Health News

(NEW YORK) -- The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced on Friday It's issuing national priority vouchers to three companies to help fast-track the review of certain psychedelic medications.The companies are studying psilocybin for treatment-resistant depression and major depressive disorder and methylone for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).These vouchers mean the FDA has 60 days to review the medications for approval. "These medications have the potential to address the nation's mental health crisis, including […]

(WASHINGTON) -- Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche signed an order on Thursday reclassifying state-licensed medical marijuana as a less dangerous drug.The order moves marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III, putting state-licensed medical marijuana in the same category as some pain medications, ketamine and testosterone.Schedule I drugs are defined as "drugs with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse" while Schedule III drugs are defined as […]

(NEW YORK) -- Nearly half of Americans -- 152.3 million people -- now live in places with unhealthy levels of ozone or particle pollution (PM2.5), two of the most dangerous air pollutants.The American Lung Association's 2026 "State of the Air" report finds that more than 129 million people live in counties with failing grades for ozone pollution. This type of pollution forms when sunlight interacts with compounds emitted from cars, […]

(NEW YORK) -- New guidelines from the American Cancer Society are expanding colon cancer screening options beyond colonoscopies and established stool-based tests.The recommendations still call for colorectal cancer screening in people at average risk starting at age 45 and continuing through age 75 for those with a life expectancy of 10 more years.And colonoscopy is still considered the gold standard test.But for the first time, the updated guidelines now include […]

(GENEVA, Switzerland) -- The head of the World Health Organization warned on Monday that a rapidly growing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda "will get worse before it gets better."More than 900 cases and more than 220 deaths have been reported in the DRC, WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said during a virtual briefing. Of those totals, 101 cases and 10 deaths have been confirmed.Additionally, […]

(NEW YORK) -- The Ebola outbreak in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo is "spreading rapidly," the head of the World Health Organization warned during a press briefing on Friday.WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that the U.N. health agency has upgraded its risk assessment for spread at the national level from "high" to "very high." At the regional level, the risk remains "high" while the global level […]

(PHILADELPHIA) -- Health officials in Philadelphia are recommending certain patients of a dental clinic accused of following "unsanitary practices" get tested for hepatitis and HIV due to potential exposures from April 2025 to May 2026, the city's Department of Public Health said in a statement this week.Officials on Wednesday identified the dental clinic in Center City Philadelphia as Smiles at Rittenhouse Square, also called Smiles on the Square, and said it is […]

(WASHINGTON) -- Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. heads to Capitol Hill Thursday after restoring staffing at the World Trade Center Health Program, a move that could ease one of the most persistent points of bipartisan criticism he has faced for months.Program advocates and lawmakers said they received an email from the secretary on Wednesday approving hiring for 37 long-vacant positions. This will raise staffing from its […]

(NEW YORK) -- As President Donald Trump's administration touts its new federal dietary guidelines, experts and officials suggest there's a long road ahead before America’s students have healthier school meals.With the Departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services partnering to address chronic disease -- aiming to place whole, nutrient-dense food at the center of diets -- the administration believes it has taken a major step toward solving America's youth […]