Choose your location
Real Health
Pregnant and Addicted: Homeless Women See Hope in Street Medicine
Five days after giving birth, Melissa Crespo was already back on the streets, recovering in a damp, litter-strewn water tunnel, when she got the call from the hospital. Her baby, Kyle, who had been born three months prematurely, was in respiratory failure in the neonatal intensive care unit and fighting for his life.
HBCU Encourages Black Med Students to Consider Becoming Transplant Surgeons
A program at a Tennessee medical school encourages Black and other minority students to pursue careers in the organ transplant field. With support from Tennessee Donor Services (TDS), the novel program at Meharry Medical College (MMC), a historically Black college in Nashville, aims to address transplant inequity and gain the trust of patients of color.
10 Charged for Operating $20M HIV Medicine Fraud
Federal prosecutors in New York indicted 10 people for running a yearslong health care scheme involving HIV medications that defrauded Medicaid, Medicare and private insurance companies of at least $20 million, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of New York. What’s more, note the prosecutors, the scheme preyed on vulnerable members of the community—such as low-income people living with HIV—and exposed them to unnecessary risks.
Insurance Coverage Disruptions Affect Key Cancer Screenings
A new study by researchers at the (ACS) shows that adults in the United States with prior insurance coverage disruptions are significantly less likely to receive guideline-concordant and past-year cancer screening, compared to people with continuous coverage. The guideline-concordant screening rates were 63.1% versus 80.5% for breast cancer, 47.1% versus...
Don’t Gut Access to Health Care for Immigrants, Urge Advocates in Brief to Court
Corpus Christi, TX – A coalition of the country’s leading public health advocacy organizations filed a friend-of-the-court brief in Texas v. Mayorkas in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas to urge the court to uphold the Biden administration’s 2022 “public charge” policy. Amici include American Cancer Society; American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN); American Lung Association; CancerCare; Epilepsy Foundation; Hemophilia Federation of America; Leukemia & Lymphoma Society; Muscular Dystrophy Association; National Multiple Sclerosis Society; National Patient Advocate Foundation; and Susan G. Komen.
Replacing Meat with Plant, Dairy Protein May Benefit People With Cirrhosis
A recent study suggests that replacing meat in just meal with protein from a plant or dairy source could improve metabolite signatures linked to hepatic encephalopathy in people with cirrhosis. Cirrhosis is an advanced form of liver disease that has many causes. Alcoholism, autoimmune diseases, hepatitis B, hepatitis C and...
Patients Receiving Cancer Treatment Understand Health Insurance Basics, but Important Knowledge Gaps Remain
A new study by researchers at the American Cancer Society (ACS) showed among patients receiving outpatient cancer treatment in two sites (the Mayo Clinic in Phoenix, Arizona and at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, Mississippi), most people could understand basic health insurance terms, such as premiums and deductibles. However, the study also showed that relatively high percentages of patients did not understand terms such as provider networks and formularies and had trouble calculating out-of-pocket expenses. The findings [were] presented at the annual American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Quality Care Symposium in Boston, October 27–28, 2023.
Breast Cancer Riddle: Best Ways to Screen and Treat
Despite decades of scientific progress, breast cancer remains the most common cancer among women in the United States. Experts are divided on many aspects, such as when and how often to do mammograms, how to rethink interventions for precancer lesions, and how to pinpoint risk and reduce the toxicity of treatments. During Breast Cancer Awareness Month, marked each October, we asked Laura J. Esserman, MD, MBA, director of the UCSF Breast Care Center and co-leader of the Breast Oncology Program at the UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, about risk factors, progress in the field and the importance of tailoring treatment for women with low-risk cancer while also identifying women at high risk of invasive cancer.
Healthy Recipe: Quick Pickled Carrots
Pickling is an ancient technique and is used in all cultures as a way to preserve food. It’s so easy to do, and we’re not just talking classic dill pickles here. You can pickle almost anything. For those going through cancer treatment, the anti-microbial properties of vinegar offer an extra boon: a way to safely eat raw, well almost raw vegetables as snacks. Another good thing: the pickling brine can be reused multiple times to make all kinds of different pickles. Time to get your inner pickle on and try these Quick Pickled Carrots at home!
For People With Sickle Cell Disease, ERs Can Mean Life-Threatening Waits
Heather Avant always dresses up when she goes to the emergency room. “I’ve been conditioned to act and behave in a very specific way,” said Avant. “I try to do my hair. I make sure I shower, have nice clothes. Sometimes I put on my University of Michigan shirt.”
Why Is Finding COVID Shots for Young Children Still So Hard?
