The “choking game” has potentially deadly consequences, as players are challenged to temporarily strangle themselves by restricting oxygen to the brain. It sounds terrifying, but rough estimates suggest that about 10% of U.S. teenagers may have played this type of game at least once.

There’s more, unfortunately: The Skullbreaker...Read more

A recent study that recommended toxic chemicals in black plastic products be immediately thrown away included a math error that significantly overstated the risks of contamination, but its authors are standing by their conclusions and warn against using such products.

Published in the peer-reviewed journal Chemosphere, experts from the ...Read more

In most parts of the U.S., fall marks the start of cold and flu season. This means kids will face higher risks of getting sick. Respiratory viruses are usually the culprit and the symptoms they cause can make your child feel miserable.

What can you do to ease aches, sniffles and fever so your child can get better? Here's a closer look at the ...Read more

Packed holiday schedules, no school, disrupted bedtime routines — a parent’s worst nightmare. And if you are one of the many turning to melatonin to help their little ones get to sleep, you may want to think again. New research suggests this increasingly popular solution deserves a closer look.

Nearly 1 in 5 school-age children now ...Read more

In an effort to improve American diets, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday released a new definition of what it means for a food to qualify as "healthy."

Products like fruit-flavored yogurt, fortified white bread and sweetened energy bars will no longer be allowed to label themselves as healthy if they exceed certain limits on ...Read more

New enrollments under the Affordable Care Act are on pace to trail last year’s record numbers by as many as a million as the outgoing Biden administration confronts upheavals in the program.

Donald Trump’s election to a second term has cast uncertainty around the future of the health law. In addition, the Biden administration implemented ...Read more

Three Democratic senators asked the country’s top nonpartisan government watchdog on Tuesday to investigate the costs of a Georgia program that requires some people to work to receive Medicaid coverage.

The program, called “Georgia Pathways to Coverage,” is the nation’s only active Medicaid work requirement.

Pathways has cost tens of ...Read more

The holiday season can be a particularly busy time for families, with everything from mall photos with Santa to class Christmas parties to Elf on the Shelf demanding attention and care. All of that constant fun often leaves out parents, with the season sometimes being more stressful than the rest of the year.

However, the holidays should be ...Read more

We sing about how Christmas brings “tidings of comfort and joy,” but the holiday also brings something not so “merry and bright.”

In fact, heart attacks and strokes surge during the last two weeks of December, according to the American Heart Association, with Dec. 25 being the day of the year with the highest number of cardiac events.

...Read more

Holidays are often depicted as picture-perfect moments: families blissfully united around a table filled with seasonal food favorites against an immaculate backdrop. For many parents, attempting to meet such unrealistic expectations can undermine their self-worth – and their sanity.

In the real world, parents are juggling more ...Read more

Among the biggest-grossing films in America in February 2002 were a war drama about American troops in Somalia (“Black Hawk Down”), an Arnold Schwarzenegger action movie (“Collateral Damage”), and a future Oscar winner about a brilliant mathematician struggling with schizophrenia (“A Beautiful Mind”).

But none of these films topped ...Read more

California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency Wednesday as the H5N1 bird flu virus moved from the Central Valley to Southern California dairy herds, while federal officials confirmed the first U.S. case of severe illness in a hospitalized Louisiana patient — a concerning development as the virus continues to spread throughout the ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency as the H5N1 bird flu virus moves from the Central valley to Southern California herds and federal officials confirmed flu in a Louisiana patient hospitalized with severe illness. This is the first case of severe illness caused by bird flu in the U.S., and is considered a concerning ...Read more

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency Wednesday in response to rising cases of bird flu, the same day the U.S. Centers for Disease Control confirmed a person in Louisiana had been hospitalized with a ‘‘severe’’ case of the disease.

“This proclamation is a targeted action to ensure government agencies ...Read more

The pivotal World Trade Center Health Program that covers medical expenses for those suffering from 9/11-related illnesses will be fully funded for the next 15 years, thanks to a bipartisan agreement hammered out in Washington, D.C., officials said Wednesday.

A federal budget bill coming up for a vote next week will include permanent funding ...Read more

BBarely a month after gaining access to Affordable Care Act coverage for the first time, millions of Dreamers across 19 states were barred from getting health insurance.

A North Dakota federal judge’s ruling prevents Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) immigrants in Kansas, along with 18 other states including Florida, from ...Read more

The holidays are the season for gathering, giving, sharing meals, and, yes, shopping. Lots of shopping to make it all happen. This year, as you plan menus, decorations, and gifts, consider shopping locally and supporting local farmers and artisans.

There’s a cache of unexpected treasures in the offerings to be discovered in your community. ...Read more

The new year is a great time for a health reset. But when we set the bar too high, we inevitably blow it, blame ourselves, and go back to the status quo," says nutrition therapist Dana Sturtevant, RD, a co-owner of Be Nourished in Portland, Oregon.

Take fad diets like juice cleanses: We’re drawn to them because they promise big results and ...Read more

It’s undeniable: modern medicine offers ever-expanding ways to heal and prevent disease. But it’s also true that health care can cause harm. One analysis found that about 6% of health care encounters caused preventable harm, leading to thousands of deaths each year. And it’s not just errors that cause trouble. Highly skilled health care ...Read more