Dr. Robert Jarvik, Inventor of First Human Artificial Heart, Dies at 79

FRIDAY, May 30, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Dr. Robert Jarvik, the man behind the world’s first permanent artificial heart used in a human, has died. 

He was 79, The New York Times reported.

His wife, writer Marilyn vos Savant, said he died Monday at their home in Manhattan due to complications from Parkinson&rs...

FDA Chief: COVID Vaccine in Pregnancy Should Be Personal Choice

FRIDAY, May 30, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Federal health officials have pulled back a key recommendation that pregnant women get the COVID-19 vaccine — causing sharp criticism from doctors and other experts.

The announcement came Tuesday from Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who said the government will ...

Hormel Recalls Over 256,000 Pounds of Canned Beef Stew

FRIDAY, May 30, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Hormel Foods is recalling more than 256,000 pounds of its Dinty Moore Beef Stew amid reports that wood fragments were found in some cans, according to U.S. health officials.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) issued the nationwide recall May 28.

Wildfire Smoke Threatens Heart, Lung Health For Months Afterward

FRIDAY, May 30, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Skies choked with wildfire smoke can affect people’s heart and lung health for up to three months afterwards, a new study says.

The particle pollution created by wildfires continues to increase people’s risk of hospitalization for months after the smoke clears, researchers reported ...

Combo Diabetes/High Blood Pressure Threatening More American Lives

FRIDAY, May 30, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Twice as many Americans now face the increased risk of death that comes from having both high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes, a new study reports.

About 12% of the U.S. population had high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes at the same time in 2018, up from 6% in 1999, researchers reported ...

Eight Times More Young Adults Take Meds To Protect Against HIV Infection

FRIDAY, May 30, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Eight times more young Americans are taking antiretroviral meds to protect them from HIV infection than a decade ago, a new study says.

About 208 of every 100,000 U.S. young adults were using pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, to prevent becoming infected with HIV in 2023, researchers reported ...

Parents Can Sense Potential Critical Illness In Their Kids, Study Says

FRIDAY, May 30, 2025 (HealthDay News) — A parent’s instincts regarding their child’s health usually are right on the money, even when they’ve taken the child to an ER, a new study says.

Parental worry over a kid’s deteriorating health strongly predicts how critically ill the child might become, researchers rep...

Military Service Might Protect Against Depression

FRIDAY, May 30, 2025 (HealthDay News) — The mentally scarred, deeply depressed combat veteran is an indelible stereotype promoted by movies and TV.

The post-traumatic stress and despair that some suffer following military deployment have prompted concerns that service members are highly vulnerable to depression.

However, the op...

About 40% Of U.S. Smokers Struggle With Disability

FRIDAY, May 30, 2025 (HealthDay News) — About 2 of 5 smokers in the U.S. suffer from some form of disability, a new study says.

And in 1 of 7, their disability is so severe it interferes with their daily lives, researchers report.

“The prevalence of disability among adults in the USA who currently smoke c...

RFK Jr. May Block U.S. Scientists From Publishing in Top Medical Journals

THURSDAY, May 29, 2025 (HealthDay News) — U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said this week that he may no longer allow government scientists to publish research in top medical journals.

Kennedy made the statement on a podcast called The Ultimate Human where he called the journals “corrupt&r...

Burning Out? An E-Tattoo Can Track Mental Strain

THURSDAY, May 29, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Ever thought so long and hard on a problem that your forehead grew hot, your brain became frazzled and your eyes grew bleary?

A new temporary tattoo can help measure that sort of mental strain, researchers report.

The wireless forehead electronic tattoo decodes brainwaves to measure men...

Marijuana Use Linked to Early Signs of Heart Damage

THURSDAY, May 29, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Smoking or eating marijuana on a regular basis may damage a healthy person's blood vessels much like tobacco does, a small study finds.

Researchers from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) looked at the blood vessels of 55 people between 18 and 50 years old. Some smoked marijua...

U.S. Ends $600M Moderna Bird Flu Vaccine Contract

THURSDAY, May 29, 2025 (HealthDay News) — The U.S. government has canceled a $600 million contract with Moderna to develop a vaccine for bird flu and other dangerous flu strains, raising concern among experts.

The deal, forged under the Biden administration, aimed to prepare for future flu pandemics by funding Moderna’s work on...

Singing Soothes The Savage Infant, Clinical Trial Says

THURSDAY, May 29, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Singing to your baby can soothe them considerably and improve their overall mood, a new clinical trial shows.

Parents given smartphone-based music enrichment training sang more often to their babies, and those babies were generally happier and more content, researchers reported May 28 in the ...

Dementia Tied To Heart, Metabolic Diseases

THURSDAY, May 29, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Heart disease, strokes and diabetes contribute to many dementia cases in the United States, but the risk is not equal everywhere, a new study says.

Overall, more than a third (37%) of U.S. dementia cases are linked to eight conditions: diabetes, heart failure, atrial fibrillation, coronary ar...

Belly Fat Linked To Psoriasis

THURSDAY, May 29, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Belly flab appears to be a stronger warning sign for psoriasis than fat located elsewhere on the body, a new study says.

Fat around the abdomen is more strongly linked to psoriasis risk that total body fat, particularly in women.

“Our research shows that where fat is stored in the...

Poor Sleep Sign Of Brain Problems After Mild Stroke

THURSDAY, May 29, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Difficulty sleeping after a mild stroke could be a sign of continuing brain health problems in some people, a new study says.

Stroke victims who spent more time in bed struggling to sleep had lower scores on tests of thinking and memory skills, researchers reported in the journal Neurolog...