US President Trump Is Diagnosed With A Chronic Vein Condition, Venous Insufficiency, Confirms White House

Updated Jul 18, 2025 | 11:46 AM IST

SummaryDonald Trump, 79, has been diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency, a common vein condition, after photos showed leg swelling and bruised hands. Doctors say his condition is benign, and he remains in 'excellent' health. This news challenges Trump’s frequent claims of being in top shape, adding to public scrutiny over his health.
US President Trump Is Suffering From A Chronic Vein Condition, Venous Insufficiency, Confirms White House

Makeup covering the Bruise, Credits: White House, Sate News and AP; Donald Trump (PTI)

Donald Trump, announced the White House, is suffering from a chronic vein condition, known as venous insufficiency. The news was announced on Thursday, after days of speculation regarding photographs that showed bruising on the US president's hand.

Trump also experienced swelling in his legs and underwent a "comprehensive exam" while he took an aspirin. As per the White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that Trump's bruised hand was consistent with "tissue damage from frequent handshaking", and taking aspirin was "part of a standard cardio-vascular prevention regimen".

For Trump and his supporters this news comes as a blow, not just because of his health concerns, but also because he, 79, has often boasted about his good health, so far to say, "the healthiest president that's ever lived".

Also Read: 'Pretty Little Baby' Singer Connie Francis Passes Away At 87, What Happened To Her?

What Is Chronic Venous Insufficiency?

As per John Hopkins Medicine, chronic venous insufficiency occurs when your leg veins don’t allow blood to flow back up to your heart. Normally, the valves in your veins make sure that blood flows toward your heart. But when these valves don’t work well, blood can also flow backwards. This can cause blood to collect (pool) in your legs.

Symptoms, especially if not treated well, could lead to:

  • Pain
  • Swelling
  • Cramps
  • Skin Changes
  • Varicose Veins
  • Legs Ulcers

What Causes This Condition?

This condition could happen if you are overweight, pregnant, or have a family history of the problem. It can also happen if you had damage to your leg due to an injury, surgery, or any previous blood clot.

Other causes are:

High blood pressure in the leg veins over time, due to sitting or standing for long periods

  • Lack of exercise
  • Smoking
  • A blood clot in a deep vein, often in the calf or thigh (deep vein thrombosis)
  • Swelling and inflammation of a vein close to the skin, often in the legs (phlebitis)

John Hopkins Medicine notes the following as symptoms of the condition:

  • Swelling in your legs or ankles
  • Tight feeling in your calves or itchy, painful legs
  • Pain when walking that stops when you rest
  • Brown-colored skin, often near the ankles
  • Varicose veins
  • Leg ulcers that are sometimes hard to treat
  • Having an uncomfortable feeling in your legs and an urge to move your legs (restless legs syndrome)
  • Painful leg cramps or muscle spasms (charley horse)

What Do The Officials Say?

As per Dr Meryl Logan, assistant professor of vascular surgery at the University of Texas at Austin, veins and valves in this condition "propel the blood up and out of the leg" and back toward the heart, as is also reported by the BBC.

"So what chronic venous insufficiency is, is when those veins and valves don't work and blood goes backwards down the legs," she said.

White House physician Sean Barbabella has confirmed in a statement to reporters that Donald Trump’s condition is “benign and common,” particularly among people over the age of 70.

Further tests showed no evidence of heart failure, kidney issues, or any other systemic illness, Barbabella noted, echoing details shared earlier by spokesperson Steven Cheung and Trump advisor Brian Leavitt.

The doctor added that, overall, Trump is in “excellent health.”

Speculation began after photographers spotted what looked like swelling in Trump’s legs during the FIFA Club World Cup final in New Jersey on July 13. A few days later, photos from his meeting with Bahraini Prime Minister Salman bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa at the White House showed noticeable bruising on his hands.

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Cancer Postcode Lottery: What Is It And Why Is UK Govt Putting An End To It?

Updated Jan 24, 2026 | 01:09 PM IST

SummaryUK government plans to end the cancer postcode lottery, where access to treatments depends on location. Bureaucracy and funding approvals mean advanced therapies like SABR reach some hospitals but not others. A new National Cancer Plan will boost specialists in rural and coastal areas, cut inequalities, and speed diagnosis and care.
Cancer Postcode Lottery: What Is It And Why Is UK Govt Putting An End To It?

