The people's voice of reason
The people's voice of reason
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Why heart attacks spike during Thanksgiving, and what you can do about it Every Thanksgiving, while millions of Americans gather around tables laden with turkey and pie, emergency rooms brace for an invisible surge: a wave of cardiac emergencies that makes the holiday season one of the deadliest times of the year. Doctronic explores the sobering statistics. Norton Healthcare research shows cardiac deaths increase by approximately 5% during the holiday season, with studies documenting a 5% to 15%...
Are STIs truly declining, or is our data just not very good? What the 2024 CDC STI report really shows Amid the disturbing news about public health in the United States, there may be some good news about sexually transmitted infections. On Sept. 24, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention quietly reported that the combined total of the three nationally reportable STIs — chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis — declined in 2024. Is the United States finally making progress in improving sex...
Suicide claims more Gen Z lives than previous generation For Gen Z adults, the oldest of whom are now reaching their late 20s, suicide is taking more lives than 10 years ago when millennials were the same age, according to a Stateline analysis of federal death statistics. The bulk of the increase, 85%, is among Black and Hispanic men, many in Southern and Midwestern states. Experts disagree on the root causes of the growth in suicides, but they see a wave of untreated depression that can lead...
Is sodium good or bad for you? Hypertension has been an established heart disease risk factor for decades. When blood flows at normal pressure, your vessels stay strong and flexible. Cranked up too high for a long period of time, this pressure can damage your vessel walls, making them stiff and narrow — ultimately increasing your risk for a cardiovascular event like a heart attack or stroke. Where does sodium come in? You likely learned in high school chemistry that this mineral, a component of...
Dousing the fire of GERD If you have an esophagus, you’ve almost certainly experienced the occasional bout of heartburn — that painful sensation that occurs when highly acidic stomach juices splash up into the tube that connects your mouth and stomach. It’s no fun, but the discomfort quickly passes. But if you have frequent heartburn — called gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD — you know it can be a life-altering misery. People with GERD can experience such sharp pain it’s like they’re bei...
Happy pills? The truth about depression medications and finding the right one Depression is one of the most widespread health conditions in the world. According to the World Health Organization, it affects more than 280 million people globally, cutting across age, gender, and geography. For some, depression is a temporary episode linked to a major life event. For others, it is a chronic condition that flares and recedes across a lifetime. Despite its prevalence, depression remains deeply...
14% of Americans hear therapy words daily. Here are the 9 we misuse most Have you ever paused mid-conversation and wondered if you’re using a mental health term correctly? Maybe you’ve described feeling “triggered” by something at work, or found yourself questioning whether a situation was really “toxic” or just frustrating. These moments of uncertainty have become part of a cultural shift where mental health language—what’s now called “therapy speak”—has moved out of therapy offices and i...
A red meat allergy from tick bites is spreading, and the lone star tick isn’t the only alpha-gal carrier to worry about Hours after savoring that perfectly grilled steak on a beautiful summer evening, your body turns traitor, declaring war on the very meal you just enjoyed. You begin to feel excruciating itchiness, pain or even swelling that can escalate to the point of requiring emergency care. The culprit isn’t food poisoning — it’s the fallout from a tick bite you may have gotten months...
Do you need a heart checkup? Christopher Malin had always been diligent about his health, so he was used to getting the basic tests — blood pressure readings and blood tests for cholesterol and glucose levels. The 59-year-old Melville, New York, resident knew he faced a higher risk of heart disease because of blood pressure that remained high despite medications and a family history of cardiac problems. Malin thought he’d covered all the bases. But at a visit with his primary care doctor in ear...
August 25, 2025 - MONTGOMERY, AL. - The Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) has confirmed the state's first case of measles in more than two decades, renewing calls for vigilance and vaccination amid rising global travel and declining immunization rates in some communities. According to ADPH, the infected child-under five years old and unvaccinated-contracted measles while traveling outside the United States. The child resides in North Alabama and did not attend daycare or school,...
How AI can make infectious disease surveillance smarter, faster, and more useful Public health agencies are under pressure to move faster, detect threats earlier, and make better decisions, even as their funding is cut and their authority reduced. While most public health agencies will have to do less with less, artificial intelligence systems provide an opportunity to maintain and possibly improve performance in one critical area: infectious disease surveillance. Healthbeat reports that even...
4 foods and beverages that help with bloating Have you ever gotten dressed in a pair of pants that fit perfectly when you left the house, but are much too tight around the waist and uncomfortable by the time you got home from your meal? They didn’t change size after dinner—but your belly certainly did! Chances are, you have experienced bloating at some point or another, whether after a big holiday meal or after ingesting a certain food trigger as simple as a carbonated beverage. Bloating is...
A father holding his newborn baby at the hospital a day after birth. Lopolo // Shutterstock Brain study identifies a cost of caregiving for new fathers Parenting makes the heart grow fonder, and the brain grow … smaller? Several studies have revealed that the brain loses volume across the transition to parenthood, Darby Saxbe, a psychology professor at the University of Southern California, writes for The Conversation. But researchers are still figuring out what these changes mean for parents. I...
