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A group of global experts is proposing a new way to define and diagnose obesity, reducing the emphasis on the controversial body mass index and hoping to better identify people who need treatment for the disease caused by excess body fat.

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U.S. regulators on Wednesday banned the dye called Red 3 from the nation’s food supply, nearly 35 years after it was barred from cosmetics because of potential cancer risk.

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WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal officials on Wednesday released a far-reaching proposal to make cigarettes far less addictive by capping their nicotine content, a goal long sought by antismoking advocates that is unlikely to go into effect anytime soon.

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SHEFFIELD — Veterans' outpatient clinics in several cities will be closed Friday due to hazardous weather conditions that are expected to impact travel across central and north Alabama Friday.

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FLORENCE — The third annual Shoals Scale Back even is 1-5 p.m. on Feb. 15 at the Harvest Mitchell Gym (610 W. College St.)

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CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Lory Osborn says the Wegovy she was prescribed 15 months ago did more than help her lose 75 pounds — over a quarter of her body weight. The administrative assistant at West Virginia University said she feels healthier at 62 than she has since graduating high school.

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Glancing at the ground, Summer McCreless excitedly pointed out a patch of thriving chickweed — an edible plant said to support digestion and weight loss — growing beneath the trees at Wildwood Park in Florence.

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WASHINGTON — Changes are coming to the cold and cough aisle of your local pharmacy: U.S. officials are moving to phase out the leading decongestant found in hundreds of over-the-counter medicines, concluding that it doesn’t actually relieve nasal congestion.

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Packaged foods in the U.S. will have to follow new rules in order to call themselves “healthy,” according to changes finalized this week by the Food and Drug Administration.

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Americans should eat more beans, peas and lentils and cut back on red and processed meats and starchy vegetables, all while continuing to limit added sugars, sodium and saturated fat.

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BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — Young adult immigrants known as “Dreamers” in 19 U.S. states will be temporarily blocked from getting health insurance through the Affordable Care Act's public marketplace, a federal judge has ruled, limiting an effort by the Biden administration to help immigrants brou…

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MONTGOMERY — A joint task force charged with researching and proposing solutions for Alabama’s high obesity and diabetes rates appeared this week to pour cold water on the idea of expanding access to weight-loss drugs, something the group had explored for more than a year.

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MONTGOMERY — In conjunction with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Alabama Department of Public Health is launching a campaign to target pregnancy related deaths in the state, rates of which remain among the highest in the nation.

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WASHINGTON — Millions of Americans with obesity would be eligible to have popular weight-loss drugs like Wegovy or Zepbound covered by Medicare or Medicaid under a new rule the Biden administration proposed Tuesday morning.

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MONTGOMERY — Alabama’s infant mortality rate has climbed to the highest level since 2016, according to new data shared Thursday by the Alabama State Committee of Public Health.

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WASHINGTON — Those ever-present TV drug ads showing patients hiking, biking or enjoying a day at the beach could soon have a different look: New rules require drugmakers to be clearer and more direct when explaining their medications' risks and side effects.

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NEW YORK — The decline in U.S. drug overdose deaths appears to have continued this year, giving experts hope the nation is seeing sustained improvement in the persistent epidemic.

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At least 104 people have been sickened, with 34 hospitalized, in an outbreak of E. coli food poisoning tied to onions served on McDonald's Quarter Pounder hamburgers, federal health officials said Wednesday.

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When Hollie Green graduated from Shoals Christian School and enrolled at the University of North Alabama, she knew she wanted to follow in her parents’ footsteps and enter the medical field.

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Texas hospitals must ask patients starting Friday whether they are in the U.S. legally and track the cost of treating people without legal status following an order by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott that expands the state's clash with the Biden administration over immigration.

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FLORENCE — Some Florence High School parents and guardians received a letter last Friday from the Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) after a student was diagnosed with pertussis. 

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WASHINGTON — Americans can start signing up Friday for health care coverage offered through the Affordable Care Act marketplace for 2025, days before a presidential election that could threaten eligibility and raise costs for millions of those in the program.

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FLORENCE — Florence Academy of Fine Arts (FAFA) Dance students on Tuesday relayed an important message to peers: you are not alone. 

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WASHINGTON — Millions of people with private health insurance would be able to pick up over-the-counter methods like condoms, the “morning after” pill and birth control pills for free under a new rule the White House proposed on Monday.