Health & Wellness News

Join Megan Frank at 9:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. every Friday for Insights with LehighValleyNews.com on WLVR. This week, she's joined by Bethlehem reporter Will Oliver and Digital News Content Producer Makenzie Christman.

Northampton County Council voted 5-4 Thursday to provide free pads and tampons in every county-owned restroom equipped with running water, including men's rooms.

A Lehigh Valley woman thanks her German stem cell donor in-person nearly a decade and a pandemic after the transplant. St. Luke's University Health network helped connect the two.

Among the winners are projects to repaint the basketball court at Building 21; build several community gardens; and plant trees.

Northampton Community College has a new center dedicated to those going into the health care field. The school now offers cardiac sonography and respiratory care training, a state-of-the-art simulation center, and a center for interdisciplinary health sciences workforce development.

Four years into his massage therapy career, Jared Skinner set out to master a relatively "new" technique to the practice — rolfing. It's a 10-step practice on a weekly basis that aims to relieve the body naturally of pain for upwards of five to 10 years. Only 2,000 body workers professionally practice it worldwide.

Good Shepherd Rehabilitation is introducing groundbreaking robotic exoskeleton technology in the Lehigh Valley. The device helps people who may have suffered a spinal chord injury, stroke, or other paralyzing conditions walk.

The River Crossing YMCA in the Lehigh Valley is enrolling people for free programs this fall. The programs include health and wellness classes for veterans, those needing mental health assistance, those struggling with diabetes, and 7th grade students.

For Overdose Awareness Day, Easton will host a march from the free bridge to the amphitheater where community advocates will be recognized for their efforts, followed by an evening event where authorities and experts will share their thoughts and experiences concerning overdoses.

This time of year can be hectic for families sending kids back to the classroom. A culinary medicine specialist has some quick, easy ways to add nutrients into meal time.

A bike repair station donated by the Whitehall Area Rotary Club was dedicated at the Ironton Rail Trail pavilion on Monday.

The court is optimized to offer a brief but effective workout experience if needed. Users can exercise for 45 seconds, follow that with 15 seconds of rest and be through each zone around the seven-minute mark.

More salt puts people at greater risk for health problems such as high blood pressure, a dietitian says.

The bill has bipartisan co-sponsors but a House Republican spokesperson says it is not a priority this fall.

Roughly one in 10 people in the Valley rely on monthly food bank visits, the United Way says.

Another vaccine mandate deadline is approaching for employees of one Lehigh Valley health system.

The low-impact sport is a cross between tennis, ping pong and badminton.

More meals and a lag between delivery and reimbursement compound the problem.

The Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs has announced that the Pennsylvania Opioid Command Center will be revamped.

Penn State is requiring all University Park campus employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by December 8 to comply with President Joe Biden’s executive order, the university announced Tuesday.

Staffing shortages and hiring incentives already were in play. Then the pandemic hit.

A cursory glance at September COVID-19 data from Pennsylvania’s health department might lead some to conclude the vaccines are far less effective than they actually are, but a deeper look at who is vaccinated and who isn't paints a different picture.

Researchers around the world and in the commonwealth are looking into the therapeutic uses of psychedelic drugs. The use of certain substances are deeply rooted in Latin America’s Pre-Columbian societies and could be part of the future of psychiatric treatment.

At hospitals around Pennsylvania, there are now fewer available intensive care unit beds than at any point since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to data from the Pennsylvania Health Department.