Health & Fitness – TheMinotVoice.com

Nebraska social media age-verification bill moves forward

by: MinotVoice | April 28, 2025

Nebraska lawmakers moved forward this week with a bill requiring age verification for social media accounts, advancing it by a 38-2 vote. Introduced by State Sen. Tanya Storer and backed by Governor Jim Pillen, the proposal aims to bolster parental oversight and address youth mental health concerns. Supporters say it’s a necessary step to protect

Read & Share sourced from: Nebraska Examiner

Ontario reports 95 new measles cases, sending total above 1,000 since outbreak began

by: MinotVoice | April 26, 2025

Ontario’s measles outbreak has now crossed a sobering milestone: over 1,000 confirmed cases since October. Public Health Ontario reported 95 new infections this week alone, with the majority concentrated in the province’s southwest. Health officials point to ongoing transmission among those who haven’t been vaccinated—especially troubling as three-quarters of cases are in children and teens.

Read & Share sourced from: The Canadian Press

Study Reveals The Optimal Number of Daily Steps to Offset Sitting Down

by: MinotVoice | April 25, 2025

If your day is mostly spent in a chair, there’s good news: you’re not out of luck—as long as you’re willing to walk a bit more. A new study suggests that even for those with long sedentary hours, getting in 9,000 to 10,000 steps a day can significantly cut the risk of heart disease and

Read & Share sourced from: Science Alert

US at tipping point for return of endemic measles

by: MinotVoice | April 25, 2025

A disease once thought defeated is inching back. A new study warns that declining childhood vaccination rates in the U.S. could bring measles back as an endemic threat, with hundreds of thousands—if not millions—of cases over the next 25 years. Researchers say even small drops in vaccination rates speed up the risk dramatically. The message

Read & Share sourced from: Reuters

New report cites ‘harmful effects’ of private equity firms buying nursing homes

by: Josh Wolsky | April 25, 2025

It’s one of the most sensitive roles in health care: caring for our elders. But behind the scenes, a quiet shift in ownership is raising concerns about whether profit is coming before people. A new report details how private equity firms are acquiring—and in some cases bankrupting—nursing homes across the U.S. The effects are felt

Read & Share sourced from: Iowa Capital Dispatch

Bird Flu Confirmed in Stutsman County backyard flock

by: MinotVoice | April 25, 2025

BISMARCK, N.D. – The North Dakota Department of Agriculture has received confirmation of the presence of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in a backyard chicken flock in Stutsman County from the North Dakota State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory. The State Board of Animal Health and the North Dakota Department of Agriculture are working closely with USDA-APHIS

Read & Share

Measles Misinformation Is on the Rise — And Americans Are Hearing It, Survey Finds

By: Arthur Allen, KFF Health News | April 23, 2025

While the most serious measles epidemic in a decade has led to the deaths of two children and spread to 27 states with no signs of letting up, beliefs about the safety of the measles vaccine and the threat of the disease are sharply polarized, fed by the anti-vaccine views of the country’s seniormost health

Read & Share sourced from: KFF Health News

How effective and safe are measles vaccines?

by: MinotVoice | April 21, 2025

Fifty years ago, measles was nearly a universal childhood illness—often dangerous, sometimes deadly. Today, it’s largely a preventable footnote, thanks to a vaccine that’s saved over 90 million lives worldwide. But in a world full of questions about risk, side effects, and trust in science, the conversation hasn’t ended. This article brings the data into

Read & Share sourced from: Our World in Data

Letter: Protecting Newborns Shouldn’t Be Political

By: Dr. Stephen McDonough | April 21, 2025

Newborn screening is one of the United States’ 10 greatest public health accomplishments of this century and greatly helps 15,000 children annually. Newborn screening began in the U.S. over 60 years ago with the PKU test. The Newborn Screening Saves Lives Act received bipartisan support when it was passed in 2007. The legislation established the

Read & Share

Montana confirms 5 measles cases in Gallatin County

by: MinotVoice | April 18, 2025

Montana’s long measles-free streak has come to an end. Health officials confirmed five cases in Gallatin County—the state’s first since 1990. All the cases involve unvaccinated or unknown-status individuals, and exposure may have occurred in public places. As the outbreak spreads nationally, this incident underscores a hard truth: when vaccination rates drop, long-dormant diseases return.

Read & Share sourced from: Montana Free Press

Here’s how to retrain your brain to crave movement more than screen time

by: MinotVoice | April 14, 2025

We all know the feeling — reaching for your phone when you’re stressed, tired, or just need a break. But what if moving your body could offer more relief than another scroll through social media? A new book from psychologist Diana Hill and movement specialist Katy Bowman makes the case that building small movement habits

Read & Share sourced from: MPR

Engineered Cells Restore Movement in Parkinson’s Study

by: MinotVoice | April 13, 2025

Scientists may be one step closer to a future where cell therapy works for everyone — no matching, no rejection, no lifelong drugs. In a breakthrough study, researchers engineered human stem cells to hide from the immune system and restore muscle control in rats with Parkinson’s disease. The approach combines bold science with built-in safety

Read & Share sourced from: Nature

“Not Just Measles”: Whooping Cough Cases Are Soaring as Vaccine Rates Decline

by: MinotVoice | April 12, 2025

While measles has grabbed the headlines, another preventable disease is quietly surging — and it’s claiming lives. Whooping cough, or pertussis, has roared back across the country, with cases rising more than 1,500% since 2021. Babies are especially at risk, and recent deaths in Louisiana, Washington, and other states are a grim warning. Health experts

Read & Share sourced from: ProPublica

North Dakota Senate fails bill to cut breast cancer screening costs for state employees

by: MinotVoice | April 12, 2025

A bill aimed at reducing out-of-pocket costs for breast cancer screenings fell short in the North Dakota Senate on Friday. House Bill 1283 would have made mammograms, MRIs, and other diagnostic exams free for state employees covered by the Public Employees Retirement System. Supporters called it a step toward removing financial barriers to early detection.

Read & Share sourced from: Bismarck Tribune

Local health departments left scrambling after abrupt federal budget cuts

by: MinotVoice | April 8, 2025

When federal dollars disappear overnight, local services feel it fast. That’s what Bismarck-Burleigh Public Health is facing after a nearly $200,000 funding cut took effect with just a day’s notice. Programs already in motion—like free COVID-19 tests and national health research—are now on hold. Plans for a Community Triage Center, aimed at helping people in

Read & Share sourced from: KFYR

Prairie Fare: How much do you know about the natural colorants in your food?

By: Julie Garden-Robinson, NDSU Extension Service | April 5, 2025

“Just think, in a few months, this street will be covered with a canopy of green leaves,” my husband commented as we drove home. I was looking at a precarious nest perched on a high, brown, leafless branch. “That’s a daring squirrel to build a nest over a busy street,” I added. On the following

Read & Share sourced from: NDSU Extension Service