A generation or two ago, when Americans had an important but nonemergency medical need, many of them would have called on their family doctor, somebody who had treated them for years. It was a little like going to a family restaurant: The purveyors knew you, knew your tastes and personal quirks, and they were part […]
One of the clearest success stories in US healthcare over the past 20 years has been the dramatic decline in the number of Americans without health insurance. In 2010, the year the Affordable Care Act was enacted, 16 percent of the population lacked coverage. By 2025, according to estimates from the US government, that figure […]
In a family of killer diseases, pancreatic cancer has long been one of the scariest. It could grow undetected for years, and by the time most people knew something was wrong, their prognosis was grim. The vast majority of patients, nearly 90 percent, would die within the first five years of their diagnosis. Even as […]
A generation or two ago, when you had a medical question, the solution was obvious: Ask your doctor. But these days, as trust in doctors and other traditional medical authorities like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has eroded, Americans are more and more likely to consult their Instagram or TikTok feed. According to […]
When I think of heroic doctors, I think of the physician in the hospital who’s presented with a patient suffering bizarre or vague symptoms and pulls out the right diagnosis just in time. It’s the basis of almost every medical procedural TV show, from House, MD to The Pitt. It’s the mystique that has made […]
Peptides seem to be everywhere — and there are more on the way. Adherents promise these tiny chains of amino acids can help you lose weight, keep your skin clear, and slow down the aging process. While a person who really wants to acquire peptides right now can do so fairly easily, they are not, […]
A lot of people are looking for ways to improve, preserve, and prolong their brain’s health. Just look at the seemingly endless amount of self-help books, podcasts, phone apps, TikToks, and Instagram Reels dedicated to the subject. And, frankly, it makes sense. Alzheimer’s disease and dementia — conditions that fundamentally involve the loss of one’s […]
We’ve been bringing the 1980s back — including, unfortunately, the cocaine. While opioid overdose deaths are mercifully on the decline, more Americans are now using and dying from stimulants, particularly cocaine and methamphetamine. A decade ago, in 2016, there were 10,375 deaths from cocaine overdoses; in 2023, there were 29,449. Meth has seen a similar spike […]
Maybe this has happened to you: Your doctor is talking to you about your health, saying you need a test or a medication, and suddenly your brain leaps to a question that has nothing to do with your medical needs: How much is this going to cost? Health care in America is too expensive. According […]
Have you ever caught yourself squinting at the acronyms next to your health care provider’s name? MD, DO, NP, PA… The medical workforce has changed. While the United States has long faced a doctor (MD or DO) shortage, there are now more nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs) than ever before. More states are […]
You know what a pink ribbon signifies. Breast cancer, right? Now what about a red dress? Did you come up with heart disease? No? Don’t worry: You’re not alone. Heart disease is the leading killer of cisgender American women — and that trend shows no signs of slowing. New projections estimate the share of US women […]
When I picked up my kids’ birthday cake this week, I felt a tinge of guilt that I’m sure many people will find familiar. Isn’t this thing loaded with sugar? The health and wellness space is filled with people pushing zero/no sugar diets, sometimes as a short-term detox, sometimes as a long-term way of life. […]
Statins are one of modern medicine’s miracles. For every 10,000 people who take these cholesterol-lowering drugs, 1,000 will avoid major cardiovascular events. When you consider that cardiovascular disease is America’s top killer, and 92 million Americans are currently taking a statin, thousands of lives every year are being saved. There are essentially no other prescription […]
The space will open in March offering cafe events and a space rooted in African and Indigenous ancestry.
The Olympics offer a fascinating window into the diets and workout routines of some of the world’s finest athletes, and it would be easy to feel inadequate in the face of these examples of the human body’s awesome potential. We tend to gravitate to extraordinary outliers, like the athletes in the Winter Games. Lindsay Vonn’s […]
An elixir for keeping our brains and bodies younger may already be sitting on pharmacy shelves across the United States — if only we’d take advantage of it. I’m talking about the shingles vaccine. It was invented because, well, shingles is a terrible disease. If you ever had chickenpox (like I did), this virus is […]