Health

Bond girl and “That ’70s Show” star Tanya Roberts died Monday night at age 65 after being hospitalized for a non-COVID-19 related illness, TODAY previously confirmed. On Tuesday, Roberts’ longtime partner, Lance O’Brien, told TODAY that she had been hospitalized for a urinary tract infection that spread to her kidneys ...

For the fourth year in a row the Mediterranean diet ranked first in overall best diets, according to U.S. News & World Report’s annual list. DASH and flexitarian diets tied for second place in overall diets; the former focuses on lowering blood pressure and the latter is a modified vegetarian diet. The experts say such rankings aren’t surprisin...

Winter is here, and the season at hand is one of uncertainty and fear with coronavirus cases spiking nationwide.

Christmas is just a week away. Here’s advice about common scenarios people may be facing now.

The head of the Food and Drug Administration says his agency is moving quickly to authorize a second COVID-19 vaccine

The Trump administration said Wednesday it was cutting $200 million in federal healthcare funding to California because the state requires insurance providers to cover abortions.

Two members of the Sackler family that owns OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma have acknowledged the drug had a role in the opioid epidemic

The stress of the pandemic is a grind. A data analysis from the American Dental Association shows a surge in cases of teeth grinding, clenching and cracking during the COVID-19 crisis. The increases are striking and potentially costly and painful for sufferers.   Data reviewed by the News4 I-Team shows a nearly 55 percent increase in case...

A crush of sign-ups is expected Tuesday on the last day of open enrollment for HealthCare

With Covid-19 linked to heart muscle inflammation known as myocarditis, doctors are concerned about patients returning to physical activity safely. Exercising with myocarditis can lead to irregular heartbeats and sudden cardiac death, a well-documented worry with athletes, NBC News reports. But which people who’ve had Covid-19 are at risk...

COVID-19 vaccines will be shipping in the U.S. after getting emergency authorization, but supplies will be limited for some time

The patients who stream into her clinic in a low-income and predominantly Black section of Chicago’s South Side have been terrified by the coronavirus pandemic, said Dr. Brittani James, stressed out by its harmful effects on the community and frustrated by mixed messages from government officials. But now, just as possible solution to the vir...

The Food and Drug Administration has approved the emergency use authorization for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, setting off what will be the most comprehensive vaccination campaign in U.S. history.

The first coronavirus vaccine to roll out is being made by Pfizer and BioNTech and takes a new approach to protecting you from infection by using what is called messenger RNA or mRNA. Unlike a traditional vaccine, this new one relies on genetic code to stimulate an immune response against COVID-19. Here are the details.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar revealed several health issues in a powerful new essay where the NBA legend is speaking up how Black people are treated differently in the health care system.

The parents of a Maine teenager say “COVID-19 isolation” led to their son’s recent suicide. Spencer Smith, 16, of Brunswick, died by suicide on Friday, according to NBC affiliate News Center Maine. Smith’s parents said he left a note saying he felt “locked in the house” and was growing apart from his friends. &#8...

The coronavirus pandemic has restricted cross-border travel. People looking for cheaper prescription drugs are still making the trip south. It’s all because of high drug prices in the United States.

U.S. health regulators posted a positive review of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine as they near a decision on whether to allow use of the shot

Doctors are concerned about a potential long-term impact of distance learning in children – damaged eyesight due to hours of screen time.

How could scientists race out COVID-19 vaccines so fast without cutting corners

A study released Monday by investigators from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center shows the potential of transforming a commonly used chemotherapy drug into one that kills cancer cells by activating immune cells when it is paired with anti-inflammatory medication.

Scientist Melissa Miller never knows what to expect at her lab from week to week. Since last spring, there’s been a constant shortage of testing supplies. Sometimes it’s the reagents needed to run tests, and other times it’s as simple as the plastic tips used on the pipettes, NBC News reports. “The shortages still exist,” said Miller, director of.....

The pandemic has led to rising emergency room visits and long waits for U.S. children and teens facing mental health crises

Scientists are seeing promising early results from the first studies testing gene editing for painful, inherited blood disorders that plague millions worldwide, especially Black people.

It seems logical then that once a woman wants to get pregnant, it should happen easily — but, unfortunately, that isn’t always the case.

A company has started selling the first blood test to help diagnose Alzheimer’s disease

A little more than 10 years after the law known as Obamacare was passed, the landmark health care legislation has survived numerous attacks under the Trump administration and appears to be deeply embedded in the nation’s health care system. The effect it has had during this difficult year — whether in politics, policy or at the kitchen table — is&#...

Testing for COVID-19 has come a long way since the start of the pandemic. Soon, a device developed by a North Texas company could change the way we test altogether. NBC 5’s Meredith Yeomans takes a closer look at a breathalyzer that can detect COVID-19 almost instantly.

