Woman discovers missing nose ring traveled to her lungs, causing month-long cough

Woman discovers missing nose ring traveled to her lungs, causing month-long cough

A TikToker in Mexico thought her cough that wouldn’t go away was just a reaction to the changing weather. Instead, it was her own nose ring, lodged deep within her lungs. The 26-year-old, Monica Deyanira Cabrera Barajas, recently went viral on TikTok, amassing 4.7 million views after revealing the freak medical accident. In videos, she shared … Read more

Exclusive | Doctors dismissed my agonizing symptoms for years — my misunderstood condition affects 190M people

Exclusive | Doctors dismissed my agonizing symptoms for years — my misunderstood condition affects 190M people

Most people go through life dreading a serious diagnosis and surgery. I spent my formative years begging for both.  At 30, while my peers were advancing their careers and growing their families, I couldn’t shower without vomiting from the strain it put on my body.  I couldn’t pull up my underwear or tie my shoes … Read more

Severe glitter illness once spoofed by The Onion is actually a reality

Severe glitter illness once spoofed by The Onion is actually a reality

Not all that glitters is gold. Actually, the stuff lining the bottom of your craft drawer is likely bronze — and potentially deadly. Considering how difficult it is to clean glitter out of a rug, it’s no stretch to imagine the challenge of removing it from the lungs.  But that’s exactly the kind of task a … Read more

Christina Applegate details ‘excruciating agony’ of MS, from burning skin to numbness to diapers

Christina Applegate details ‘excruciating agony’ of MS, from burning skin to numbness to diapers

Christina Applegate is candidly revealing the horrific reality of living with the multiple sclerosis (MS) in her new memoir. The Emmy Award-winning actress was diagnosed with the chronic autoimmune disease in June 2021 at the age of 49 and shared the life-altering news with fans two months later. “I wish I could say that I … Read more

What is mitochondrial dysfunction? Health issue Surgeon General nom Dr. Casey Means says is at the root of chronic illness

What is mitochondrial dysfunction? Health issue Surgeon General nom Dr. Casey Means says is at the root of chronic illness

Almost every American has some degree of metabolic dysfunction — at least that’s what President Trump’s nominee for surgeon general would say. Dr. Casey Means, a graduate of the Stanford School of Medicine and lapsed functional medicine practitioner, began her Senate confirmation hearing on Wednesday to become “America’s doctor,” putting her health views under a … Read more

The under-the-radar disorder Venus Williams, Halsey and Solange Knowles all have in common

The under-the-radar disorder Venus Williams, Halsey and Solange Knowles all have in common

Tennis champion Venus Williams and musicians Halsey and Solange Knowles have one big thing in common — and it’s not just their positions at the top of the celebrity food chain. Despite the physical demands of their careers, all three have been vocal about receiving the same autoimmune disorder diagnosis and the fatigue and joint … Read more

Doing this for 5 minutes a day can prevent 1 in 10 deaths: study

Doing this for 5 minutes a day can prevent 1 in 10 deaths: study

Start your timers. A sweeping new international study found that doing a simple physical activity for just five minutes a day could help millions live longer, preventing an estimated 1 in 10 deaths. That daily habit could pack a big punch in the US, where a rising number of early and middle-aged Americans are dying … Read more

Your medicine is watching you — inside the new ‘smart pills’ from MIT

Your medicine is watching you — inside the new ‘smart pills’ from MIT

Your medication might start tattling on you if you skip a dose. Scientists at MIT have developed a groundbreaking smart pill that can wirelessly report the moment it’s been swallowed, giving doctors a way to monitor whether patients are taking their prescriptions on schedule. It may sound simple, but the stakes are high. Studies show … Read more

‘Forever chemicals’ now linked to scary disease in teens

‘Forever chemicals’ now linked to scary disease in teens

They’re in your pans, your makeup and your clothes — and now, scientists say they may be quietly putting teens at risk. So-called “forever chemicals” have already been linked to a long list of health problems, including several types of cancer, immune system damage and birth defects. A new study raises fresh concerns, suggesting that … Read more

Misunderstood illness causes severe fatigue in millions — though most cases go undiagnosed

Misunderstood illness causes severe fatigue in millions — though most cases go undiagnosed

Fatigue can stem from a variety of illnesses and life stressors, but when that exhaustion lasts for months — often following an infection — it may indicate a condition called chronic fatigue syndrome. Approximately 3.3 million people in the United States currently have the syndrome, with about one in four people confined to their bed at … Read more

Innovative, ‘truly inclusive’ app improves dating for disabled and chronically ill people

