Speaking of Wellness
AI at the Drive-Thru
Every so often, some research comes along that makes me pause—not because the finding is necessarily so surprising, but because it shows how subtly our everyday decisions can be...
Our Kids Deserve Better
As I write, the U.S. is seeing measles outbreaks spread across the country. The epicenter is South Carolina, where there has so far been close to 1,000 cases reported...
Cataract Surgery: Clearer Vision, Fewer Fractures
Recently a study came out that reported some encouraging news for older adults who have cataracts: Undergoing cataract surgery may not only improve your vision but also possibly reduce the...
The Placebo Prescription?
I recently came across a medical study that caught my eye because it investigated a controversial subject. In a survey of doctors from 21 countries, researchers posed this question:...
Remembering the Scientists We Lost in 2025
Over the past year, we have lost some giant figures in the scientific world—including the revered anthropologist and conservationist Jane Goodall, and the accomplished and controversial geneticist James Watson,...
‘Eat Locally, Think Globally’: It All Began With Joan Gussow, 1928–2025
Before there was Michael Pollan, there was Joan Gussow—writing, teaching, and sounding the alarm about the industrial food system as early as the 1970s, three decades before The Omnivore’s...
Onscreen Smoking Makes a Comeback (and Why That’s Not Cool)
As someone who grew up in the 1950s, my impressionable years were full of messages that promoted smoking. My father smoked. I saw TV ads where “doctors” endorsed Camels...
Got Covid Symptoms? Should You Still Test Yourself?
It’s been almost six years since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, and a lot has changed about the way we view the illness. We now have vaccines and...
My Beef With the Science: How the Red Meat Industry Skewers Results
As avid followers of health news, you may have noticed that the headlines on certain subjects seem to flip-flop at regular intervals. Nutrition is a notorious area for this:...
Autism: Continue to Follow the Science
Back in the first half of the 20th century, young children who had severe difficulties with communication and behavior were often labeled as having a childhood form of schizophrenia. According...
