Wildfire Smoke Sends More Oregonians To Emergency Rooms

• Ellyn Vohnoutka HealthDay Reporter
• August 6, 2026
• Full Page

Days of poor air quality from thick wildfire smoke are pushing more Oregonians into emergency rooms and urgent care clinics, state health officials say.

Respiratory complaints have climbed past what the state normally sees this time of year in regions blanketed by smoke,...

Peanut Allergy? Fecal Transplant Might Be A Solution, Pilot Trial Finds

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• August 6, 2026
• Full Page

Peanut allergies might be treatable by using a fecal transplant to introduce “good” bacteria into a person’s digestive tract, a new study says.

Some young adults with peanut allergies wound up with a higher tolerance to peanuts months after receiving a ...

New CDC Director Dr. Erica Schwartz Takes Over

• Deanna Neff HealthDay Reporter
• August 6, 2026
• Full Page

Dr. Erica Schwartz was confirmed Wednesday as new head of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The U.S. Senate voted 51-44 to confirm Schwartz as director of the nation's premier public health agency, ending a roughly year-long search for stability ...

Three Midlife Habits That Could Help Protect Your Brain

• HealthDay Staff HealthDay Reporter
• August 6, 2026
• Full Page

Your brain's future may hinge on three key health factors in middle age.

A study published Aug. 5 in the journal Neurology Open Access found that adults with normal blood pressure, no diabetes and no history of smoking between the ages of 45 and 65 lived dementi...

Want Strong Bones? Review Says Vigorous Sports Like Handball Beat Walking, Strength Training

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• August 6, 2026
• Full Page

Light exercise might not be enough to ensure strong bones, a new evidence review says.

People who engage in high-intensity sports appear to promote the highest levels of bone growth, researchers reported recently in the journal Sports Medicine - Open.

Thes...

Germs From Pet Dogs Might Protect Infants Against Infection, Researchers Say

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• August 6, 2026
• Full Page

Kids with pet dogs get fewer respiratory tract infections and require fewer rounds of antibiotics than children not exposed to canines, a new study says.

Microbes from dogs appear to provide some protection to children, helping them remain healthier on average, researche...

Parenting Can Offset ADHD Risk In Toddlers, Study Says

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• August 6, 2026
• Full Page

Kind and patient parenting can offset an increased risk of ADHD that children might have developed in the womb, a new study says.

Children can have a higher risk of ADHD if they’ve been exposed to inflammation during pregnancy, caused by maternal health factors lik...

Autism Therapy Spending Quintuples, Prompting Federal Push For State Oversight

• Ellyn Vohnoutka HealthDay Reporter
• August 5, 2026
• Full Page

Medicaid spending on autism therapy quintupled in four years, climbing to $10 billion in 2025 from about $2 billion in 2021, reports The New York Times.

Spending per child more than doubled over that period, rising from a median of $8,903 to $21,203. Median mean...

Childhood Obesity Might Impact Women's Future Ability To Give Birth

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• August 5, 2026
• Full Page

Girls with childhood obesity could struggle with fertility later in life, a new study says.

Women who were obese as children were less likely to give birth as adults, researchers reported Aug. 4 in JAMA Network Open. The risk increased with age. 

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Could The Air You Breathe Be Triggering Painful Arthritis Flares?

• HealthDay Staff HealthDay Reporter
• August 5, 2026
• Full Page

Could the air you breathe be making your arthritis worse?

A published today in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases suggests exposure to fine particle air pollution may trigger flare-ups.

People with rheumatoid arthritis exposed to higher levels of fi...

AI-Managed Oxygen Promotes More Stable Oxygen Levels In Patients

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• August 5, 2026
• Full Page

AI-driven oxygen delivery can help hospitalized patients maintain better blood oxygen levels, potentially speeding their recovery, a new study says.

Patients treated with AI-automated oxygen spent 85% of their time in the target oxygen range, compared with 63% in people ...

Type 2 Diabetes Might Make Menopause Worse

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• August 5, 2026
• Full Page

Women with type 2 diabetes might face a tougher time with menopause, a new study says.

Across all menopause stages, women with type 2 diabetes reported worse symptoms compared to those without diabetes, researchers reported today in the journal Menopause.

...

Pesticides Linked To Increased ALS Risk, Review Finds

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• August 5, 2026
• Full Page

Exposure to pesticides on the job can increase a person’s risk of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, a new evidence review says.

Workplace exposure to herbicides and insecticides is linked to a 60% to 70% increased risk of ALS, researchers reported Aug. 4 in th...

Michigan Reports First US Deaths From Parasite Outbreak

• Ellyn Vohnoutka HealthDay Reporter
• August 4, 2026
• Full Page

Two Michigan residents have died in a widening outbreak of cyclosporiasis, the first deaths from the intestinal parasite ever confirmed in the United States.

State health officials announced the deaths Monday, the Associated Press reports.

Both people had ...

Breathing Exercises Can Curb Addiction Cravings, Review Finds

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• August 4, 2026
• Full Page

Controlled breathing might help people who are trying to kick an addiction to alcohol, tobacco or drugs, a new evidence review says.

Breathing techniques appeared to help people reduce their cravings, researchers reported July 29 in the journal Addiction.

...

Collagen Peptides Show Promise For Women's Bone Health

• HealthDay Staff HealthDay Reporter
• August 4, 2026
• Full Page

Collagen is best known for beauty benefits. But new research shows it may also help support something every runner depends on — strong bones.

"Oftentimes, we associate running with being bad for us, bad for our bones, because runners are at a higher risk of stress-...

High Body Fat, Not BMI, Linked To Lower Sperm Counts

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• August 4, 2026
• Full Page

A man’s body mass index (BMI) is a poorer indication of his fertility than other, more precise measures of body fat, a new study says.

A higher body fat percentage is linked to lower sperm counts and changes in the balance of testosterone and other male hormones, r...

Bacterial Vaginosis Tied To Tripled STI Risk, Major Study Finds

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• August 4, 2026
• Full Page

Women with vaginosis are around three times as likely to also test positive for gonorrhea, chlamydia or other bacterial sexually transmitted infections, a new study says.

The study results confirm guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that wom...

New Smart Ring Can Track Blood Sugar, Alcohol

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• August 4, 2026
• Full Page

An experimental ring might one day help people with diabetes track their glucose levels, a new study says.

The “smart ring” continuously monitors up to four different chemical biomarkers found in finger sweat, researchers reported recently in Nature Commu...