Health & Wellness

Los Angeles – October 30, 2026 -- Eligible Astiva Health members in Southern California can now get covered medical supplies delivered through Shield HealthCare, which is fully contracted with the health plan.

Coverage depends on each member's plan

Members whose plans include covered supplies can order through Shield HealthCare. Coverage varies by member and plan, and every order must meet the applicable benefit, eligibility and coverage requirements.

Shield HealthCare supplies patients at home and handles insurance billing

The company provides medical supplies to patients at home. It also offers billing support to help customers work through insurance requirements and access eligible products.

BOSTON – October 30, 2026 -- When the clocks fall back on the night of Sunday, November 1, Americans will sleep only about 11 minutes longer than on a typical Saturday, according to new Withings data, and by the following weekend they sleep less than usual.

Withings data shows the bonus hour mostly disappears

Withings analyzed 237,480 nights of sleep data from US users aged 18 and over, covering the autumn clock changes of 2023, 2024 and 2025. On the night itself, sleep was also more broken than usual, with slightly more frequent wake-ups.

In the week afterward, people woke around 16 minutes earlier and went to bed around 15 minutes earlier by the clock. By the next Saturday they slept about four minutes less than usual, with a slightly lower sleep score. Sleep quality returned to its pre-change level over the following two weeks.

In Europe, where clocks change a week earlier, people gain between 10 and 15 minutes.

Deerfield Beach – October 30, 2026 -- The youth charity Be Strong has named 16 students and alumni to its first National Student Advisory Board, a group that will help steer the organization's Never Alone campaign on youth mental health and peer support.

The board includes middle school students, high school students, and young adults. Some are current Be Strong Student Representatives and others are alumni. Members come from Colorado, Louisiana, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, Iowa, Connecticut, Mississippi, New York, Texas, Ohio, and Virginia.

Never Alone aims to make help easier to find

Be Strong launched Never Alone in 2025 to close the gap between people who need help and the support available to them. The campaign combines awareness, peer leadership, immediate assistance, and pathways to ongoing care, with the goal of reaching people before struggles become crises.

ARLINGTON, Va. – October 29, 2026 -- March of Dimes' flagship fundraiser, March for Babies, has raised more than $18.1 million to date, and registration for the 2027 edition opens Nov. 1, 2026.

Now in its 56th year, the event drew over 57,000 registered participants, including families, corporate partners, volunteers, and community advocates. Fundraising continues through the rest of 2026.

Money raised funds research, education, and advocacy

March of Dimes President and CEO Cindy Rahman said the proceeds will help the nonprofit accelerate research, education, and advocacy work on pressing maternal and infant health challenges. She said the event reflects the belief that "every mom and baby deserves the opportunity to thrive."

MILLBURN, N.J. – October 29, 2026 -- Families can clear expired and unused prescription drugs out of their homes on Saturday, November 14, 2026, during the 18th Annual American Medicine Chest Challenge (AMCC) Day of Awareness of Prescription Drugs and Safe Disposal. Communities across the United States will take part in the national public health initiative.

Most misused pain relievers come from friends or relatives

According to SAMHSA's 2024 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 42.3 percent of people age 12 or older who misused prescription pain relievers got the most recently misused medicine from a friend or relative. Taking unused, unwanted and expired medications to a collection site removes them from the home. That reduces the chance that someone takes a medicine not prescribed for them, or that a child accidentally swallows it.

Richmond, Rhode Island – October 29, 2026 -- Valmont facials now start at $350 at The Hilltop Lodge & Spa, making The Preserve Sporting Club & Resort one of only four Valmont spas in the United States.

Valmont brings Swiss treatments to a 3,500-acre resort

The Preserve, a 3,500-acre sporting destination in Richmond, has partnered with Valmont, a Swiss luxury skincare house with more than 40 years of history. The new Valmont for The Hilltop Lodge & Spa program adds signature facial and body treatments to the resort's hilltop spa. Valmont combines Swiss cellular cosmetic research with ingredients inspired by the country's natural resources and is known for its use of Salmon DNA.

Folsom, Calif. – October 29, 2026 -- A handful of walnuts, about 12–14 halves, delivers 2.5 grams of plant-based omega-3 ALA, and new research links higher prenatal ALA levels to better attention in early childhood.

The study, published in the European Journal of Epidemiology and funded by the California Walnut Commission, examined how omega-3 fatty acids measured at birth related to children's thinking skills years later. It is described as the first to assess cord plasma ALA proportions against cognitive trajectories in offspring.

Mainz – October 29, 2026 -- A new documentary from ARD Wissen, "Meine Träume – Was verraten sie über mich?" (My Dreams – What Do They Reveal About Me?), is streaming now in the ARD Mediathek. It asks whether people are helpless against their nightmares or can learn to shape them.

Nightmares affect 3 to 7 percent of healthy adults every week

People spend about a third of their lives asleep, and they dream even if they don't remember it. According to the film, roughly 3 to 7 percent of healthy adults have at least one nightmare a week. People with mental illness or trauma have them far more often. A so-called nightmare disorder can be severely distressing, because fear and negative feelings from sleep can spill into daily life.

Los Angeles – October 29, 2026 -- Residents of Modesto, California, can now book laser hair removal, Botox® and dermal fillers at a new LaserAway clinic at 3401 Dale Road, Suite 655. It is the company's 238th location.

LaserAway reaches its 20th year without closing a clinic

The opening coincides with the company's 20th anniversary. LaserAway says it has grown continuously for two decades without a single clinic closure. Dr. Roy Winston and brothers Scott, Brock and Todd Heckmann founded it in 2006, starting with one clinic on Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood. Today the company operates in 36 states, and all locations are privately owned and operated, with no franchises.

Licensed medical professionals perform every treatment

Nurse practitioners, physician assistants and registered nurses carry out all treatments. Dr. Will Kirby serves as Chief Medical Officer and leads a Medical Board of more than 25 board-certified dermatologists.

Hauppauge – October 29, 2026 -- Manhattan voters have named SightMD a winner in the 2026 The City's Best competition, with awards covering LASIK surgery, optometry and ophthalmology.

Public votes decide The City's Best winners

The competition invites the public to nominate and vote for favorite Manhattan businesses and professionals. The top nominees advance to the official ballot, and the organization with the most votes wins first place in its category. Schneps Media promotes the program across its local print and digital publications.

SightMD runs 38 locations across New York

SightMD describes itself as an integrated ophthalmic group with over 100 doctors and more than 50 years of clinical track record. It serves communities in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts.