Health News
9/9/2024

The Biden administration is planning to eliminate medical debt from credit reports of millions of Americans. What could this mean for you?



Why it matters that weight loss drugs are one of Oprah Winfrey's new favorite things



A cheaper weight loss drug, more heat-related deaths and new restrictions on tobacco sales: Here's what happened in health this week



Do you still need to tell people if you have COVID?



5 takeaways from Dr. Anthony Fauci's new memoir



If you think you can't focus for long, you're right


Your attention span has shrunk by nearly two minutes in the past 20 years, driven in part by technology's hold over your work and home life, experts say. Here's how to stay focused so you can get things done.

What you should know if there's no sexual attraction for your partner, according to a therapist


Why would a person pick a potential life partner without feeling the spark of sexual attraction? And can these relationships survive and thrive? Can sexual attraction be cultivated later? Therapist Ian Kerner shares what he's learned in his practice.

The best coupons at CVS Pharmacy



The planet is getting hotter fast. This is what happens to your body in extreme heat


Human-caused climate change has already made heat waves around the world more frequent and intense.

What a medication abortion is like, according to a doctor


An expert in medication abortion describes how mifepristone and misoprostol work and what to expect after using these medications known as the "abortion pill."

How to cool down without AC


No air conditioning? Here are 14 methods for cooling your body and buffering your house from the outside heat.

The benefits of 'body doubling' when you have ADHD, according to experts


'Body doubling' is a strategy people with ADHD can use to accomplish more than they would alone. Here's how to do it.

Why we have nightmares and how to stop them


We leave behind our fears of monsters under the bed as we say goodbye to our childhoods, but one can follow us into adulthood and loom over our heads.

Your guide to finding the right Theragun massage gun for you



8 activewear brands you should add to your workout wardrobe


The increasing popularity of stylish, trendy athletic wear has made über-comfortable clothing something that's not just for the gym. It's infiltrated all corners of culture, from high fashion runways to the offices of Silicon Valley executives — and really, it's appropriate for any occasion when you just want to be comfortable.

Fuzzy first photo of a black hole gets a sharp makeover


The first photo ever taken of a black hole looks a little sharper now.

Paper airplane breaks a world distance record


It's a bird... It's a plane... It's a paper airplane!

This bat fossil could fill in a piece of the evolutionary puzzle


Two 52 million-year-old bat skeletons discovered in an ancient lake bed in Wyoming are the oldest bat fossils ever found — and they reveal a new species.

How long you can use vintage Tupperware


Since Tupperware, the iconic kitchen brand that's been a household name for decades, signaled recently that it might be going out of business, you might be wondering how long your stash of its food storage containers is safe to use — especially if it's vintage.

Covid-19 boosters could keep thousands of kids out of hospitals, but uptake remains low


Higher Covid-19 vaccination rates among US children could prevent thousands of pediatric hospitalizations and millions of missed school days, according to an analysis published Tuesday by the Commonwealth Fund and the Yale School of Public Health.

Experimental therapy gantenerumab fails to slow or improve Alzheimer's memory loss in clinical trials


An experimental treatment, gantenerumab, failed to help people at high risk of memory loss from Alzheimer's or those who were in the early phases of the disease, the manufacturer said Monday.

US gets D+ grade for rising preterm birth rates, new report finds


The rate of premature birth in the United States is climbing, according to the infant and maternal health nonprofit March of Dimes.

Desperate for heart surgery for their baby, a family feels the effects of pediatric hospital shortages


Even before their daughter was born in June, Aaron and Helen Chavez knew she would need heart surgery. Doctors expected her to have an operation around 6 months of age.

RSV hospitalization rate for seniors is 10 times higher than usual for this point in the season


The respiratory virus season has started early in kids this year and flooded children's hospitals in many parts of the country -- especially with respiratory syncytial virus, known as RSV.

How Dame Deborah James helped save a mum's life


A mother-of-three shared her story with Dame Deborah's mother Heather on BBC Breakfast.

Can health secretary name NHS trusts performing well?


Victoria Atkins is challenged to name some health trusts meeting their targets to cut waiting lists.

'I embrace my alopecia, but I’d love my old hair back’


People living with alopecia could have access to treatment on the NHS in Scotland for the first time.

'There are loads of people that vape at school'


A group of teenagers in Fife have been making a documentary about the impact of disposable vapes.

How 175 British children were infected with HIV


Families of some of those affected are giving evidence at a public inquiry into the treatment disaster.

I lost mum, dad and sister to HIV in blood scandal


Families torn apart by the infected blood scandal break their silence to BBC Panorama.

Melanoma skin cancer cases rising in UK


The biggest increase is among the over 80s, with a marked rise in cases in adults aged 25-49.

Paris: Grassroots to Glory


The Rugby 7s player has struggled with body image in the past, but says sport has helped

Paris: Grassroots to Glory


The Paralympic Rowing Cox will compete a year after getting the all clear from cancer.

'Blood compensation comes too late for my husband'


The government announced what it calls a "comprehensive" compensation scheme on Tuesday.

