Wildfires produce huge quantities of airborne particles, also called fine particulate matter. These particles are less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter – about a tenth the size of a pollen grain.

Particles of that size, which air quality experts refer to as PM2.5, raise serious health concerns because they are tiny enough to be carried to the air sacs in the deepest parts of the lungs. From there, they can cross into the blood stream, leading to bodywide inflammation – essentially, the immune system’s fight response – which can promote or aggravate multiple chronic illnesses.

Huge cuts to Medicaid included in the megabill President Donald Trump signed Friday could prove ruinous for the finances of both the state and its hospitals, especially in rural areas, as well as for the low-income residents who rely on the program for health care coverage, advocates say. 

President Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ bans all Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood for a year

In a world flooded with fitness fads and “quick-fix” workout plans, solid evidence can often get drowned out. Yet the science is clear: jogging for just five to ten minutes a day can lower your risk of dying from heart disease and even reduce your overall risk of dying from any cause. This kind of research rarely gets the attention it deserves.

Montana, Oregon and Pennsylvania have joined the ranks of states where older people outnumber children. Other states where older people already outnumbered children in 2023: Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont and West Virginia. That grew from just four in 2020: Florida, Maine, Vermont and West Virginia.

No evidence supports the idea that thimerosal, used as a preservative in vaccines, is unsafe or carries any health risks.

The FDA has given more than 20 foreign factories a special pass to continue sending drugs to the U.S. even though they were made at plants that the agency had banned.

The medications came mostly from plants in India where inspectors found contaminated drugs, filthy labs and falsified records.

The agency did not proactively inform the public when drugs were exempted from import bans, and it did not routinely test the medications to ensure they were safe.

Decades of research show that there is no link between autism and vaccines. The distortion of the CDC study is just the latest attempt by vaccine opponents to peddle the myth. 

Between 2019 and 2024, the number of independent physicians in rural areas fell by 43%. Nearly 9,500 rural physicians left independent practice. The loss impacted the Midwest and Northeast the most, with Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Ohio, South Carolina, and South Dakota losing more than 50% of their independent rural physicians. Additionally, the study found 7,300 rural medical practices either closed or were acquired by health systems or corporate entities.

It’s well understood that exposure to either wildfire smoke or extreme heat poses a significant threat to health. For example, there is substantial evidence linking wildfire smoke to an increased risk of hospitalizations for lung or heart complications, with emerging evidence that exposure may also affect birth outcomes and cognitive function. Similarly, we know that extreme heat can increase the risk of illness or death from conditions related to our lungs, hearts and brains.

When it comes to our health, we’re constantly being warned about being taken in by misinformation.

Yet for most of us what we believe ultimately comes down to who we trust, including which “experts” we trust.

The problem is that not everyone who presents themselves as an expert is actually an expert.

And an expert in one area isn’t necessarily an expert in everything.

The run-walk technique is especially welcoming for beginners. The technique is used by runners of all abilities, including those tackling full marathons.

Cities and states fighting a historic measles outbreak find themselves undermined by the Trump administration as they struggle to provide crucial vaccinations and overcome disinformation. As of this week, cases were nearing 650 in 22 states, on track to reach a 34-year high.