Health

Health
9 ways to get healthier in 2024 without trying very hard
Last year, NPR's health reporters dug into the science of healthy living. Here are nine things they learned that can help you embrace small shifts with big payoffs in the year ahead.
A trusted Minnesota COVID-19 tracking source is ending
David Montgomery started his thorough tracking of COVID-19 numbers as a data reporter at MPR News. He has since left the newsroom, but he kept up his COVID-19 tracking for more than three years.
7 habits to live a healthier life, inspired by the world's longest-lived communities
Dan Buettner has spent decades exploring the lifestyles and diets of people in remote places where living to 100 is more common. Here are life-enhancing habits from these “blue zones.”
Wildfire smoke this year woke up places unaccustomed to its effects. Now what?
Wildfires worsened by climate change spewed smoke over much of North America this year. It's a new reality Americans haven't yet processed: how dangerous the smoke is for human health.
A popular asthma inhaler is leaving pharmacy shelves. Here's what you need to know
Flovent — a common asthma inhaler — will be discontinued in 2024. There will be a generic version available, but the change could make it hard for some patients to get their medication.
Minnesota's COVID-19 hospitalizations, deaths in 2023 less than half those in 2022
2023 was the fourth year where thousands of Minnesotans ended up hospitalized and hundreds died due to COVID-19. As tragic as those numbers are, it is worth noting that both hospitalizations and deaths are down by more than 55 percent from the year prior.
‘Red flag’ gun removal orders become new option in Minnesota in 2024
Earlier this year, the DFL-led Legislature approved the policy that will let a person petition the court to remove a firearm from another individual if they pose an extreme risk. It starts Jan. 1.