The news of several potential coronavirus vaccines offers hope for the end of the pandemic, but experts caution that we may still be wearing masks and employing other guidelines, like social distancing, for at least another year.

Purdue Pharma says its guilty plea over its role in the opioid crisis is “an essential step to preserve billions of dollars” for the settlement it is pursuing in bankruptcy court

The pandemic has forced people to spend more time with themselves than ever

The switch to remote learning in rural New Mexico has left some students profoundly isolated — cut off from others and the grid by sheer distance

The first treatment has been approved for a rare disease that causes rapid aging in children

The late television host Alex Trebek posthumously paid tribute to World Pancreatic Cancer Day at the beginning of Thursday’s episode of “Jeopardy!”

As more than 90,000 of America’s long-term care residents have died in the coronavirus pandemic, advocates for the elderly say a tandem wave of death separate from the virus has quietly claimed tens of thousands more, often because overburdened workers haven’t been able to give them the care they need

Al Roker has received some great news a week after he underwent prostate cancer surgery. The pathology report issued on Monday found that there is no evidence of cancer beyond the prostate, which Al had removed during the procedure.

Public health programs have seen a surge in enrollment as the coronavirus has swept through the U.S., killing more than 247,000 people

A study by Oxford University researchers on how playing video games affects mental health used data from video game makers, marking what the authors say is the first such collaboration between academics and the game industry

Seemingly contradictory findings show why more research into the effects of cannabis on the heart and the rest of the body is needed.

Researchers say a cheap, daily pill combining four cholesterol and blood pressure medicines taken with low-dose aspirin can cut the risk of heart attacks, strokes and heart-related deaths by nearly one third.

At 36, Danielle Ripley-Burgess has already survived colon cancer twice. She was first diagnosed at 17 and then again at 25. A member of the SurvivorNet patient community, a resource for people with cancer, the Kansas City, Missouri, mom shared her story with TODAY and urged others to speak up about their symptoms. I had a cancer...

When the Supreme Court weighs the fate of “Obamacare,” arguments will revolve around arcane points of law like severability — whether the justices can surgically snip out part of the law and leave the rest

U.S. health officials have allowed emergency use of the first antibody drug to help the immune system fight COVID-19.

When the Supreme Court weighs the fate of “Obamacare” on Tuesday, arguments will revolve around arcane points of law like severability — whether the justices can surgically snip out part of the law and leave the rest

The death of “Jeopardy!” host Alex Trebek on Sunday was yet another high-profile reminder this year of the grim prognosis that comes with pancreatic cancer. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died from complications of the same disease in September. Rep. John Lewis died in July, just months after he learn...

Al Roker announced on TODAY that he has been diagnosed with prostate cancer and will be undergoing surgery to have his prostate removed.

Government health advisers have sharply criticized an experimental Alzheimer’s drug

Patients soon will have free, electronic access to the notes their doctors write about them under a new federal requirement for transparency

Coronavirus antibodies may provide protection against reinfections even if they wane over time, according to experts, who say people shouldn’t be alarmed by recent studies that had seemingly contradictory results, NBC News reports. Antibodies and other immune responses have been a major focus of coronavirus research because there are important impl...

Starting Sunday, millions of Americans who have lost health insurance in an economy shaken by the coronavirus can sign up for taxpayer-subsidized coverage

Here are eight ways to cope with seasonal affective disorder and the pandemic as we “fall back” into standard time

Poland is a largely conservative country compared to most of Europe, a place where churches fill up on Sundays and where Roman Catholicism and national identity are deeply interwoven

The analysis, which drew from hundreds of coronavirus cases in dozens of countries, found that some patients had symptoms for months after diagnosis.

The Trump administration is trying to pull back the veil on health care costs to encourage competition, finalizing a requirement for insurers to tell consumers up front the actual prices for common tests and procedures

Federal health officials are issuing insurance coverage rules designed to deliver on the promise that every American will have access to free COVID-19 vaccines when they are approved.

The American Academy of Pediatrics says pregnant women with opioid addiction should have access to medication in new guidelines released Monday aimed at improving care for women and newborns affected by drug use

We asked doctors and epidemiologists: How are you making the most of Halloween this year while maintaining masks and social distancing?

Walmart is suing the U.S. government in a pre-emptive strike in the battle over its responsibility in the opioid abuse crisis

A group of scientific advisers say they’re concerned that the U.S. government’s plans to expedite COVID-19 vaccines could damage public confidence in the shots

U.S. health officials Wednesday redefined what counts as close contact with someone with COVID-19 to include briefer but repeated encounters.

The coronavirus outbreak and the Trump administration’s response to the pandemic have been a dominating theme in this year’s presidential race

Whoever ends up in the White House in 2021 will need to address the looming insolvency for the trust fund that supports Medicare Part A, experts say.

