Free Republic

Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump has dropped 15 pounds in the last year, doesn't drink or smoke and could be "the healthiest individual ever elected" president in U.S. history, according to an effusive physician’s note released by his campaign Monday. "I am fortunate to have been blessed with great genes," Mr. Trump said in a statement accompanying the doctor’s letter. "People have been impressed by my stamina, but to me it has been easy because I am truly doing something that I love." A recent examination of the 69-year-old businessman's health showed only positives, said Dr. Harold N. Bornstein, a...

Does an organic strawberry contain more vitamin C than a conventional one? Maybe — or maybe not. Stanford University scientists have weighed in on the “maybe not” side of the debate after an extensive examination of four decades of research comparing organic and conventional foods. They concluded that fruits and vegetables labeled organic were, on average, no more nutritious than their conventional counterparts, which tend to be far less expensive. Nor were they any less likely to be contaminated by dangerous bacteria like E. coli. The researchers also found no obvious health advantages to organic meats. Conventional fruits and vegetables...

U.S. health officials announced Friday that private insurers can send seniors information on health-related issues as long as they allow their members to opt out of receiving the communications, effectively ending its probe of Humana. The federal government, in the face of allegations it was trampling on free speech, has closed its investigation of a major insurance company for allegedly trying to scare seniors with a mailer warning they could lose important benefits under President Obama's health reform plan. U.S. health officials announced Friday that private insurers can send seniors information on health-related issues as long as they allow their...

Gallup says independents now favor Republicans by nine points. assing health-care reform could be harmful to the health of congressional Democrats. Just look at how President Barack Obama's standing has fallen as he has pushed for reform. According to Fox News surveys, the number of independents who oppose health-care reform hit 57% at the end of September, up from 33% in July. Independents are generally a quarter of the vote in off-year congressional elections.

The ball is in President Obama's court to reach out to Republicans if he wants a bipartisan bill on healthcare reform, House GOP Leader John Boehner (Ohio) said Monday morning. Boehner told reporters that the president has not invited House GOP leaders to the White House for meetings on healthcare reform since the end of April.