The Latest Breaking News from UCLA Health

DEAR DOCTORS: My best friend has diabetes. She used to do finger sticks, but now she has a wearable glucose monitor. How do they work? It's got me wondering if it might be a good idea for me to use one, too. I'm 66 years old, and as I'm getting…

DEAR DOCTORS: I thought brushing your tongue was an important part of oral hygiene. But a friend who is a nurse says it's not a great idea. She said it has something to do with the mouth microbiome and high blood pressure. I didn't even know the mouth had a…

DEAR DOCTORS: I need it to be completely dark to sleep well. I've got blackout curtains, I use an analogue clock and I even duct-taped the digital lights on the smoke alarm. I just read that light at night is bad for your health. Is that true? I want my…

DEAR DOCTORS: I’ve been hearing a lot about PFAS and how they have an adverse effect on our health. I read that some food wrappers, like bags for microwave popcorn, use PFAS to keep food from sticking. My kids eat microwaved popcorn almost every night. Should I be worried?

DEAR DOCTORS: I had lunch with a co-worker, and she's on a keto diet. She says she can have only 35g of carbohydrates per day. The label on the candy bar she was eating said it had 26g of carbs, which is almost her whole carb budget. But she said…

DEAR DOCTORS: Our nine-year-old loves science and has become obsessed with saliva. He recently learned in school that it helps prevent disease, and now he wants to know more. My wife and I are glad he's curious and hope you can help. What is saliva? Does it really help people…

These include a lower risk of health problems including Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, chronic liver disease, Parkinson’s disease, depression, and liver and endometrial cancers.

Disposable gowns designed to deflect the splatter of bodily fluids, used in thousands of U.S. hospitals, have underperformed in recent and ongoing laboratory tests and may fall short of safety standards, leaving health care workers with a greater risk of infection than advertised.

DEAR DOCTORS: Where do we stand on coffee these days? It seems like there's always a new study that says either coffee is healthy or that it's bad for you. I've even read that coffee helps your brain stay sharp. I love my daily morning cup and hope that the…

DEAR DOCTORS: My father passed away due to unexplained liver problems that we only now know was fatty liver disease. It's 20 years later, and a CT scan shows some fat in my own liver. My liver readings are normal, but I'm the same age as my father was when…

DEAR DOCTORS: I think that as I get older, I may be developing a sensitivity to caffeine. If that's actually something that can happen, it will make me very sad. I have always loved my cup of coffee in the morning, but now I find that it makes me a…