Most American Kids Rely On Medicaid, CHIP Insurance

MONDAY, Sept. 29, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Most American kids rely on federal health insurance plans like Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance program at some point during their childhood, a new study says.

About 61% of U.S. children, or 3 in 5, have been covered by a federal insurance program by age 18, researchers repor...

Dogs (But Not Cats) May Protect Against Childhood Asthma, Study Says

MONDAY, Sept. 29, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Babies who grow up around dogs might be less likely to develop childhood asthma, a new study says.

However, they don’t get the same protection from growing up around cats, according to findings presented Sunday in Amsterdam at a meeting of the European Respiratory Society.

“...

Mouse Study Offers Cautionary Tale About The Keto Diet

SUNDAY, Sept. 28, 2025 (HealthDay News) — It sounds counterintuitive: Eat more fat and lose more weight.

But it’s the underpinning of a keto diet — a controversial eating regimen designed to retrain the body to rely on something other than sugar for energy. The regimen is rich in meat, eggs, high-fat dairy and oils.

Wildfires in Western U.S. Play a Role in Global Warming, Research Shows

SATURDAY, Sept. 27, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Wildfires are an increasingly common feature of life in American West, and researchers are working overtime to understand how the resulting smoke affects air quality, human health and climate change.

"Wildfires do not emit ozone directly," Jan Mandel, a professor emeritus of mathematics at ...

Tylenol Refutes Old Post as Pregnancy Safety Debate Resurfaces

FRIDAY, Sept. 26, 2025 (HealthDay News) — The maker of Tylenol is pushing back against resurfaced claims that its popular pain reliever is unsafe for pregnant women.

Kenvue, the parent company of Tylenol, issued a statement Thursday after an old and now-deleted 2017 social media post resurfaced suggesting it did not recommend “...

New World Screwworm Parasite Detected in Northern Mexico Near U.S. Border

FRIDAY, Sept. 26, 2025 (HealthDay News) — A dangerous parasite once eliminated in the United States has been detected in northern Mexico, close to the U.S. border.

Mexico’s agriculture ministry confirmed Sunday that an 8-month-old cow in Nuevo León tested positive for New World screwworm. The animal was part of a shipmen...

Gene Therapy Slows Huntington’s Disease in Early Trial

FRIDAY, Sept. 26, 2025 (HealthDay News) — A new gene therapy has shown promise in slowing the progression of Huntington’s disease, according to early trial results released Wednesday.

In a Phase 1/2 study, patients given a high dose of UniQure’s experimental therapy AMT-130 experienced a 75% slowing of disease progression...

Sprout Organics Widens Recall of Baby Food Pouches for Possible Lead

FRIDAY, Sept. 26, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Sprout Organics has widened its recall of 3.5-ounce Sweet Potato, Apple & Spinach pouches because some lots may contain elevated levels of lead.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said the recall, first announced Sept. 16, now covers additional lots sold online at Walgreens and t...

Dangerous TikTok Challenge Still Active, Five Years Later

FRIDAY, Sept. 26, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Teenagers and young adults are still harming themselves as part of a social media challenge that’s now five years old.

The Benadryl Challenge, which started in 2020 on TikTok, has spread to other social media platforms and is still being attempted by foolhardy young folks, researchers w...

Early MS Patients Fare Worse If They Eat Junk Food

FRIDAY, Sept. 26, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Ultra-processed foods could be making matters worse for people in the early throes of multiple sclerosis (MS), a new study says.

Higher consumption of ultra-processed eats is linked to more frequent relapses in early MS patients, researchers reported Thursday at the annual meeting of the Euro...

Backup Cameras Save Kids' Lives, Study Says

FRIDAY, Sept. 26, 2025 (HealthDay News) — The number of kids hurt or killed by a reversing car dramatically dropped after backup cameras were required in new vehicles, according to a new study.

Cases of children severely injured by a car in reverse fell by half following the 2018 federal mandate requiring backup cameras, researchers ...

Routine Community Screening Catches Undiagnosed Asthma

FRIDAY, Sept. 26, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Routine screening can help find kids who are suffering from undiagnosed asthma in communities with high levels of the breathing disorder, a new study says.

Asthma screening during well-child visits found that more than two-thirds (35%) of children with no previous diagnosis of asthma had at l...

COVID-19 Damage To Sense Of Smell Long-Lasting And Subtle, Study Suggests

FRIDAY, Sept. 26, 2025 (HealthDay News) — A COVID-19 infection might blunt a person’s sense of smell for years afterward, but so subtly they might not even notice it, a new study says.

In all, 4 out of 5 people who reported that COVID had altered their sense of smell still scored low on a clinical scent detection test taken abo...