Health

By Mary Frances Ruskell, CNN (CNN) — After years of preparation, college applications and some acceptances, I thought the stress of my senior year of high school was over last spring. But I was wrong, thanks to the rise of social media accounts centered on finding friends and roommates online, months before the first day

By Victoria Robinson, as told to Andrea Kane, CNN | Photographs by Brenda Bazán for CNN (CNN) — One in 31: That’s the estimated number of children identified as having autism spectrum disorder by age 8 in the United States, according to the most recent data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

By Jacqueline Howard, Ben Tinker, CNN (CNN) — Some psychedelic drugs, once considered fringe, are getting a step closer to possibly being approved for use as mental health treatments in the United States. The US Food and Drug Administration on Friday issued national priority vouchers to three companies studying these psychedelic-based medicines: psilocybin, the active

By Katia Hetter, CNN (CNN) — A vaccine long framed as protection against cervical cancer in women is now showing clear benefits for men. Boys and young men who received the human papilloma virus, or HPV, vaccine had about half the risk of developing related cancers compared with those who were unvaccinated, according to a

By Brenda Goodman, CNN (CNN) — Measles crept into Utah and Arizona in June, with reports trickling into local health departments of patients coming to doctors and saying their children had just recovered from full-body rashes, and parents telling pediatricians that their whole family had just recovered from measles. But because patients would decline testing,

By Tami Luhby, CNN (CNN) — Less than a year after remaking a key vaccine advisory committee, US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has set his sights on overhauling an HHS panel of medical experts that determine what preventive care Americans can receive at no cost. Kennedy is seeking to expand

By Meg Tirrell, CNN (CNN) — The US Food and Drug Administration on Thursday approved the first gene therapy for inherited hearing loss, a one-time treatment that proved to be life-changing for a small number of children in a clinical trial who were born without hearing. The condition it treats is rare, affecting up to

By Sandee LaMotte, CNN (CNN) — Over 62 million Americans — roughly 1 in 5 people — may be exposed to potentially dangerous levels of nitrates in their tap water, a new report has shown. A compound of nitrogen and oxygen found naturally in air, water, soil and plants, nitrates become a health risk when

By Brenda Goodman, CNN (CNN) — Covid-19 vaccines roughly halved the chances that a US adult would need to visit the emergency room or be hospitalized with their infections last fall and winter, according to two sources familiar with the findings of a new study. But you won’t hear about it from the agency that

By Dr. Jamin Brahmbhatt, CNN (CNN) — In my clinic, one of the first things I hear from men facing a fertility issue is often the same: “I didn’t know I could be the problem. Help me, Doc.” I’ve seen the entire spectrum — couples referred after she checked out fine, men getting a semen

By Michal Ruprecht, Jacqueline Howard, CNN (CNN) — Psychedelic drugs, once pushed to the fringes of medicine, are gaining serious attention within the Trump administration as potential treatment options for people with certain mental health conditions. And they could be getting closer to receiving approval from the US Food and Drug Administration. President Donald Trump

By Jen Christensen, CNN (CNN) — The American Lung Association calls it a “grim indication of the deterioration of air quality nationwide”: Bangor, Maine, is the last city standing on all three of its “cleanest cities” lists. Bangor has zero days of unhealthy ozone and short-term particle pollution, and some of the lowest year-round concentrations

By Sarah Owermohle, Tami Luhby, CNN (CNN) — US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had another long day on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, with lawmakers questioning him on his vaccine views, agency shakeups and a proposed budget that would slash HHS spending on medical research and public health. The secretary made

By Michal Ruprecht, CNN (CNN) — Millions of Americans are turning to AI chatbots for health answers. Doctors are, too. But the ways doctors are incorporating AI chatbots into their practice are surprising. Specialized medical AI chatbots have quickly become a go-to source for many doctors and trainees. The CEO of one of these medical

By Caleb Hellerman (CNN) — Vita Sara Blechner’s life changed on a Saturday afternoon. The middle school librarian was home in Oceanside, New York, when she felt shooting pains in her back. After an acid reflux pill couldn’t soothe the fiery feeling, her husband suggested a trip to the emergency room. It was March 7,

By Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN (CNN) — When I started filming the first “Weed” documentary back in 2012, I could not have predicted where this journey would take me — or the stories that would keep unfolding long after that initial exploration into the world of cannabis. At the time, I thought I was making

By Madeline Holcombe, CNN (CNN) — You have a problem? There is probably a product that claims to solve it –– especially in the longevity space. Social media, stores and online ads are abuzz with different regimens, items, supplements and strategies promising a longer life and everlasting beauty. It can be easy to get swept

By Kara Alaimo, CNN (CNN) — Ever wonder why your kid goes ballistic when you try to take their screen away? It’s mostly not their fault. That outsize reaction occurs because devices are designed to make us all desire them so badly that we don’t log off, writes Dr. Michaeleen Doucleff in her new book,

By Sarah Owermohle, Brenda Goodman, Adam Cancryn, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump’s new pick to lead the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is a public health veteran who has led vaccination programs, a new sign of the administration’s shifting views on vaccines. Dr. Erica Schwartz’s nomination to lead the embattled agency came

By Adam Cancryn, Michal Ruprecht, CNN (CNN) — President Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order in the coming days that will encourage more research into the psychedelic ibogaine, according to a person familiar with the order. The order will not push to reclassify ibogaine, which is a Schedule I controlled substance, a

By Kristen Rogers, CNN (CNN) — You get home from a long trip and see a scribbled note is waiting for you on the table. “Call me. We need to talk,” the message from your partner reads. What do you think? A) “Oh my God, they want to break up with me, or something bad

By Katia Hetter, CNN (CNN) — Move more. Sit less. For many years, that’s been accepted guidance for people wanting to get healthier. Now that message is getting refined, with a growing body of research suggesting that certain types of movements may be more beneficial than others when it comes to health benefits. The intensity

By Meg Tirrell, CNN (CNN) — For the majority of people who start using GLP-1 medicines with the hope of losing weight, the drugs can feel almost miraculous: Cravings are quieted. Exercise can become easier and more fun. Pounds that stubbornly remained for years finally dissipate. But for a smaller subset of people, the medicines

By Sandee LaMotte, CNN (CNN) — The image looks like a slice of highly marbled flesh, reminiscent of a high-end steak with abundant fine-grained streaks of fat. But that’s not dinner. It’s an MRI scan of the thigh of a 62-year-old woman who obtained 87% of her annual calories from ultraprocessed food. “This participant’s diet