How summer heat affects blood pressure

Philly Voice (Health) 8/6 4:08A Peter Key, sponsored by Independ

Hot summer days are great for spending time outside, but if you have high or low blood pressure, warmer weather can pose some risks to your health. Understanding how heat affects your body — and knowing how to respond — can help you stay safe and...

Independence Health Group names Kelly Munson as its next CEO

Philly Voice (Health) 8/5 6:09A PhillyVoice Staff

Independence Health Group, the largest health insurer in the Philadelphia region, has named Kelly Munson as its new president and CEO. Munson, who has led AmeriHealth Caritas, replaces the retiring Gregory Deavens.

Mosquito insecticide to be sprayed in Germantown parks to prevent West Nile virus

Philly Voice (Health) 8/4 4:39A Michaela Althouse

Mosquito insecticide will be sprayed in Wister Woods and Wakefield Park in Germantown on Monday evening to prevent West Nile virus, Philadelphia health officials said.

New York is battling a Legionnaires' outbreak; Nearly 50 years ago, the disease was famously...

Philly Voice (Health) 8/1 8:01A Courtenay Harris Bond

A Legionnaires' disease outbreak in New York has killed 1 person and sickened 22 others. Nearly 50 years ago, the illness was identified in Philly after an outbreak a the American Legion convention at the Bellevue Stratford Hotel.

People breathe in 100 times more microplastics than previously thought, new study finds

Philly Voice (Health) 7/31 5:54A Courtenay Harris Bond

People breathe in 100 times more microplastics than previously thought, a new study shows. The tiny particles can be inhaled deep into the lungs, causing health problems such as impaired lung function, inflammation and oxidative stress.

Some people avoid roller coasters out of intense fear, but do they pose any actual health risks?

Philly Voice (Health) 7/31 3:28A Courtenay Harris Bond

Well-developed roller coasters generally are safe, but they can cause motion sickness and pose a risk to some people with heart conditions. They don't appear to pose an immediate risk to acute brain injury but their long-term effect is not...

The aging process isn't linear, but it accelerates at age 50, new study shows

Philly Voice (Health) 7/29 8:00A Courtenay Harris Bond

Aging accelerates at age 50, when tissues and organs begin a rapid deterioration, a new study shows. It builds on previous research that found two distinct inflection points in the aging process — ages 44 and 60.

Library of Congress adds docuseries on Camden health-care workers to records on COVID-19

Philly Voice (Health) 7/29 7:31A Michaela Althouse

'Stories in Care,' an online docuseries chronicling the work of Camden health-care providers, is now part of the Library of Congress' catalogue archiving the COVID-19 pandemic for future generations. The 22 episodes feature interviews with...

Fearing Medicaid coverage loss, some parents rush to vaccinate their kids

Philly Voice (Health) 7/25 9:13A Jackie Fortiér, KFF Health News

Pediatricians say anxious parents are concerned about access to routine childhood immunizations, especially those with children on Medicaid, due to changes HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. made to the CDC's advisory vaccine panel and Medicaid...

Enforcement of law that restricts mobile services in Kensington will be delayed, city officials say

Philly Voice (Health) 7/24 10:09A Courtenay Harris Bond

Enforcement of a new law that will restrict mobile addiction services in Kensington will be delayed until Mayor Cherelle Parker's administration determines the new permitting process required for outreach groups. The law takes effect Monday.

U.S. fertility rate fell to a record low last year, CDC says

Philly Voice (Health) 7/24 9:23A Courtenay Harris Bond

The U.S. fertility rate dropped to a record low in 2024, falling to 53.8 births per 1,000 women, new data from the CDC shows. That equates to 1.6 children per woman of childbearing age. Contributing factors include greater access to birth control...

Researchers find link between ADHD traits and sleep disorders

Philly Voice (Health) 7/18 10:10A Molly McVety

Researchers from the University of Southampton and the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience examined data from an online sleep survey based in the Netherlands to find links between ADHD traits and chronic sleep issues. In a separate study, the...

President Donald Trump diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency; here's what that is and how it's...

Philly Voice (Health) 7/17 11:04A Courtenay Harris Bond

President Donald Trump has been diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency. The condition, known as CVI, is usually mild at first, and characterized by leg swelling. But it can lead to severe health complications, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

Healthy Recipe: Fettuccine Alfredo

Philly Voice (Health) 7/17 5:04A Independence Good Living

Love fettuccine Alfredo but not the heavy feeling that comes after?

Prostate cancer is unlikely to kill men if it's low risk and treated according to best practices,...

Philly Voice (Health) 7/10 6:36A Courtenay Harris Bond

People with low-risk prostate cancer treated according National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines are more likely to die of other causes, new research shows.