+4 Some olive oils are pricey and some are cheap. What are the health differences? By MATT HAINES | Contributing writer Nov 1, 2026 Hardie French and his wife Laura opened Old Metairie Olive Oils and Vinegars last year because they love the fresh, complex flavor of high-quality olive oil. When their favorite New Orleans ol…
What’s the rate of endometriosis and other related conditions? Here’s the latest data. By MARGARET DeLANEY | Staff writer Nov 1, 2026 Endometriosis affects about 10% of reproductive-age women globally and impacts over 6.5 million women in the United States. But receiving a formal diagnosis takes anywhere from four to 12 year…
+6 A Louisiana doctor developed a test for ‘innate immunity.’ The state is giving it a try. By MARGARET DeLANEY | Staff writer Oct 31, 2026 Baton Rouge biotechnology company Phenomune has developed a way for people to test their body’s natural immunity to sickness. The state is spending $8 million to make the test available. But w…
Most doctors have about 15 minutes to give you. Here’s how to make the most of it. By DR. CURTIS CHASTAIN | Contributing writer Oct 31, 2026 The average face time between primary care doctor and patient is short. This Louisiana doctor has advice for how to make the most of it, starting with: Don’t ease into it.
Sweet treats to keep on hand BY MOLLY KIMBALL - RD, CSSD Oct 30, 2026 If your house looks anything like most on the day after Halloween, there’s probably no shortage of sugar within arm’s reach – and we’re just getting started! Halloween candy rolls straight int…
+3 Is the military actually low on testosterone? New Louisiana study shows answer far from simple. BY HALEY MILLER | Staff writer Oct 29, 2026 About 1 in 4 men in the U.S. Army may have a morning testosterone level falling below a commonly used threshold, a new paper from the Pennington Biomedical Research Center found.
+6 Personalized care, powered by innovation: How Ochsner is transforming breast cancer treatment BY AMANDA MCELFRESH | BRANDED CONTENT SPECIALIST Oct 25, 2026 For patients diagnosed with breast cancer, treatment looks different from one person to another. At Ochsner Health, physicians combine specialized expertise, coordinated care and advances in m…
+2 Doctor Says: ‘Tis The Season For RSV Wheezin’ By DR. SCOTT HAMILTON | Contributing writer Oct 25, 2026 This is a column in a series from Dr. Scott Hamilton, director of the pediatric emergency department at Ochsner Lafayette General Medical Center, offering practical guidance on preventing and …
How much protein do American adults eat? See how much, according to CDC data. By MARGARET DeLANEY | Staff writer Updated Oct 25, 2026 The protein craze train was cemented by the federal government’s dietary guidelines released this year. Data released from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that protein con…
+3 Two Tulane students discover new muscle attachment in the hip, ‘making a discovery like that is crazy’ By MARGARET DeLANEY | Staff writer Oct 25, 2026 Dominic Roy and Cooper Bruce were two 19-year-old sophomores working for the summer at Tulane University’s cadaver lab a couple of years ago, studying a biometric tool that could create 3D dig…
+3 New radiation oncology department, an honored pharmacist and a gut-brain study. The latest Louisiana health news. By MARGARET DeLANEY | Staff writer Updated Oct 30, 2026 Health Notes is an occasional listing of health happenings around Louisiana. Have something you'd like to share? Contact us at margaret.delaney@theadvocate.com.
+3 Layla Kiffin opens Baton Rouge fitness studio near LSU campus. She’s hoping Louisianans will embrace red light rooms. By MARGARET DeLANEY | Staff writer Oct 25, 2026 Layla Kiffin knew she wanted to find a wellness community in Baton Rouge when she moved from Los Angeles in early summer.
+3 A dietitian’s (and mom’s) approach to Halloween Guest column by Brittany Craft, a registered dietitian with Ochsner Eat Fit Oct 25, 2026 I love Halloween, and to some, that’s surprising! I have never watched a horror movie, I don’t particularly enjoy scary decorations and even more surprising — I’m a registered dietitian.
+5 This machine has saved infant lives for decades. Now a Baton Rouge hospital has its own. By MARGARET DeLANEY | Staff writer Oct 18, 2026 Woman’s Hospital adds a lifesaving ECMO machine to help newborns struggling to breathe. There are only three like it in Louisiana. Here’s how it works.
