in the journal Science Advances.

“This study shows that long-term exposure to (particle pollution) from wildfir...

Dad’s Early Bond May Affect a Child’s Health Years Later, Study Finds

For decades, researchers mostly blamed moms when children developed long-term mental or physical health problems.

Now, a new study suggests someone else may play a bigger role than once thought: Dad.

By age 7, children whose fathers were less attentive to them at 10 months of age were more likely to have signs of poorer health, inclu...

Two Measles Cases Found at Texas Immigrant Detention Center

Two people held at a large immigrant family detention center in Dilley, Texas, have tested positive for measles, officials said.

The South Texas Family Residential Center, located about 70 miles south of San Antonio, houses roughly 1,100 adults and children. After the cases were confirmed Jan. 31, federal officials said they isolated anyon...

Slashed Foreign Aid May Cost 9.4 Million Lives by 2030, Study Says

Cuts to foreign aid are already shutting down soup kitchens, limiting medicine supplies and reducing food rations in some of the world’s poorest countries. 

Now, new research suggests the damage could get much worse.

A study published Feb. 2 in The Lancet estimates that ongoing cuts in global aid could lead to 9.4...

RFK Jr. Expands Faith-Based Addiction Care as Drug Use and Homelessness Rise

Amid mounting drug use and homelessness in U.S. cities, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said the federal government is overhauling the way it fights addiction.

The strategy announced Monday includes a new focus on faith-based recovery programs and increased access to medication treatment.

Kennedy announced plans to open federa...

Ultra-Processed Foods Might Shorten The Lives Of Cancer Survivors

Beating cancer is no small feat, but a diet loaded with ultra-processed foods might undercut survivors’ future health, a new study says.

Cancer survivors with diets high in ultra-processed foods have a 59% higher rate of death from cancer, researchers reported today in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention<...