On September 12, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended the next round of covid shots for everyone 6 months and older. The shots were expected to be available within days in pharmacies and doctor’s offices across the country, the CDC said. But more than a month later,...
New Online Tool Allows Users to Quickly Assess Their Risk of Breast and Ovarian Cancer
Do you know your risk for breast and ovarian cancer? How about steps you can take to reduce your chances of developing cancer or what a family history might mean for your risk of the disease?. Enter AssessYourRisk, a new online, cancer risk assessment and educational tool developed and offered...
Administration Proposes Ban on Toxic Chemical Trichloroethylene
Biden-Harris Administration Proposes Ban on Trichloroethylene to Protect Public from Toxic Chemical Known to Cause Serious Health Risks. Today [October 23], the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a proposal to ban all uses of trichloroethylene (TCE), an extremely toxic chemical known to cause serious health risks including cancer, neurotoxicity, and reproductive toxicity. TCE is used in cleaning and furniture care products, degreasers, brake cleaners, and tire repair sealants, and a variety of safer alternatives are readily available for many uses.
New Care Model Delivers Hepatitis C Treatment to Most Vulnerable
Breakthrough treatments introduced over the last decade have transformed hepatitis C from a chronic and potentially deadly infectious disease into one that can be cured. But these medications have often been beyond the reach of those who are most vulnerable to the virus that causes it: people who inject drugs and lack stable housing.
Trump Misplaced Blame When He Said Drug Shortages Were Biden’s Fault
In a recent campaign video, former President Donald Trump blasted President Joe Biden for “a catastrophic increase” in drug shortages. “It’s a mess,” Trump said in the video, adding that new drug shortages were up last year by 30%, with “295 active drug shortages” by the end of 2022.
Discrimination May Lead to Unhealthy Gut-Brain Changes
Discrimination—whether based on race, sex, disability, sexual orientation, or other factors—can be a significant source of stress. Correspondingly, discrimination has been linked to an increased risk of many health problems associated with stress. One heath problem that has a strong association with discrimination and stress is obesity. Racial...
Calorie Restriction in Humans Builds Strong Muscle and Stimulates Healthy Aging Genes
Reducing overall calorie intake may rejuvenate your muscles and activate biological pathways important for good health, according to researchers at the National Institutes of Health and their colleagues. Decreasing calories without depriving the body of essential vitamins and minerals, known as calorie restriction, has long been known to delay the progression of age-related diseases in animal models. This new study, published in Aging Cell, suggests the same biological mechanisms may also apply to humans.
Biden Pick to Lead NIH Finally Has Her Day, but Still Gets Caught Up in Drug Price Debate
[Editor’s note: On October 25, the Senate HELP committee voted 15-6 to advance Bertagnolli’s nomination to a full floor vote.]. A Senate committee finally held a hearing Wednesday on President Joe Biden’s pick to lead the National Institutes of Health. But the panel’s chair, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), was focused on drug prices — an issue over which the NIH has very little control.
FDA Proposes Ban on Hair Relaxers With Formaldehyde
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently proposed a ban on hair straighteners, or relaxers, containing formaldehyde. The ban raises awareness about the potential dangers of these products, which are predominantly used by Black women, NBC News reports. The proposed rule notes that formaldehyde, a colorless, flammable gas, has been...
What’s Lost When an AIDS Walk Becomes a Health Equity Walk?
What’s in a name? For the newly rechristened DAP Health Equity Walk, the better question is, What’s not in a name? For starters, there’s DAP Health itself. Launched in 1984 as Desert AIDS Project, the nonprofit became DAP Health in 2021. Then there’s the AIDS walk. For 30 years, the annual HIV fundraiser in Palm Springs, California, was known as the Desert AIDS Walk. But this year, the event, scheduled for Saturday, October 28, has been rebranded with a name that, absent “HIV” or “AIDS,” leaves some folks living with HIV—the very community the event was founded to honor and serve—feeling erased.
Real Health
3K+
Posts
12M+
Views
Real Health is the leading health magazine for African Americans in the United States. Launched in 2004, the goal of Real Health is to help African Americans of all ages achieve optimum health and wellness—physically, mentally and emotionally—by offering readers current, accurate information based on the latest science through well-researched stories that educate, entertain, uplift and motivate members of the community at large to be their best selves.
Welcome to NewsBreak, an open platform where diverse perspectives converge. Most of our content comes from established publications and journalists, as well as from our extensive network of tens of thousands of creators who contribute to our platform. We empower individuals to share insightful viewpoints through short posts and comments. It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency: our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. We strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation. Join us in shaping the news narrative together.