Health

Tens of thousands of Instagram followers can't be wrong: Curiosity about the sober life is trending. Scientists say cutting out alcohol can improve your sleep and blood pressure, and help your liver.

U.S. women will soon have another drug option designed to boost low sex drive: a shot they can give themselves in the thigh or abdomen that raises sexual interest for several hours.

More people are choosing to drink less, driven by growing concerns about health and wellness. But there haven't been many high-quality nonalcoholic beers available. Booming demand has forced a change.

A study found a patient's odds of getting a surprise bill vary greatly depending on the state he or she lives in. Texas seems like a bit of a gamble, with 27 percent of emergency room visits and 38 percent of in-network hospital stays triggering at least one such bill. Minnesota looks safer, with odds of 2 percent and 3 percent, respectively.

Nationwide -- even with more people covered through the Affordable Care Act -- nearly 30 million Americans remain without health insurance. And medical problems that go undiagnosed and untreated often get worse.

Four more Twin Cities hospital systems have reached tentative contract agreements with their nurses unions — including a pay raise and new protections for nurses injured on the job.

A University of Minnesota survey indicates sexually transmitted infections among Minnesota youth hit record levels in 2018.

Dr. Kaz Nelson, a psychiatrist at the University of Minnesota, discusses intrusive thoughts for our weekly health chat.

The Senate majority leader wants to raise the age for tobacco sales to 21. An NPR review of once-secret documents shows how closely McConnell has worked with the industry over decades.

UnitedHealth Group is rejecting some plaintiffs demands in a class action lawsuit after a judge agreed the company has been too stingy in its coverage of mental health care.

Many users now mix opioids with stimulants such as meth and cocaine. Researchers say efforts to get doctors to reduce opioid prescriptions may have driven some users to buy meth on the street instead.

Physician Louise Aronson treats patients who are in their 60s — as well as those who are older than 100. She writes about changing approaches to elder health care in the book, "Elderhood.

A U.S. Senate report says several nursing homes in the state are not getting the extra oversight they should receive.

A service called neuromonitoring can cut the risk of nerve damage during delicate surgery. But some patients are receiving large bills they didn't expect.

What started as multiple cases of strep throat in a Minnesota boy turned into a two-year battle with a rare disorder and a push to require coverage of its treatment.

Nurses at Children's Minnesota in Minneapolis and St. Paul say they've reached a tentative agreement on a new three-year contract with the health system.

The vote doesn't mean a strike in imminent, but the strike authorization means union leaders could call a strike any time without going back to the rank-and-file. However, before walking out the nurses would have to wait out a 10-day notice period.

The U.S. government has doled out at least $2.4 billion in state grants since 2017, specifically targeting the opioid epidemic. Yet drug abuse problems seldom involve only one substance.

Minnesotans aged 65 and over are the heaviest users of prescription drugs, but rank third behind two younger age groups in use of medical marijuana.