Hives are an allergic reaction and can sometimes be a sign of a more serious immune response.

The nation’s top public health agency is relaxing its COVID-19 guidelines and dropping the recommendation that Americans quarantine themselves if they come into close contact with an infected person. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also said Thursday that people no longer need to stay at least 6 feet away from others. The changes come more than 2 1/2 years after the start of the pandemic. They are driven by a recognition that an estimated 95% of Americans 16 and older have acquired some level of immunity, either from being vaccinated or infected.

Jennette McCurdy, who co-starred in Nickelodeon shows “iCarly” and its spin-off “Sam & Cat,” has written a book called “I'm Glad My Mom Died.” McCurdy tells about growing up with an abusive mother who she says pushed her into showbiz, encouraged her to starve herself and who insisted upon bathing her daughter into her late teens. Debra McCurdy died in 2013 from complications of cancer. It's taken McCurdy years of therapy to get to the point where she is able to not only share her story, but laugh about parts too. She also hosts a podcast called “Empty Inside” and says she no longer has an eating disorder.

Here are some tried-and-true tips from experts on how to ease those "please-let-me-get-to-sleep" worries.

Melanoma is a type of skin cancer that develops in cells that produce your skin’s pigment. Regular skin checks can help you identify the warni…

A once-prominent neurologist who was convicted last month of sexually abusing patients has killed himself at a New York City jail. Dr. Ricardo Cruciani was awaiting sentencing, and faced an upcoming federal trial alleging abuse spanning 15 years. He was found unresponsive Monday in a jail shower on Rikers Island, according to two people familiar with the matter. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to speak publicly. Cruciani's lawyer has called for an investigation into whether the jail complied with a court order to place him on suicide watch. Prosecutors said Cruciani groomed vulnerable patients by overprescribing painkillers.

Lt. Gov. Josh Green is the Democratic Party’s candidate to be Hawaii’s next governor. Green defeated U.S. Rep. Kaiali’i Kahele and former Hawaii first lady Vicky Cayetano in Saturday’s primary election. Green has served as second-in-command to Hawaii Gov. David Ige for the past four years. Ige has served two four-year terms and is not eligible to run for re-election. The winner of the Democratic primary would be the favorite to win the general election in the liberal state. Former Lt. Gov. James R. “Duke” Aiona won the Republican primary for governor, defeating mixed martial arts championship fighter B.J. Penn.

Men are known to be more likely to develop cancer than women, and a new study suggests that this is due to certain biologic differences between the sexes. Here's that and more health news.

It’s not just mosquitos. Flooding, extreme heat and other climate-related hazards are bringing people into contact with pathogens more often.

Heathrow Airport in London says its limit on the number of passengers is easing a travel crunch that has led to flight cancellations and lost luggage. Britain’s busiest airport has capped the daily number of departing passengers at 100,000 until Sept. 11 and asked airlines to stop selling tickets and cut flights. Heathrow said in a statement Thursday that the cap has cut down on last-minute flight cancellations and improved baggage delivery and on-time planes. It says the number of security screeners is at pre-pandemic levels, allowing 88% of travelers to get through checkpoints within 20 minutes. Soaring numbers of travelers this summer have overwhelmed airports and airlines, which had laid off thousands of employees during the depths of the pandemic.