Innovative, ‘truly inclusive’ app improves dating for disabled and chronically ill people

NEW YORK — In her early 20s, Kaci LaFon lived in Branson, Missouri, a tourist town known for its older population. She wanted to date but found it a challenge, so — like many her age — she headed to the apps. Over five years, she’d get a date here and there, but they always petered out. … Read more

Exclusive | The real horrors of the ‘scromiting’ weed disorder plaguing ERs — from dwindling to 87 pounds to ‘nonstop puking’ for a week

Exclusive | The real horrors of the ‘scromiting’ weed disorder plaguing ERs — from dwindling to 87 pounds to ‘nonstop puking’ for a week

Not even a month in the hospital on a feeding tube was enough to make Sydni Collins quit pot. Collins reached for her weed pen most days in high school since she turned 16, even as waves of extreme nausea and vomiting overtook her. One particularly brutal episode left her vomiting nonstop during her spring … Read more

Wealthy regions are noticing an uptick in this unsightly disease

Wealthy regions are noticing an uptick in this unsightly disease

They say money doesn’t buy happiness. And for some, it also can’t buy skin health. One persistent, inflammatory skin disease has become a growing problem across the globe, especially in wealthier areas, according to a new analysis of 236 countries. In JAMA Dermatology last week, researchers in China warned that the incidence rate of psoriasis … Read more

New health concern linked to chronic cannabis use — and it’s tough to treat

New health concern linked to chronic cannabis use — and it’s tough to treat

For some chronic cannabis users, a case of the munchies is the least of their problems. Over the past decade, ERs have seen a surge in regular tokers showing up with sudden, stomach-churning attacks that leave them doubled over in pain. The worst part? Many sufferers experience these episodes three or four times a year, … Read more

‘Fake fasting’ diet can help you age backwards and lose weight — without starving

‘Fake fasting’ diet can help you age backwards and lose weight — without starving

Research has revealed that “fake fasting” may offer the same age-reversing health benefits as forsaking food. Known as the fasting mimicking diet (FMD), the diet is designed, as the name implies, to mimic the effects of water fasting by targeting blood glucose, ketone levels and other biomarkers. While traditional fasting is characterized by the utter … Read more

I’m an allergist — 4 things in your home you don’t realize are making you sick

I’m an allergist — 4 things in your home you don’t realize are making you sick

Perhaps it’s time to dust off your shelf-care routine. Around 80 million Americans — about one-quarter of adults and nearly 20% of children — suffer from seasonal allergies. These spring snifflers experience a reaction to airborne substances such as pollen from trees, grasses and weeds. Unfortunately, it’s possible to endure year-round nasal congestion, coughing and … Read more

I was 35 weeks pregnant when I felt a ‘pop’ — the scary health condition that required emergency double surgery

I was 35 weeks pregnant when I felt a ‘pop’ — the scary health condition that required emergency double surgery

Nearly at her due date and seemingly healthy, one 27-year-old woman says a bizarre symptom had her rushing to the hospital — where she soon had to undergo an emergency C-section and open-heart surgery. MK Campbell from Texas was 35 weeks pregnant when she awoke to a scary sensation in her chest. “[I] rolled over … Read more

The confusing symptoms of heart failure you might be ignoring — including ‘bendopnea’

The confusing symptoms of heart failure you might be ignoring — including ‘bendopnea’

Cupid’s got nothing to do with this kind of heartache.  A silent epidemic is sweeping the nation, with the number of Americans living with heart failure expected to soar from 6.7 million in 2024 to a staggering 11.4 million by 2050. Alarmingly, research shows that up to a third of those affected don’t know they … Read more

Exclusive | My full-body MRI revealed a growing threat — and it was likely caused by two super common habits

Exclusive | My full-body MRI revealed a growing threat — and it was likely caused by two super common habits

It’s not every day you get called “grossly unremarkable” and breathe a sigh of relief. A week earlier, I’d been lying in an MRI machine, listening to it puff, clank and groan like a middle school band gone horribly wrong as it examined nearly every inch of my body. As a health reporter, I’ve written … Read more

Common daily vitamin shown to slow aging process over 4-year period, new Harvard study confirms

Common daily vitamin shown to slow aging process over 4-year period, new Harvard study confirms

Previous research has linked a common vitamin to a slowdown in aging — and now a new Harvard study appears to confirm those findings. The study, which was published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, found that taking a daily vitamin D pill prevented telomeres from shortening, a hallmark of aging. Telomeres, which are often compared … Read more