Medical Minutes with WISH-TV

More than three years after COVID-19 arrived in the United States, the country’s former top doctor believes the federal government is still not acting fast enough to protect Americans from the virus or a pandemic of another kind. Dr. Jerome Adams, WISH-TV medical expert and former U.S. surgeon general, has published a new behind-the-scenes account of the White House’s response to the onset of the...

More than six million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease. By 20-50, that number is expected to more than double. Now, researchers are working to identify some risk factors for this mysterious disease. Alzheimer’s disease is both devastating and deadly. In fact, it’s the sixth leading cause of death in the U.S. One of the biggest problems doctors face is that symptoms typically don’t app...

Dr. Jerome Adams, the WISH-TV medical expert and a former U.S. surgeon general, talked Tuesday on News 8 about World Mental Health Day .He said he’d give Indiana a grade of D+ for its mental health treatment. An anesthesiologist with a master’s degree in public health, Adams said that “there’s no way you can give us a passing grade when you consider that one-fifth of Hoosiers had a mental health i...

Colorectal cancer is the second deadliest type of cancer, and 52,000 more deaths are expected in 2023. As older adults undergo regular screenings, should younger adults do the same? See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

There’s no denying that social media plays a large role in the lives of today’s teenagers. Studies show they’re online nearly nine hours a day, and half report visiting a social media site at least daily. While social media platforms can help kids stay connected with family and friends, they can also be harmful. Now, the American Psychological Association has released new guidelines for teens’ soc...

Nursing is facing an unprecedented crisis as the healthcare industry grapples with a severe shortage of nurses. This shortage is projected to reach 13 million nurses worldwide by 2030. That’s why hospitals are now seeking innovative strategies to revolutionize the field to save both jobs and lives. Experts say nearly a million nurses will exit the industry in the next four years. See Privacy Polic...

A study reveals ways women can protect themselves from the health risks of exposure to pollution during pregnancy. Being pregnant makes women vulnerable to many infections, but the study published in April from Texas A&M University researchers found a possible reason for an increased risk of respiratory viral infections, such as the flu, in pregnant women. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.c...

70% of adults will experience some form of trauma in their lives – that’s more than 220 million people in the U.S. It can impact our physical and mental health, the way we live our lives, our work, and even the people closet to us. The thing about trauma is nobody knows who or how a person will experience it. In fact, trauma doesn’t have a timeline and can be triggered years, even decades after th...

More than 14 million children and teens in the U.S. are living with obesity. It’s a chronic disease associated with a lifetime of health risks. That’s why for the first time ever, the American Academy of Pediatrics released groundbreaking guidelines on treating children battling obesity. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-n...

Lung cancer is the most common form of cancer and the leading cause of cancer deaths in the U.S. 1-in-5 to be exact. Catching it early is key, but in the past, only 20 – 30% of lung cancers were found at stage one or two. Now, doctors have a new tool to help them to find and diagnose it earlier than ever before. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https...

Starting the day earlier, especially as people age, offers benefits. Early to bed, early to rise, not only makes a person wealthy and wise, but healthy, too, especially if they’ve older than 65. New research suggests activities that may be within a person’s control, such as keeping a regular sleep routine for older adults, may lead to better mental health. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/p...

Fractures can be painful and debilitating. For most people, the pain only lasts for months, but some can be left with a lifetime of hurt. Now, a first-of-its-kind procedure is helping patients living in pain to become pain-free. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Dr. Jerome Adams, WISH-TV medical expert and a former U.S. surgeon general, said Monday that the numbers are rising the fastest in Texas, Florida, and New York, with a 10% increase in COVID-19-related hospitalizations. “Many people feel like they’ve moved on from COVID, but unfortunately COVID has not moved on from us,” Adams said. “We’re not going back to a place where we’re shutting down schools...

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than half of Americans ages 18 and older regularly consume alcohol, and nearly 17% of adults binge drink. Outside of regular use, too much alcohol can cause more problems than expected. Research shows that about 15 million Americans struggle with an alcohol use disorder, but only 10% of those receive help. This excessive alcohol use...

While the connection between physical health and longevity is well-established, researchers are now finding even our attitude towards aging can add, or subtract, years to our life. But how do we keep a positive perspective when we’re bombarded with images of old wicked witches and grumpy old men? We are in a new age of how we think about aging and it may just help us all live longer, healthier liv...

The Indiana Black & Minority Health Fair begins Thursday at the Indiana Convention Center and is offering free health tests to participants. The goal of the Indiana Black & Minority Health Fair is to raise minority awareness of chronic diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, hypertension, and cancer, and how to prevent them. The fair is also working toward raising awareness of h...

For the past two years, News 8 has been proud to team up with partners at Community Health Network to dedicate time to talk about the biggest health issues facing Indiana. The “WISH-TV Health Spotlight Special” talked about the No. 1 cause of death in the state, which can be a silent killer, heart disease. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control says heart disease was the No. 1 cause of death in 42 o...

WISH-TV Medical Expert and former Attorney General Dr. Jerome Adams joined Health Spotlight Wednesday to discuss the state of air quality in Indianapolis.“ If you go to airnow.gov and put in anywhere in the Indianapolis area, you will see that the air is rated as very unhealthy,” said Dr. Adams. “I’ve never been in a situation in Indiana where the air has been this bad.” See Privacy Policy at http...

Figuring out which foods trigger irritable bowel syndrome can be a challenge. A new test used a simplified method to cut down how much time it can take to figure out which foods can trigger the syndrome. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

From heart attacks and strokes to COVID-19 and car accidents, more than 5 million people will be admitted into intensive care units across the country this year. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, that’s about 1 in every 35 adults. The average stay is 3 days, but for seniors, that number grows to six days. Though doctors and nurses do everything they can, there’s little t...

June is men’s health month and with Father’s Day quickly approaching, it may be time to take another look at the impact a sedentary lifestyle can have on dads. It’s important to know that the “Dad Bod” can pose serious health risks. Community Health Network registered dietitian, Kaitlyn Wong, joined Daybreak to talk about the different ways to avoid those risks. See Privacy Policy at https://art19...

A music therapy was designed to help save children so sick they spend most of their lives inside a hospital. Being hospitalized can be a difficult and often traumatic experience for anyone, but, for children, it can be especially challenging. They are forced to endure painful medical treatments, unfamiliar people, and separation from their families. As a result, many children experience anxiety, d...

COVID-19 first hit the news more than three years ago, but since then, so much has been learned about the virus. Research now tells us that the virus can last up to 72 hours on plastic and stainless-steel surfaces, and 24 hours on cardboard, suggesting that you don’t have to come into contact with a person who has COVID in order to get it. Now, researchers at the University of Central Florida are...

Why do some seniors age gracefully, looking and moving like a person half their age? How can people be “super agers?” See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Researchers are now testing a new therapy for pancreatic cancer. About 64,000 Americans will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2023. Over 50,000 will die from it. Health experts say it’s a hard cancer to cure because it doesn’t respond well to standard chemotherapy. Researchers are testing a new therapy for patients with pancreatic and other cancers fueled by a genetic mutation. See Privacy P...