Credits: Canva

Cancer Postcode Lottery will soon be put to an end by the UK Government. Reports say that it will enable the rural population access to cancer specialists and treatments. Before getting into how it will help the rural population and people living in coastal areas to find it easier to see a cancer doctor, let us first understand what postcode lottery means.

What Is Cancer Postcode Lottery?

The term cancer postcode lottery refers to a situation where a cancer patient’s access to the latest and most effective treatments depends on where they live or which hospital they are treated at, rather than purely on medical need.

Based on the information you shared, senior cancer doctors in England are warning that this is happening because of bureaucratic hurdles within the NHS. Even though cancer care is supposed to be equitable across the country, in practice, not all hospitals can easily offer the same treatments.

How Does This Postcode Lotter Work?

Doctors say that some cutting-edge cancer treatments such as advanced radiotherapy techniques and newer immunotherapy drugs require separate funding approvals. Individual cancer centers often have to apply to NHS England for permission and money to use these treatments.

Larger, better-funded hospitals with more administrative resources are often able to navigate this complex system more easily. Smaller or less well-resourced units may struggle, meaning patients treated there may not get access to the same options.

For instance, Stereotactic Ablative Body Radiotherapy (SABR). SABR is a highly precise form of radiotherapy that delivers strong radiation doses directly to small tumors in areas such as the lungs, liver, brain and lymph nodes. Although SABR is a well-established treatment and can be life-saving for certain patients, the Royal College of Radiologists (RCR) says some cancer units still have to apply for special funding to use it. This leads to situations where a patient in one area can receive SABR, while another patient with the same cancer elsewhere cannot.

What Is The Government Planning To Do With Postcode Lottery?

As per the official website of UK Government, this will allow people "living in rural and coastal communities will find it easier to see a cancer specialist as part of plans to tackle the current postcode lottery."

The website notes that most deprived parts of the country have fewer cancer consultants, which leaves patients waiting longer for essential care. These same areas also face highest economic inactivity, with long waits for diagnosis and treatment keeping people out of work and holding back local economies. This is why the government is now introducing "new training places targeted at trusts with biggest workforce gaps, prioritising rural and coastal areas".

Working with the Royal Colleges, the government will encourage more doctors to train in clinical and medical oncology to increase the number of cancer specialists in underserved areas.

These steps will be outlined in the upcoming National Cancer Plan, which aims to speed up diagnosis and treatment, reduce inequalities, and support the goal of making England a global leader in cancer survival, while building a future-ready NHS.

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Could Red Light Therapy Help Protect Football Players From CTE

Updated Jan 24, 2026 | 11:32 AM IST

SummaryA new study suggests red light therapy may help protect football players from brain inflammation linked to CTE. In collegiate athletes, those using targeted red light devices showed no increase in brain inflammation over a season, unlike placebo users. Experts say the non-invasive therapy is promising but requires further research.
Could Red Light Therapy Help Protect Football Players From CTE

Credits: Canva

A treatment already popular in the US for skin care, pain relief, and faster healing may soon be known for something far more serious. A new study suggests red light therapy could help protect football players’ brains from chronic inflammation caused by repeated hits to the head.

Experts say the findings are early but promising, especially in the ongoing search for ways to reduce long term brain damage in contact sports.

What Is CTE?

Chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, is a degenerative brain disease linked to repeated head injuries. It is commonly found in former football players, boxers, and military personnel exposed to blast injuries. Over time, the condition can cause memory loss, confusion, mood changes, aggression, and eventually problems with movement, speech, swallowing, and breathing. There is currently no cure, and doctors still do not know how to slow its progression.

Why inflammation matters in CTE

For now, the only proven way to lower CTE risk is to reduce repeated brain trauma through better helmets, rule changes, and fewer hits to the head. But with more than 100 former NFL players diagnosed with CTE after death and many more suspected cases, experts agree that prevention tools alone are not enough.

Researchers believe chronic inflammation in the brain plays a major role in how CTE develops and worsens over time. If that inflammation can be reduced early, it could potentially limit long term damage.

Red light therapy, also known as photobiomodulation, has already been shown to reduce inflammation in other parts of the body. It works by stimulating energy production inside cells and improving blood flow, which helps tissues repair and recover.

