Health

By Sandee LaMotte, CNN (CNN) — When it comes to measuring weight, BMI is the acronym everyone loves to hate. Health professionals have long used body mass index as a quick screening tool to fast-track certain patients into a “code red” management plan — people whose weight puts them in danger of future health problems.

By Sarah Owermohle, Meg Tirrell, CNN (CNN) — Ahead of the first meeting of newly appointed vaccine advisers to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, lawmakers are sharing fresh concerns about the panel’s membership and last-minute actions that could see Covid-19 and influenza vaccines thrown into question. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat,

By Lisa Drayer, CNN (CNN) — When you’re thirsty and in need of a drink, which beverages are best at keeping you hydrated? Sure, you can always reach for a glass of water — but plain H20 isn’t the most hydrating beverage around, according to a study from Scotland’s St. Andrews University that compared the

By Sandee LaMotte, CNN (CNN) — Ripping the plastic wrap from the meat or prepackaged fruit and veggies you purchased at the grocery store may contaminate your food with micro- and nanoplastics, according to new research. Plastic contamination may also occur when you’re unwrapping deli meat and cheese, steeping a tea bag in hot water,

By Sarah Owermohle, CNN (CNN) — Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy on Monday night called for federal health officials to postpone this week’s meetings of outside vaccine advisers, citing a small, newly appointed panel and concerns about biases against vaccines. Cassidy’s push to delay the meeting comes after multiple efforts from the Louisiana doctor to ensure

By Brenda Goodman, Meg Tirrell, CNN (CNN) — A former leader of the anti-vaccine group Children’s Health Defense will present this week on thimerosal in flu vaccines at a meeting of the newly appointed vaccine advisers to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to a CDC official with knowledge of the decision

By Sandee LaMotte, CNN (CNN) — Get inspired by a weekly roundup on living well, made simple. Sign up for CNN’s Life, But Better newsletter for information and tools designed to improve your well-being. Hiding deep inside the body, a dangerous type of fat wraps itself around vital organs such as the kidneys, liver and

By Meg Tirrell, CNN (CNN) — Angelina Brown passed out while she was exercising one day, a scary experience that led her to a diagnosis of atrial fibrillation. It’s a condition in which the heart’s upper chambers beat irregularly, and it’s the most common heart rhythm abnormality in adults, affecting about 10 million Americans. Because

By Tami Luhby, CNN (CNN) — Months after the killing of a top health insurance executive unleashed Americans’ pent-up anger over denials of medical care, the industry announced Monday that it will take action to “streamline, simplify and reduce” the preapproval process. Dozens of health insurers covering 257 million people committed to six steps to

By Kameryn Griesser, CNN (CNN) — Get inspired by a weekly roundup on living well, made simple. Sign up for CNN’s Life, But Better newsletter for information and tools designed to improve your well-being. Puckering, puffing, scrunching and stretching your face may look silly, but in some spaces, it’s the serious business of face yoga.

By Amarachi Orie, CNN (CNN) — Health officials in the UK are investigating reports of dozens of people suffering from a potentially life-threatening condition following Botox procedures in northeastern England, as well as allegations of the illegal sale of Botox-like products. The local trust of the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) in the county of

By Jessica DuLong, CNN (CNN) — Editor’s note: Shift Your Mindset is an occasional series from CNN’s Life, But Better team. We talk to experts about how to do things differently to live a better life. Anti-aging aspirations have turned longevity products and services into a wellness-industry gold mine. But who wants to add on

By Jen Christensen, CNN (CNN) — Federal guidance that the Trump administration says is intended to offer clarity is instead leaving health care providers even more confused about whether they can provide an abortion in an emergency, particularly in states with strict abortion laws. This month, the Trump administration rescinded 2022 federal guidance specifying that

By Brenda Goodman, CNN (CNN) — The National Institutes of Health said Thursday that it will fund longer-term health studies of the residents of East Palestine, Ohio, after a 2023 train derailment that sent more than a million pounds of hazardous chemicals into the soil, water and air. The community has long asked the government

By Katia Hetter, CNN (CNN) — As summer temperatures rise and emergency department visits related to extreme heat top 100,000 Americans a year, what should people know about the dangers of heatstroke? What are the symptoms, and how can others recognize if someone needs help? What are other types of illnesses associated with extreme heat?

By Katia Hetter, CNN Get inspired by a weekly roundup on living well, made simple. Sign up for CNN’s Life, But Better newsletter for information and tools designed to improve your well-being. A new coronavirus variant is spreading in many parts of the world. The variant, NB.1.8.1, has been identified as the cause of Covid-19

By Jacqueline Howard, CNN (CNN) — A drug currently used to treat certain HIV infections has also, on Wednesday, received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration to be used to prevent HIV. Gilead Sciences, maker of the drug, announced that a twice-a-year injection of lenacapavir has been approved in the United States for

By Meg Tirrell, CNN (CNN) — A newly posted agenda for next week’s meeting of the just-appointed group of outside vaccine advisers to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention includes a discussion and vote on thimerosal in flu vaccines, a preservative tied to debunked claims from decades ago of links to autism. The