Children used as 'guinea pigs' in clinical trials


They were given infected blood products in trials without their knowledge, the BBC has found.

Infected blood inquiry: Five things we have learned


An inquiry into the "worst treatment disaster in NHS history" hears its final evidence.

'An abuse by people supposedly there to care'


Victims of the scandal said they had been "gaslit for generations" and felt "vindicated" by the report.

Ten tips for sleeping in hot weather


A simple guide on how to get a good night's sleep in the heat.

Infected blood victims could get £2m compensation


Government unveils package after final report of public inquiry into scandal published on Monday.

What is the infected blood scandal?


Thousands were infected with HIV and hepatitis C, in the worst treatment disaster in NHS history.

Slimming jabs: 'I thought my body was shutting down'


BBC Investigations speaks to people damaged by illegal and often fake slimming drug injection kits.

UV levels explained - how do I protect myself?


How to be sun savvy and get the right level of protection from UV rays.

Are weight-loss injections the answer to obesity?


The appeal is clear - but should we be turning to appetite-suppressing injections?

What is the law on assisted suicide and euthanasia?


Many countries have legalised assisted dying, assisted suicide or euthanasia, which are different.

What does hot weather do to the body?


What impact do high temperatures have on our bodies?

What is mpox and how is it spread?


Mpox, which used to be called monkeypox, is declared a global public health emergency.

The junior doctors' strikes may be over. But is trouble ahead?


The end of the pay dispute sounded too good to be true. And now some are wondering if it might be.

Why we might never know the truth about ultra-processed foods


Experts can’t agree how exactly they affect us and it’s not clear that science will give us an answer.

Hospitality and health leaders clash on outdoor smoking plan


The prime minister says his government is looking at tougher rules to reduce the burden on the NHS.

Mpox not new Covid and can be stopped, expert says


The world must act now to ensure vaccines reach the areas most in need, the WHO's Dr Hans Kluge says.

Will the NHS ever pay for the new era of dementia drugs?


The choice to not fund Alzheimer's drug lecanemab caused upset, but it is not a “wonder drug”.

How worried should we be about mpox?


As a global emergency is declared over mpox, our health and science correspondent assesses the threat.

What do we know about Kate's cancer journey?


The Princess of Wales is looking forward to returning to work, after finishing a course of chemotherapy.

Men on sodium valproate told to use contraception


There is a potential, small increased risk of autism and other neurodevelopmental problems, experts say

What the outdoor smoking ban in Australia could tell us about UK's future


In Australia, smoking outdoors in pubs is heavily regulated - could the UK follow suit?

What is the plan to give polio vaccines to children in Gaza?


Pauses to fighting will allow hundreds of thousands of Gaza children to be vaccinated against polio.

Baby poo study reveals mysteries of newborn guts


Scientists work out which bacteria populate babies guts first - and what it could mean for their health.

Covid inquiry: The UK pandemic in numbers


Explore the data on how the coronavirus pandemic unfolded in the UK.

Five takeaways from Johnson at the Covid inquiry


The former PM is the most high-profile witness so far to testify at the inquiry into the pandemic.

'Moronic': Vicious Covid WhatsApps reveal No 10 battles


"Meltdown", "liar", "embarrassing" - messages lay bare Downing Street divisions during the pandemic.

Corruption review finds 'red flags' in more than 130 Covid contracts


An anti-corruption charity finds significant concerns in £15.3bn worth of contracts awarded during the pandemic.

How the UK planned for the wrong pandemic


Over-confidence, wasted opportunities and muddled-thinking left UK sleep-walking into Covid.

What is the UK Covid inquiry and how does it work?


The next public hearings will consider how the pandemic affected healthcare systems across the UK.

Inquiry under way into 2,000 mental health deaths


Baroness Lampard says the inquiry is "of the gravest concern and significance" as it opens in Essex.

Great Ormond Street reviews 700 children treated by ex-surgeon


The patients were treated by Yaser Jabbar, a consultant orthopaedic surgeon who worked at the hospital’s lower limb reconstruction service.

Plan to hit 18-week NHS wait target 'set to fail'


Health bosses warn major change is needed as ministers in England prepare to publish a wide-ranging review.

NHS 'broken' by past governments, Starmer tells BBC


The prime minister said the upcoming Lord Darzi review will reveal too many are let down by the NHS.

‘I grieve for the person I was before' - Covid inquiry to begin new phase


The Covid inquiry opens its next set of hearings on Monday, looking at the impact on healthcare and the NHS.

Kate says she has completed chemotherapy treatment


The Princess of Wales has completed her chemotherapy and says this year has been "incredibly tough".

Dad 'will always carry guilt' after daughter's suicide


A national service has been launched across Wales for those affected by suicide.

NHS was 'creaking at seams' when Covid hit


Lack of staff and beds hampered care for both Covid and non-Covid patients, the inquiry is told.

US veteran makes 'incredible' progress after world's first eye transplant


Aaron James has been able to resume normal life after receiving a partial-face and whole-eye transplant.

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