Category: 4. Health

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy may soon be asking the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices to examine aluminum ingredients in vaccines, according to Bloomberg News. Kennedy has long falsely asserted that vaccines containing aluminum salts as…

Yet, teeth without staining may not mean that people didn’t chew betel nuts. Now, using…

Individuals with cannabis use disorder (CUD) are over three times more likely to develop oral cancer within five years than those without the condition. The corresponding study was published in Preventive Medicine Reports.

Around 52.5 million people, or almost 20% of Americans, used cannabis at least once in 2021. Research meanwhile indicates that around 30% of those who use cannabis develop CUD. While the link between tobacco and oral cancers is well…

From a larger sample of over 2,000 non-pregnant women aged 15-34, researchers identified a subgroup of 936 who didn’t want to get pregnant. Within that…

Before the start of each academic year in higher education, there appears to be questions from incoming students and their families about how much do college students drink alcohol. According to the 2023 National College Health Assessment by the American College Health Association, 63.7% of college students in the survey reported using alcohol in their lifetime, and 57.7% reported using alcohol in the past 3 months. However, national surveys…

As a neurosurgeon specializing in spinal conditions and treating a diverse range of athletes—from corporate executives to weekend warriors and high school competitors—I frequently encounter the question: “Can I…

We have all experienced the phenomena of seeing a disturbing or disgusting image that makes us feel physically ill. When the human brain processes certain types of visual images, it can send neural signals to our bodies that result in us feeling nauseated, light-headed, or shaky.

Scientists have now learned that certain types of visual imagery can also turn on our immune systems, even without being physically exposed to an infectious agent.

A team of scientists based in Switzerland

Shared decision-making between doctors and patients may be “the pinnacle of patient-centered care,” but three new medical journal articles suggest it’s encountering more problems than peaks. Yet counterintuitively, it may be artificial intelligence that rescues this intimately human interaction.

“Shared decision-making is at a crossroads,” declares a Perspective in the…

Imagine this: You’re at your doctor’s office with a sore throat. The nurse asks, “Any allergies?” And without hesitation you reply, “Penicillin.” It’s something you’ve said for years – maybe since childhood, maybe because a parent told you so. The nurse nods, makes a note and moves on.

But here’s the kicker: There’s a good chance you’re not actually allergic to penicillin. About 10% to 20% of Americans report that they have a penicillin allergy, yet fewer than…

At a meeting held by the Food and Drug Administration on July 21, 2025, a panel convened by the agency cast doubt on the safety of antidepressant medications called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs, in pregnancy.

Panel members discussed adding a so-called black box warning to the drugs – which the agency uses to indicate severe or life-threatening side effects – about the risk they pose to developing fetuses. Some of the panelists who attended had a history of…