Chronic Disease

The Ever-Shrinking Eldercare Workforce

By Cynthia Lien, MD

Javier Erazo remembers lying beside his 93-year-old mother, her small frame helpless as she fell into the late stages of Alzheimer’s disease. He was exhausted from struggling daily to piece together a rotation of paid workers and family caregivers as his mother’s illness spiraled in unexpected ways. “She became more challenging, more confused,” he recalled. […]

As Guidelines Shift, a Curious Debate Over Seed Oils Persists

By Claudia López Lloreda

Before beginning his tenure as secretary of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. posted an old picture of his father, Bobby Kennedy, and another man at a drive-in fast food restaurant on the social media platform X. RFK Jr. took the family photograph as an opportunity to rail […]

The Food Pyramid’s MAHA Makeover

By Janet Gulland, Contributing Writer

If the new Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) 2025-2030 report  has taught us anything so far, it’s that people love to argue about food as much as they love to argue about politics. And given that the Guidelines–jointly issued on January 7, by the Department of Health & Human Services and the Department of Agriculture—is […]

Required Reading on GLPs: Ashley Koff’s “Your Best Shot”

By Robert Bonakdar, MD, Contributing Writer

GLP-1–based therapies, including glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (e.g., semaglutide), dual incretin agonists (e.g. tirzepatide), and forthcoming GLP-1–modulating drugs like retatrutide, have rapidly reshaped the clinical management of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiometabolic disease. In less than a decade, these drugs have moved from the weight management and endocrinology niches to much wider use in […]

Is Male Infertility Contributing to Falling Birth Rates?

By Joshua Cohen

(This article was originally published on Dec. 3, 2025 on Undark.) For decades, U.S. marriage rates have been on the decline while the average age at which Americans have children has risen. Alongside this, birth rates have dropped — a phenomenon the Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. has called a “national […]

For Depression, Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Shouldn’t Just Be a Last Resort

By Michael C. Marone

(This article was originally pubished on Dec. 11, 2025, on Undark) For decades, the treatment of clinical depression has followed the same outdated flow chart: Try one antidepressant, then another, then a combination, then maybe just one more. Finally, when all pharmaceutical attempts fail, consider other approaches. This protocol, called step therapy, has come under […]

What Anti-Vaccine Policies Could Mean for Autoimmune Diseases

By Giamila Fantuzzi, PhD

Autoimmune diseases disproportionately affect women. This is especially true for lupus (formally known as systemic lupus erythematosus), as about nine in 10 people with the condition are female. Lupus can cause inflammation and pain and commonly affects the skin, joints, and organs including the heart and kidneys. Scientists have long observed an association between infection […]

Will San Francisco Out-MAHA the Fed on Processed Foods?

By Janet Gulland, Contributing Writer

In a move that could out-MAHA MAHA, the City of San Francisco is suing Kraft Heinz, Coca Cola, Nestle, Kellogg, and six other producers of ultra-processed junk foods, claiming the companies have knowingly “engineered a public health crisis” by marketing highly addictive, nutrient-poor, sugar- and salt-laden foods linked to higher incidence of diabetes, fatty liver, […]

Exploring the Gut-Bone Connection

By John Neustadt, ND, Contributing Writer

Extensive research over the past several decades has revealed a dynamic connection between the gut and the bones. It turns out that bone health and strength is closely tied to the health of the digestive system. Gastrointestinal disorders contribute to the development of osteoporosis and, by extension, risk of fractures. This line of research suggests […]