Frequent preventive health screenings, a healthy diet, regular physical activity, lowering stress, and addressing mental health challenges are important in maintaining men's health outcomes, yet men are less likely to seek medical care and die an average 6 years earlier than women. Men's health is often overlooked, and their symptoms go unnoticed. June is National Men's Health Month, and its purpose is to heighten awareness of preventable health problems and to encourage early detection and...
A 3d render illustration of beta blockers inhibiting beta receptors. aipicte // Shutterstock How stress shapes cancer's course About two millennia ago, the Greek physicians Hippocrates and Galen suggested that melancholia—depression brought on by an excess of "black bile" in the body—contributed to cancer. Since then, scores of researchers have investigated the association between cancer and the mind, with some going as far as to suggest that some people have a cancer-prone or "Type C" per...
A new parent’s guide to keeping baby cool in summer Summertime brings warmer weather, longer days, and, for many new parents, loads of anxiety. Keeping a new baby from overheating is a major concern. The health risks are real, and your tiny one is unable to tell you when they're too warm. Naturepedic shares a quick guide to the potential health risks of baby overheating, as well as tips for keeping baby comfortable during this summer’s sun-soaked days and warm, muggy nights — because a good...
It’s harder for Americans to get access to prescription drugs, even with insurance, research shows For Americans navigating the pharmacy counter, the price of a prescription is often just the beginning of the story. Behind that cost lies an increasingly complex—and often opaque—network of coverage decisions that determine which medications are available and under what conditions. New data from GoodRx Research reveals just how inadequate and restrictive prescription insurance has become. Medic...
Future-proof your body: Beginner biohacks that could add years If you’ve paid attention to health and wellness culture, you’ve likely encountered the word “biohacking” at least once. The term can mean different things to different people, but the gist is this: Making small but strategic tweaks to your health to help you live a longer, healthier life. For some, “biohacking” is all about tech, with an emphasis on data, wearables like Whoop or the Oura Ring, and specialized equipment like sleep-...
Mental health conditions affect millions of people worldwide, but harmful stereotypes—like the idea that people with mental illness are dangerous or weak—still shape how these conditions are understood and treated despite growing awareness and education. Mental health stigma can have serious consequences. A 2016 report shows that stigmatization of mental illness not only fuels social exclusion but also prevents people from seeking help when they need it most. And mental health stigma doe...
Summer's arrival underscores the importance of skin protection With the rise in temperatures and UV index as we approach summer’s arrival, protecting our skin from the sun's harmful rays becomes paramount. A staggering 90% of nonmelanoma skin cancers are linked to ultraviolet (UV) radiation exposure, a risk amplified during the sunny spring and summer months when we spend more time outdoors. Beyond the critical concern of skin cancer and potential eye damage, sun protection also safeguards a...
Two white men in their 60s live hundreds of miles away from each other, one in Arizona and the other in Washington state. They are the same age and have identical socioeconomic backgrounds. They also have similar habits and are in roughly the same physical shape. But the man in Arizona is aging more quickly than the man in Washington — 14 months faster, to be exact. Neither man smokes or drinks. Both exercise regularly. So why is the subject living in the desert Southwest more than a year o...
Colleen Thomas' son was born missing a part of his immune system. The Indiana mother didn't know that immediately, but there were signs. The little boy was always sick—constant congestion and respiratory infections. Thomas had to hold a breathing mask over her son's face as he slept and wheezed. "That was just for a cold," Thomas recalled. "It was horrible." Thomas' son was 3 when he was diagnosed with an immunodeficiency that made him susceptible to severe illness if he was exposed to r...
In early 2024, the bird influenza that had been spreading across the globe for nearly three decades did something wholly unexpected: It showed up in dairy cows in the Texas Panhandle. A dangerous bird flu, in other words, was suddenly circulating in mammals—mammals with which people have ongoing, extensive contact. "Holy cow," says Thomas Friedrich, a virologist at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. "This is how pandemics start." This bird flu, which scientists call highly pathogenic avi...
Romantic love may come and go, but finding the Thelma to your Louise is forever. Friends—besties, squads, workplace buddies, college roommates—play a unique role in our lives. They're companions and confidants; they share our stories and know us better than we know ourselves. Whether they show up in real life or drop the perfect response in the group chat, having a friend who just gets it is priceless. Still, in a nation grappling with social isolation and a loneliness public health crisis, a t...
At 34, Natalie, a doctor from Oregon, was struggling to build the family she longed for. At times, her sense of helplessness was overwhelming. "All my friends had kids; they were all having their baby showers and their first birthdays. And you know, that stereotype about babies is everywhere. You couldn't get away from it," she told Stacker. After trying to conceive for a year, Natalie turned to in vitro fertilization. However, her choices were limited since her insurance covered just three...