+6 Dementia rates are high in Louisiana. These experts have tips to keep our brains healthy. By MATT HAINES | Contributing writer Oct 18, 2026 Louisiana has high dementia rates. But there are simple ways to reduce your risks, experts say, starting with diet, exercise and good sleep.
+2 Louisiana’s rate of triple-negative breast cancer is higher than U.S. average. Here’s the data. By MARGARET DeLANEY | Staff writer Oct 18, 2026 Triple-negative breast cancer is an aggressive form of breast cancer where cancer cells don’t have estrogen receptors, progesterone receptors, or too much of a cancer protein called HER2. It g…
How I actually read a food label BY MOLLY KIMBALL - RD, CSSD Oct 18, 2026 I’ve been a dietitian for decades, but I don’t stand in the grocery aisle carefully reading every line of every Nutrition Facts label.
+2 The Pink Zombie: all treats, no tricks BY MOLLY KIMBALL - RD, CSSD Oct 11, 2026 Spooky season is here, and this year, it’s showing up in pink.
+2 Doctor Says: Flu season is fast approaching. Here’s what’s new about this year’s vaccine. By DR. OLIVIA RAGUSA | Contributing writer Oct 10, 2026 October is the month to strongly consider getting your annual flu vaccine, says Dr. Olivia Ragusa. And for people over 50, there’s something new about the vaccine this season.
+2 If you’re not getting good sleep, you’re like a lot of Louisianans. This doctor has advice. By RACHEL MIPRO | Contributing writerUpdated Oct 30, 2026 Louisianans need more sleep.
Louisiana’s adult obesity rate dropped in 2025, CDC says. Here’s the latest U.S. data. By MARGARET DeLANEY | Staff writer Oct 8, 2026 Louisiana jumped in the rankings for adult obesity rates, from the fourth-highest rate in the nation in 2023 to 19th-highest in 2025, according to newly released data from the Centers for Dise…
+3 How a Baton Rouge artist and a cancer survivor teamed up for a journey down the catwalk By MARGARET DeLANEY | Staff writer Oct 7, 2026 Every October, the Foundation for Woman’s in Baton Rouge builds a fashion runway.
+4 In Austin and beyond, nonprofit groups help musicians pay for health insurance By OLIVIA ALDRIGE | KUT in AUSTIN Oct 4, 2026 AUSTIN, Texas — Musician Zack Morgan jokes that when he lost his corporate job in 2015, it was like being pushed off a cliff. For years, he said, he’d been playing both sides of the Austin coi…
+5 Is coffee good or bad? Studies vary, but this New Orleans cardiologist has done the research. By MATT HAINES | Contributing writer Oct 4, 2026 Dr. Carl “Chip” Lavie has been a cardiologist at the John Ochsner Heart and Vascular Institute in New Orleans since 1989, specializing in preventive cardiology, obesity management, cardiac reh…
Louisiana man has state’s first single incision, robotic-assisted lung surgery By MARGARET DELANEY | Staff writer Oct 4, 2026 A Tulane surgeon performed the first lung resection in Louisiana, Arkansas or Mississippi using robotic-assisted technology that reduces post-surgical pain and lengthy hospital stays, the univ…
Salt: how to make a little taste like a lot BY MOLLY KIMBALL - RD, CSSD Oct 4, 2026 Salt has become one of those ingredients we’re conditioned to think of as something to eliminate. But sodium isn’t inherently bad. It’s an essential nutrient that helps regulate fluid balance …
+3 ‘A new era’: What this New Orleans surgeon has learned by helping breast cancer survivors By MARGARET DeLANEY | Staff writer Sep 27, 2026 Plastic surgeon Meredith Collins shares how her career path led to New Orleans and fulfillment in helping breast cancer survivors.
+8 Looking for a way to sharpen your mind? Bird-watchers may have found it. By MARGARET DeLANEY | Staff writer Sep 27, 2026 Early in the morning, before the city wakes, Jane Patterson clocks in an hour or two on a slow, pause-filled walk through conservation land near her home in Ponchatoula. She waits for the soun…