IFM: We Must Expand Access to Functional Medicine in Vulnerable Communities

In medicine, racial and economic differences determine both the quality and the type of health care an individual receives, and this is unacceptable. The disparities in health outcomes between whites and people of color are exceedingly stark. This is true across the field—from conventional medicine to Functional Medicine and beyond. At The Institute for Functional […]

How Insurers Profit From the Pandemic: A Conversation with Wendell Potter

The COVID pandemic has wrought unprecedented economic strife worldwide. Despite the public hardship, one sector profits handsomely from the pandemic: health insurance. Healthcare plans are poised to make record profits this year. They continue to collect premiums, but their coverage of COVID care is spotty at best, and with so many clinics closed and non-COVID […]

Profiting from Pandemic: How Insurers Turned COVID into a Goldmine

For health insurers, the COVID pandemic has been a goldmine. At least so far. Across the nation, ordinary people and small businesses struggle with both the disease itself and the fiscal consequences of prolonged economic shutdown. Healthcare plans, on the other hand, are poised to make record profits this year. According to a mid-April NASDAQ […]

Pure and Simple: We Need Clean Water

Frequent handwashing is essential for mitigating the COVID epidemic. But for millions who lack consistent access to clean water, this basic public health measure isn’t as simple as it sounds.

What is 5G – And Does it Threaten Human Health?

The tech world is buzzing about 5G. Wireless companies promise that the soon-to-arrive ultramodern mobile networkwill transform our digital lives. But some medical professionals and researchers believe the new technology poses serious health and environmental risks. What, exactly is 5G, and what risks does it present to human health?

How Google is Controlling the Flow of Healthcare Information

Recent changes to Google’s search algorithms and advertising policies have radically reshaped the flow of online information about holistic medical alternatives. The moves raise profound questions about the social and economic roles of massive media conglomerates, and pit fundamental American principles against each other. 

Regenerative Farming & Soil Restoration are Key to Environmental Health

Many efforts to combat climate change prioritize the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. But cutting emissions is only part of the equation. To truly mitigate the harmful effects of carbon emissions, we need to look not at the skies, but at the dirt beneath our feet.

In New Self-Policing Effort, Herb 
Industry Urges, “Burn, Don’t Return”

Leaders in the dietary supplement industry have a sharp new directive for manufacturers who discover adulterants or contaminants in botanical raw materials: “Don’t Return It, Burn It.”

The innovative self-policing policy, launched in October, and supported by all the major herbal industry trade groups, puts direct economic pressure on raw materials suppliers to improve the quality of the ingredients they sell into the US market.

Climate & Public Health: Medicine Faces a Planet in Critical Condition

While there have always been medical voices calling attention to the perils of unchecked environmental degradation, for the most part the healthcare mainstream has kept quiet. It is only recently that major medical organizations have begun to publicly acknowledge the health risks posed by climate change.

Florida Mandates Discussion of Opioid Alternatives–But Not Supplements

A new Florida law requires that health professionals provide chronic pain patients with information about opioid-free alternatives to pharmaceutical painkillers. The law aims to protect patients––but it’s also spurring confusion among the practitioners and physicians’ organizations attempting to comply.