Inside the football study

To see whether the therapy could help the brain, researchers at the University of Utah Health studied 26 collegiate football players during a full season. Half received active red light therapy using a light emitting headset and a small device placed inside the nose. The other half used an identical looking device that did not emit light.

Players completed three 20 minute sessions each week over 16 weeks. Brain scans were taken before and after the season.

Read: 21-year-old Billy Vigar Of Chichester City Dies Of Sustaining Brain Injury

The results were striking. MRI scans showed that players in the placebo group experienced a significant increase in brain inflammation by the end of the season. In contrast, those using red light therapy showed little to no increase, with protection seen across most brain regions.

Why experts are paying attention

Specialists who reviewed the findings say the results align with what scientists already understand about inflammation and brain injury. Reducing the inflammatory response after repeated impacts could help limit the damage that builds up over time.

Another advantage is that the therapy is non invasive and does not involve medication. Most users report no major side effects, which makes it especially appealing for athletes.

That said, experts caution against buying over the counter red light devices. The therapy requires very specific wavelengths that can penetrate skin and tissue effectively. Many consumer products do not meet those standards.

Researchers stress that more studies are needed to confirm long term safety and effectiveness. A large Department of Defense funded trial is already planned, involving 300 people with persistent concussion or traumatic brain injury symptoms, including veterans and first responders.

If future research continues to show benefits without harm, red light therapy could one day become part of how teams protect athletes’ brains, not just in football, but across many sports.

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Nicole 'Snooki' Polizzi Says Doctors Found Cancerous Cells In Her Cervix

Updated Jan 24, 2026 | 10:43 AM IST

SummaryNicole ‘Snooki’ Polizzi revealed a cervical cancer scare after abnormal Pap smears and cancerous cells on her cervix, urging women to get screened. The article also explains colorectal cancer, noting rising deaths among Americans under 50, now the leading cancer killer in that age group, according to American Cancer Society research.
Nicole 'Snooki' Polizzi Says Doctors Found Cancerous Cells In Her Cervix

Credits: Wikimedia Commons

Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi opened up about a cancer scare. Now, 38, the Jersey Shore star, posted on her TikTok an emotional video, where she explained that she has been dealing with abnormal pap smear results. She said that it has been about four year since the precancerous cells were found. Because of that she had to undergo an "uncomfortable" colposcopy and biopsy.

She said that when the results came back, the doctor informed her that her cervix is "Not looking great". The doctor had found cancerous cells on the top of her cervix. She said that she would soon need a cone biopsy under anesthesia for further testing. "I am terrified. It is scary, but we have to get it done because cervical cancer is nothing to joke about."

She said, "But whatever to keep me healthy and safe to be here for my kids that I have now," referring to her three children with her husband Jionni LaValle.

In her TikTok video, she said that she is scared and freaking out. She also said that she hopes to find community on social media with other women who have been through the same.

She also agreed to delaying her routine examination because of fear. "I waited on my appointments because I knew I might not get great results but also because I didn't want to feel the pain. I didn't want to deal with the stress of having to deal with all of this," she said.

Talking about her TikTok video, she said, “Just making this video to spread awareness to make sure you get your pap smears. And if your doctor calls you to do it again, do it, Make sure you are fine and prevent all the bad things that could happen, like cervical cancer." She said she was nervous but also shared that she received a lot of support from her friends and family. "Being a woman is not easy and is definitely a scary thing. I know I am going to be fine. It is just scary."

Read: Oncologist Reveals 5 Subtle Cervical Cancer Signs That You May Miss

What Is Cervical Cancer?

Cervical cancer develops in a women's cervix (uterus opening) due to abnormal cell growth, primarily caused by persistent HPV infection, a common infection that's passed through sexual contact.

When exposed to HPV, the body's immune system typically prevents the virus from causing damage however, in a small percentage of people, the virus can survive for years and pave the way for some cervical cells to become cancerous.

Treatment involves surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy, with early detection significantly improving outcomes, though it remains a major cancer in low-income countries. Cervical cancer can also be prevented through vaccination and regular screening (Pap/HPV tests).

Dr Ninad Katdare told News18: "In its early stages, it is often more of a whisper than a shout. As a cancer surgeon who has treated hundreds of women with gynaecological cancers, I can say with confidence that recognizing these subtle cues can lead to earlier diagnosis and significantly better outcomes."

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