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In a new USA Today opinion piece Drs. Bloom and Jeffrey Singer ask Secretary Kennedy to reform HHS so that pain patients no longer suffer needlessly.

Recently introduced legislation would prohibit EPA from using any of its Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) assessments for rulemaking or other actions. If this legislation becomes law, would it further the use of sound science at EPA, or would it be destructive to EPA’s function and purpose?

Rare diseases - a medical condition so obscure that even your doctor has to Google. Despite their name, these diseases collectively impact millions of Americans, creating a healthcare system that’s equal parts expensive, frustrating, and endlessly confusing. With 8% of US households reporting a rare disease diagnosis and healthcare costs hitting nearly $1 trillion, it’s clear that rarity doesn’t mean insignificant—it just means a harder battle for answers, treatment, and support.

During the recent battle over FDA's decision ban the use of Red No. 3 in food and ingested drugs, few commentators answered a fundamental question: why do food makers use dyes in the first place? The press framed the answer as a corporate ploy to sell more candy, but the story's a bit more complicated than that. Let's take a closer look.

Ah, the tangled web of history—where the guy who helped bring us leaded gasoline also played a role in cancer research. Meanwhile, neuroscientists confirm what we all suspected: our brains love a good script, whether it’s recalling childhood memories or deciding which subpar healthcare statement to ignore. And speaking of questionable judgment, ever wonder how a prison turned into Big Pharma’s favorite testing ground? Let’s dive into this week’s reading, where corporate PR, memory palaces, and the dark side of medical research collide.

Warning! Sweeping changes in public health are on the rise. The latest word, according to Stat, is that the Department of Health and Human Services directed the CDC to curtail vaccine advertising and focus on informed consent. So, just what does that mean?

The fine art of saying one thing and meaning another is a skill we master before we can even tie our shoes. From toddlers who "technically" cleaned their room by shoving everything under the bed to politicians who insist they never lied but just "misspoke," linguistic loopholes are a universal human pastime. A new study suggests that kids develop this strategic wordplay early, but let's be honest—some never outgrow it.

If fad diets were a sport, the Blood Type Diet would be the comeback kid—re-emerging every few years with a fresh coat of pseudoscientific polish. Once a relic of early-2000s wellness trends, it’s now making the rounds again, championed by self-proclaimed "experts" eager to monetize dietary astrology. Does eating for your blood type hold up to scientific scrutiny? Spoiler: It’s a bloody mess.

Some poor soul requested a Dreaded Chemistry Lesson From Hell. Who am I to disagree? Today's coma-inducing article will teach you how to get pure silver from an old coin. Is this a good idea? Not even close. Keep reading.

Medicaid is the program that politicians love to fight over. Still, millions of Americans can’t afford to lose Medicaid, which acts as the safety net that keeps low-income families, seniors, and people with disabilities from falling through the cracks. With federal spending under the microscope, Medicaid is again on the chopping block. So, what’s really at stake? Let’s cut through the noise and get to the facts before lawmakers start playing Operation with your healthcare.

For 35 years, the FDA has placed onerous restrictions on the only drug it has ever approved for treatment-resistant schizophrenia, and the only one it recognizes as reducing the risk of suicide. This has made it very difficult for doctors and patients to take advantage of the medicine. But that’s about to change.

The discovery of silent H5N1 infections in unexpected populations, the emergence of new variants, and its potential to evolve into a human-to-human transmissible virus necessitates immediate and comprehensive public health responses.

Lost in the conversation about measles and vitamin A is the mind-boggling irony of RFK Jr.’s position on using the vitamin. He promotes it as a measles treatment — where it is useless — while condemning millions of children to blindness and death by opposing GM foods like Golden Rice, a clear solution to vitamin A deficiency in poorer countries. It’s almost impossible to be more wrong than this.

PubMed is a critical resource for biomedical research, housing over 37 million citations from MEDLINE and other sources, and serving as a cornerstone for researchers, physicians, and the public. However, concerns are growing over its future due to potential policy shifts that could restrict access, halt updates, or compromise its indexing system, potentially undermining scientific integrity and accessibility.

After being essentially replaced by fentanyl during the darkest days of the Covid pandemic, heroin is re-emerging as an option for consumers of blackmarket drugs. Could this have something to do with the recent downturn in drug overdose fatalities?

Organic agriculture is wasteful of land and water, and its products are prone to microbial contamination. It offers no advantages except to the grifters in its supply chain.

RFK Jr. prioritizes debunked vaccine conspiracies over real public health threats, ignoring rising outbreaks of measles, influenza, and pertussis. His rejection of scientific consensus endangers public health, undermining efforts to combat vaccine-preventable diseases.

The aggressive prosecution and regulatory scrutiny of pain doctors have driven physicians out of pain management, leaving patients abandoned and desperate. This chilling effect has led to tragic consequences, including patient suicides, as untreated pain sufferers have nowhere to turn.

Eight years ago, not too long after war was declared against opioid medications and the people who legitimately need them, I ran headfirst into the problem myself. Yep, I needed (and sought) drugs but couldn't get them. Sound familiar?

At the start of every year, millions vow to get fit, save money, or finally learn French, armed with the dubious belief that 21 days of sheer willpower will transform them into gym rats, financial wizards, or fluent Parisians. Spoiler alert: That’s not how habits work; if it were we’d all be running marathons now and speaking five languages.

Cardboard is not just for shipping impulse purchases and making forts for your cat. Then there’s beer sludge — no longer a byproduct of your regretted college years, but now repurposed into vegan milk. And seahorses — the one species where the males actually do the heavy lifting in reproduction. Finally, medicine is Darwinian.

Before the pandemic sent supplement sales into the stratosphere, America was already popping “immune-boosting” pills like they were magical shields against disease. The most enthusiastic buyers weren’t the sick and vulnerable — they were the wealthy, well-fed, and already healthy. It turns out that the real immune-boosting effect of these supplements may have more to do with placebo-fueled confidence.

Welcome to Medicare Part D, where your prescription drugs come with co-pays and co-insurance. If you thought co-pays and co-insurance were mundane payment terms, think again. These figures are expertly designed to shuffle more costs onto you while keeping insurers comfortably in the black.

Welcome to the era of algorithm-driven diabetes management, where closed-loop glucose monitoring systems keep you from tanking into hypoglycemic coma (although they seem to have a quirky preference for letting ketoacidosis sneak up on you). This study of nearly 14,000 young diabetics shows that high-tech isn't always high touch.

Metaphors might well be the duct tape of human understanding. Sometimes, they’re elegant, like a well-crafted bridge; other times, they’re more of a rickety rope ladder held together by questionable logic. This week’s reading takes us from literary gumbo to literal space poop, from physics muscling in on biology’s turf to transfusions of milk for bleeding.