Health + Medicine – The Conversation

A woman lying face up and awake in bed in the dark, apparently experiencing insomnia.

Sleep problems and depression can be a vicious cycle, especially during pregnancy − here’s why it’s important to get help

Jenalee Doom, University of Denver and Melissa Nevarez-Brewster, University of Denver

AI’s errors may be impossible to eliminate – what that means for its use in health care

Carlos Gershenson, Binghamton University, State University of New York

‘Are you married?’ Why doctors ask invasive questions during treatment

Jill Inderstrodt, Indiana University

Female patient filling out form at doctor's office front desk

How one Florida program reduced preterm births – and how it could serve as a model for other communities

Loveline Chizobam Phillips, George Mason University and Faye Taxman, George Mason University

Exposure to neighborhood violence leads some Denver teens to use tobacco and alcohol earlier, new study shows

Anna Maria Santiago, Michigan State University and Iris Margetis, Michigan State University

Several people hold glass bottles up for a cheers.

Doulas play essential roles in reproductive health care – and more states are beginning to recognize it

Adetola F. Louis-Jacques, University of Florida and Seun Mauton Ajoseh, University of Florida

woman massages pregnant woman's back as she leans on yoga ball

News in context

Vaccine committee votes to scrap universal hepatitis B shots for newborns despite outcry from children’s health experts

David Higgins, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

Newborn baby wrapped in hospital blanket in the hands of a caregiver

FDA claims on COVID-19 vaccine safety are unsupported by reliable data – and could severely hinder vaccine access

Frank Han, University of Illinois Chicago

Masked child getting vaccinated by a masked clinician

Vice President Dick Cheney’s life followed the arc of the biggest breakthroughs in cardiovascular medicine

William Cornwell, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

Three-dimensional concept of a human heart on an electrocardiogram background.

SNAP benefits have been cut and disrupted – causing more kids to go without enough healthy food and harming child development

Jenalee Doom, University of Denver

Health Policy

Illustration of red arrow with a stethoscope wrapped around it, zigzagging upward

Health insurance premiums rose nearly 3x the rate of worker earnings over the past 25 years

Vivian Ho, Rice University and Salpy Kanimian, Rice University

Off-label use of COVID-19 vaccines was once discouraged but has become common amid new guidelines

Shannon Fyfe, Washington and Lee University and Elizabeth Lanphier, University of Cincinnati

Close-up of someone getting a shot in their arm.

Want to make America healthy again? Stop fueling climate change

Jonathan Levy, Boston University; Howard Frumkin, University of Washington; Jonathan Patz, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Vijay Limaye, University of Wisconsin-Madison

A man walking on a sidewalk wipes his forehead on a hot day.

Community health centers provide care for 1 in 10 Americans, but funding cuts threaten their survival

Jennifer Spinghart, University of South Carolina

Health care practitioner conducting a checkup on a baby being held by the parents.

Canada loses its official ‘measles-free’ status – and the US will follow soon, as vaccination rates fall

Kathryn H. Jacobsen, University of Richmond

Young child with measles rash on their face

Healthy lifestyles

What’s a ‘black box’ warning? A pharmacologist explains how these labels protect patients

C. Michael White, University of Connecticut

A pharmacist speaks with an older customer about her prescription.

Why do people get headaches and migraines? A child neurologist explains the science of head pain and how to treat it

Katherine Cobb-Pitstick, University of Pittsburgh

Person sitting on couch with head tilted back, hand on forehead

Sugar starts corroding your teeth within seconds – here’s how to protect your pearly whites from decay

José Lemos, University of Florida and Jacqueline Abranches, University of Florida

We created health guidelines for fighting loneliness - here’s what we recommend

Daniel P. Aldrich, Northeastern University and Kiffer George Card, Simon Fraser University

People sitting on large concrete steps in an urban setting

Reproductive health

Preterm baby lying on an infant hospital bed.

Texas cities have some of the highest preterm birth rates in the US, highlighting maternal health crisis nationwide

Kobi V. Ajayi, Texas A&M University

I treat menopause and its symptoms, and hormone replacement therapy can help – here’s the science behind the FDA’s decision to remove warnings

Genevieve Hofmann, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

Back pain during pregnancy is often dismissed as a passing discomfort − a nurse explains why it should be taken seriously and treated

Julie Vignato, University of Iowa

Pregnant African American woman sitting on the end of a bed, holding her back as if in pain.

Fetal autopsies could help prevent stillbirths, but too often they are used to blame mothers for pregnancy loss

Jill Lens, University of Iowa

A naked newborn baby sleeping on its side on a soft off-white blanket

3 years after abortion rights were overturned, contraception access is at risk

Cynthia H. Chuang, Penn State and Carol S. Weisman, Penn State

Rear view of a woman taking a pregnancy test at home

COVID-19

Scanning electron micrograph image of immune cells attached to cancer cells, against a purple background.

COVID-19 mRNA vaccines could unlock the next revolution in cancer treatment – new research

Adam Grippin, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and Christiano Marconi, University of Florida

COVID-19 vaccines for kids are mired in uncertainty amid conflicting federal guidance

David Higgins, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

Children stick their heads out of a stopped yellow school bus and waving.

