Health and Fitness
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Obesity still high in U.S., but more states are showing progress
Oct 26, 2025 10:54 am - For the first time in more than a decade, the number of states with rates of obesity of 35% or more has dropped, an encouraging sign that America’s epidemic of excess weight might be improving.
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Dead soldiers’ teeth reveal diseases that doomed Napoleon’s army
Oct 25, 2025 12:02 am - Historical accounts of Napoleon’s campaign to invade Russia have focused the brunt of the blame on a louse-borne disease, typhus. But a new study of bacterial DNA preserved in the teeth of 13 soldiers adds two new diseases — paratyphoid fever and a relapsing fever — to the ailments that plagued one of the most disastrous episodes in military history.
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Mental health: Know the cost of mental health treatment optionsOct 21, 2025 2:35 pm - Families of loved ones with a mental illness or a suspected mental illness are often unaware of what their insurance covers. It may cost more for supplemental coverage on the front end, but it could save you a lot of money on the back end.
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Advice to feed babies peanuts early and often helped thousands of kids avoid allergies
Oct 20, 2025 9:16 pm - A decade after a landmark study proved that feeding peanut products to young babies could prevent development of life-threatening allergies, new research finds the change has made a big difference in the real world.
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‘Best thing in the world’: Hundreds receive free care at Heal Elgin clinicOct 19, 2025 6:45 pm - Patients came for free health care and left with priceless smiles during the Heal Elgin clinic Sunday at the Judson University Fitness Center in Elgin.
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Out of grief, hope for others: Suicide prevention organizations work together to spur dialogue, reduce rates in schoolsOct 19, 2025 9:03 am - In 2023, suicide was the second-leading cause of death of those between ages 10 and 34 in America. Larry and Mary Jo Butz of Hawthorn Woods know personally the impact of that statistic. Now, through Megan Butz Legacy of Hope and Elyssa’s Mission, they are working with schools to educate and identify at-risk students.
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Special Strong inclusive gym services now available in several Western suburbsOct 18, 2025 2:45 pm - Special Strong, a specialty fitness provider for people with mental, physical and cognitive challenges, had a grand opening celebration Saturday in Elmhurst for its new franchise serving the Western suburbs.
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The workers whose health care is most at stake in the government shutdown
Oct 18, 2025 1:44 pm - They are restaurateurs and beauticians, landscapers and mediators, chiropractors and funeral directors. They are freelancers, contractors and gig workers. And they now find themselves stuck in the middle of the political battle that has shut down the government.
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Should you brush your teeth before or after breakfast?
Oct 17, 2025 8:30 am - Brushing before or after breakfast is a personal choice. And while there are advantages to doing both, in general, brushing after any meal is a good idea.
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What happens when you roll your shoulders?
Oct 17, 2025 8:28 am - We roll our shoulders and stretch our backs because it feels relaxing, maybe even rejuvenating. In healthy adults, the stretch leads to a quick drop in blood pressure, researchers have found. And the body’s reaction to the movement may explain why we feel calmer after we stretch.