More than 10,000 of the new hires will be full-time and part-time pharmacy technicians who can help dispense medications and administer COVID-19 tests.

Most activities — including standing in line — can be done safely with the right precautions.

A large study led by the World Health Organization suggests that the antiviral drug remdesivir did not help hospitalized COVID-19 patients

Doctors are warning that a rare but serious condition previously only reported among children diagnosed with COVID-19 is now appearing in some adults with the disease, NBC News reports.

The Trump White House has installed two political operatives at the nation’s top public health agency to try to control the information it releases about the coronavirus pandemic as the administration seeks to paint a positive outlook, sometimes at odds with the scientific evidence.

President Donald Trump’s plan to mail millions of seniors a $200 prescription savings card has hit legal and budget roadblocks, making it unlikely the government can carry it out before Election Day

A growing body of evidence suggests that blood type may play a role in the risk of becoming infected with the coronavirus or developing life-threatening complications from the illness. Two studies on the topic were published Wednesday in the journal Blood Advances, a publication of the American Society of Hematology. One of the studies suggests tha...

A California woman volunteering for Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine trial said she wasn’t afraid to offer herself up as a test subject, and never had second thoughts even after the side effects kicked in. Debbie Honeycutt, 69, said she started feeling mild, flu-like symptoms after her second dose of the vaccine. The Scripps Ranch resident got her ...

Parents of young children may breathe a little easier and be more comfortable dropping their kids off at child care centers, after a new report found there was “no heightened risk” of the coronavirus spread at the facilities.

U.S. regulators have approved the first drug for treating Ebola.

A 25-year-old man in the U.S. state of Nevada has contracted the coronavirus on two separate occasions, a study in the Lancet Infectious Diseases journal showed, with the patient becoming seriously ill following the second infection.

The virus responsible for Covid-19 can survive for up to 28 days on surfaces such as glass, steel, vinyl, paper and polymer banknotes, Australian researchers said on Monday, reinforcing the importance of effective cleaning and handwashing to curb the spread of the disease.

Carbonated water seemed to be particularly affected.

The United States reported 57,420 new cases of the coronavirus on Friday, the highest daily totals since mid-August, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. New cases are rising in 33 states across the South, East and Midwest. Cases continue to surge in the nation’s Great Plains region, with Montana, North Dakota, Sou...

The Supreme Court on Thursday said it would for now continue to allow women to obtain an abortion pill by mail during the COVID-19 pandemic. The action came over the dissent of two conservative justices who would have immediately granted a Trump administration request to reinstate the requirement that women must visit a hospital, clinic or medical ...

Doctors and nurses treating those sick and dying from the coronavirus say the politics of the crisis are complicating treatment efforts.

For the third time in less than a month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has altered its guidance on how COVID-19 spreads, NBC News reports. The agency said Monday that airborne transmission is possible, but that it’s not the most common way the virus travels from person to person — a position that was published and then remove...

Americans Harvey J. Alter and Charles M. Rice, and British-born scientist Michael Houghton were awarded the Nobel Prize for Medicine or Physiology on Monday for the discovery of the hepatitis C virus, a major source of liver disease that affects millions worldwide.

The White House is facing questions about the consistency and credibility of the information it is providing about President Donald Trump’s health following his hospitalization for coronavirus

The experimental antibody drug given to President Donald Trump has been called one of the most promising approaches to preventing serious illness from a COVID-19 infection

President Donald Trump has several strikes against him that could put him at greater risk of becoming seriously ill from the coronavirus. Trump disclosed late Thursday that he has the virus. His doctor said that the president and first lady Melania Trump, who also tested positive, were well and recovering at the White House. A White House official ...

While the symptoms were uncomfortable, and at times intense, they often went away after a day, sometimes less, some participants said.

The Irish Supreme Court ruled that all varieties of Subway’s sub rolls (yes, even the whole-grain) cannot be considered bread because they are too sugary.

Enormous drug company profits are the primary driver of soaring prescription drug prices in America, according to a damning investigation that Democrats on the House Oversight Committee began releasing Wednesday. The first two reports in the investigation focus on Celgene and Bristol Myers Squibb’s Revlimid cancer treatment, which saw its pri...

About 2.5 million more working-age Americans were uninsured last year, even before the coronavirus pandemic struck

Carbon monoxide, a colorless and odorless gas, can be deadly if inhaled.

Humans love to shame or blame others during a public health crisis

Tiny particles that people expel when they sneeze, cough or talk are getting a close look for their ability to spread the new coronavirus

Colleges across the country are struggling to salvage the fall semester as campus coronavirus cases skyrocket and tensions with local health leaders flare

Federal officials are warning of salmonella cases in at least 10 states linked to dried mushrooms from a Southern California company

Texas officials have lifted a warning for all but one Houston-area community to stop using tap water because it might be tainted with a deadly brain-eating microbe.