5 years on, true counts of COVID-19 deaths remain elusive − and research is hobbled by lack of data

Dylan Thomas Doyle, University of Colorado Boulder

A wall painted with hearts of varying sizes, with a person leaning against it, looking forlorn.

5 years of COVID-19 underscore value of coordinated efforts to manage disease – while CDC, NIH and WHO face threats to their ability to respond to a crisis

Katherine A. Foss, Middle Tennessee State University

Inside a white tent, doctors wearing masks test a patient for COVID-19.

5 ways schools have shifted in 5 years since COVID-19

Rachel Besharat Mann, Wesleyan University and Gravity Goldberg, Wesleyan University

Four green pop up tents are arranged in a classroom with students seated inside them.

Caregiving

Buying a gift for a loved one with cancer? Here’s why you should skip the fuzzy socks and give them meals or help with laundry instead

Ellen T. Meiser, University of Hawaii at Hilo

Striped fuzzy socks hanging on a clothes line

How food assistance programs can feed families and nourish their dignity

Joslyn Brenton, Ithaca College; Alyssa Tindall, Ursinus College, and Senbagam Virudachalam, University of Pennsylvania

Americans are unprepared for the expensive and complex process of aging – a geriatrician explains how they can start planning

Kahli Zietlow, University of Michigan

A man touches foreheads with his elderly relative

Why does your doctor seem so rushed and dismissive? That bedside manner may be the result of the health care system

Marisha Burden, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

Busy-looking doctors huddling around the administrative desk.

Mental health

A senior woman patient smiles and holds her hand across her chest as a nurse places her hand on the woman's shoulder.

How to keep dementia from robbing your loved ones of their sense of personhood – tips for caregivers

R. Amanda Cooper, University of Connecticut

Why you can salvage moldy cheese but never spoiled meat − a toxicologist advises on what to watch out for

Brad Reisfeld, Colorado State University

Woman smelling strawberries from a very crowded fridge.

People abused by intimate partners have worse asthma – but researchers are still untangling the reasons behind this surprising link

Anne P. DePrince, University of Denver and Eileen Wang, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

Young woman holding her hands to her chest and stomach as if in pain.

Yes, ADHD diagnoses are rising, but that doesn’t mean it’s overdiagnosed

Carol Mathews, University of Florida and Stephen V. Faraone, SUNY Upstate Medical University

Young child sitting at a table and looking up toward the sky as if daydreaming.

Navigating mental illness in the workplace can be tricky, but employees are entitled to accommodations

Julie Wolfe, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

woman's reflection in laptop shows her closing her eyes and massaging her temples

Mind and body

A woman's hands fill a glass with water. She has a tattoo on her wrist and rolled up sleeves.

PFAS in pregnant women’s drinking water puts their babies at higher risk, study finds

Derek Lemoine, University of Arizona; Ashley Langer, University of Arizona, and Bo Guo, University of Arizona

Zombies, jiangshi, draugrs, revenants − monster lore is filled with metaphors for public health

Tom Duszynski, Indiana University

Recent studies prove the ancient practice of nasal irrigation is effective at fighting the common cold

Mary J. Scourboutakos, Macon & Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences at Old Dominion University

woman resting under a blanket surrounded by tissues, medication and a hot drink

FDA recall of blood pressure pills due to cancer-causing contaminant may point to higher safety risks in older generic drugs

C. Michael White, University of Connecticut

Atorvastatin recall may affect hundreds of thousands of patients – and reflects FDA’s troubles inspecting medicines manufactured overseas

C. Michael White, University of Connecticut

An orange pill bottle with a label that says atorvastatin next to a small metal tray containing pills.

Technology in health care

Focused sound energy holds promise for treating cancer, Alzheimer’s and other diseases

Richard J. Price, University of Virginia

Illustration of glowing circles entering a tunnel of concentric circles

How 3D printing is personalizing health care

Anne Schmitz, University of Wisconsin-Stout and Daniel Freedman, University of Wisconsin-Stout

a girl with brightly colored prosthetic hands walks beside a woman pushing a baby in a stroller

Are you one of the millions about to have cataract surgery? Here’s what ophthalmologists say you need to know

Allan Steigleman, University of Florida and Elizabeth M. Hofmeister, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences

Several companies are testing brain implants – why is there so much attention swirling around Neuralink? Two professors unpack the ethical issues

Nancy S. Jecker, University of Washington and Andrew Ko, University of Washington

Brightly colored threads in the outline of a brain shape float against a dark background with constellation-like patterns.

Research insights

Florida residents’ anxiety is linked to social media use and varies with age, new study shows

Stephen Neely, University of South Florida and Kaila Witkowski, Florida Atlantic University

woman looking at her phone with a furrowed brow

Strict school vaccine mandates work, and parents don’t game the system − new research

Y. Tony Yang, George Washington University; Anthony Bald, California State University, Fullerton , and Samantha Gold, Cornell University

A group of kindergarten children sit on a rug while their teacher reads to them

Protein powders and shakes contain high amounts of lead, new report says – a pharmacologist explains the data

C. Michael White, University of Connecticut

Businesswoman preparing a protein shake in her kitchen before heading to work

Seasonal allergies may increase suicide risk – new research

Shooshan Danagoulian, Wayne State University

Person sitting at a table with a tissue box, with tissues covering their face.