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Latest California Healthline Stories

Philanthropist Aims To Shed Light On ‘Dark Matter Of Bioscience’ With $100M Commitment

Billionaire philanthropist Paul Allen’s goal is to give money to scientists who have out-of-the-box ideas and unconventional approaches to projects in tissue regeneration, antibiotic resistance, gene editing and the development of brain circuitry. Stanford and Tufts will receive the initial set of grants.

Managing Chronic Back Pain Through Mindfulness

A new study finds that mindfulness can be an effective treatment option for back pain. Dr. Madhav Goyal, a physician in Northern California and an assistant professor at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine hypothesizes that it allows a patient to detach from the pain. One of his patients “still has the chronic pain, but he was dancing with it rather than fighting with it, and that made all the difference for him.”

Officials Spreading The Word On Medi-Cal Expansion

Starting May 1, Medi-Cal will be available to all children regardless of their immigration status. But officials worry they will have to overcome the distrust that makes some families reluctant to seek coverage and care.

FDA To Institute Safety Warning Labels For Opioids

The move is the agency’s latest step in the battle against one of the worst drug epidemics in the United States. The labels on the bottles will include messages about the serious risk of misuse, abuse, addiction, overdose and death from the medications.

On Anniversary Of Health Law, Contraception Mandate Goes In Front Of Supreme Court Again

If the court splits 4-4, following the death of Justice Antonin Scalia, it could leave a patchwork of confusion in place created by conflicting opinions in the lower courts.

Scientists Brace For Backlash From Zika Research Method Utilizing Pregnant Monkey

Dave O’Connor and Tom Friedrich are bucking trends and posting their Zika research findings as they get them — instead of going through the peer-reviewed journal process. But part of that research has involved injecting a pregnant monkey with the virus, and the scientists think that perhaps providing that information could be “an invitation to disaster,” even if it is “profound.”