CNN – Health

By Jacqueline Howard, CNN (CNN) — The US Food and Drug Administration has approved a blood test to be used for colorectal cancer screening among average-risk adults 45 and older. The maker of the test, Palo Alto, California-based biotechnology company Guardant Health, announced Monday that this is the first blood test to be approved by

By Maya Davis, CNN (CNN) — California’s wildfires have been increasing in size and frequency, producing vast amounts of smoke that contribute to what state boards call a “growing public health problem.” New research links the long-term exposure of this wildfire smoke to brain health, suggesting that it greatly increases risk of dementia compared with other sources

By Kristen Rogers, CNN (CNN) — As if people with anxiety don’t have enough to worry about, a new study is adding to that list  — suggesting the disorder may nearly triple the risk of developing dementia years later. The research, to the authors’ knowledge, is the first to look into the association between different severities

By Andrea Kane, CNN (CNN) — Can money buy happiness? It’s an age-old question with which many — including philosophers, economists and psychologists — have wrestled. Even rappers have gotten in on the act. “Mo Money Mo Problems,” a 1997 song by the Notorious B.I.G., contains the chorus “It’s like the more money we come across/

By Sandee LaMotte, CNN (CNN) — A combined blood test for cognitive decline has a 90% accuracy rate in determining whether memory loss is due to Alzheimer’s disease, a new study found. In comparison, neurologists and other memory specialists correctly diagnosed Alzheimer’s in 73% of their cases. Primary care doctors had even less success, with

By Maya Davis, CNN (CNN) — Just outside the perimeter of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Village was a special room, the only space near the village where athletes with young children were directed to care for their babies. The room had a few chairs and offshoots for breastfeeding mothers, according to Greg Polychronidis and Katerina

By Brenda Goodman, CNN (CNN) — Brittany Yeager was leading a troop of girls at Girl Scout camp in Idaho last summer when a mosquito bite upended her life. Once a runner, hiker and math wiz, Yeager, 30, now takes 23 pills a day to manage symptoms that include paralysis, pain, seizures, muscle spasms, depression

By Katia Hetter, CNN (CNN) — I’m riding a recumbent bicycle while wearing my smartwatch, hoping that tracking my fitness and health metrics will inspire me to exercise more. The smartwatch is no longer just for texting, music and the time (how old school) but instead has become an integral part of some people’s health

By Madeline Holcombe, CNN (CNN) — Becky Hayden and her husband, Seth, have spent 21 years of marriage being fully active members of their community in California. The Haydens have run a local scholarship program, they have kept a closetful of prom dresses to loan out to students in need, they are mentors in their

By Brenda Goodman, CNN (CNN) — More Americans own guns for personal protection than ever before, a new survey shows. Gun sales surged during the Covid-19 pandemic, as did gun-related deaths. In 2021, 48,830 people died from gun-related injuries in the US, the highest number on record. Roughly 7.5 million American adults became new gun owners during

By Taylor Nicioli, CNN (CNN) — When she leaves Barbie Land for the real world, Barbie must keep up with her regular health maintenance, which includes seeing her gynecologist. A new study published Thursday in the journal JAMA Network Open has found that the ending in the 2023 blockbuster film “Barbie” had an influence on online search interest

By Madeline Holcombe, CNN (CNN) — Many people will watch this year’s Olympics from the comfort of their couches — and some may think, “Why don’t I look like that?” or “Am I so much worse because I’m not that athletic?” People are prone to comparing themselves with others, said Jennifer Rollin, founder of The

By Deidre McPhillips, CNN (CNN) — The infant mortality rate in the United States rose in 2022, the first jump in 20 years, according to data released Thursday by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than 20,500 babies died in 2022 before the age of 1, final records show. Overall, there were

By Jacqueline Howard, CNN (CNN) — After a handful of Australian water polo players tested positive for Covid-19 this week, questions have emerged around how the spread of the disease will be mitigated at the Summer Olympic Games in Paris. Five players on Australia’s women’s water polo team have tested positive for Covid-19 as of

By Jacqueline Howard, CNN (CNN) — Two shots a year of a drug currently used to treat HIV infections were dramatically effective at preventing infections in a study among young women and adolescent girls in Africa. The twice-yearly injection of the drug lenacapavir can provide total protection against HIV infections, demonstrating 100% efficacy in Phase 3 trial data released

By Deidre McPhillips, CNN (CNN) — There is a “critical shortage” of certain vials used to collect samples for blood cultures, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned health care providers on Tuesday. These tests help diagnose bloodstream infections and related conditions such as sepsis and endocarditis. Identifying the type of bacteria or

By Kristen Rogers, CNN (CNN) — You may have seen people jumping into frigid seas or stylish ice baths, claiming these dunks are good for heart health, muscle recovery, stress and more. This practice is known as cold water immersion, a type of cryotherapy or cold therapy — which can be applied for medical or

By Sandee LaMotte, CNN (CNN) — Called “forever chemicals” because of how long they remain in the human body and environment, perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, are a growing health concern. Present in the blood of an estimated 98% of Americans, the hormone-disrupting chemicals are so worrisome that in July 2022 the National Academies

By Kristen Rogers, CNN (CNN) — How often you poop may influence more than whether you’re uncomfortably bloated. The frequency may also affect your gut microbiome and risk of chronic disease, a new study has found. Gut bacteria that digest fiber, for example, seemed to thrive in participants who pooped once or twice a day,