Health
U.S. researchers seek to legitimize AI mental health care
Researchers at Dartmouth College believe artificial intelligence can deliver reliable psychotherapy, distinguishing their work from the unproven and sometimes dubious mental health apps flooding today's market. Their application, Therabot, addresses the critical shortage of mental health professionals. According to Nick Jacobson, an assistant professor of data science and psychiatry at… Read
As heated tobacco products reenter U.S. market, evidence on their safety remains sparse
Heated tobacco products are often marketed by tobacco companies as less harmful than cigarettes, but they can pose health risks to users, according to a new review I co-authored in the journal Tobacco Control. Evidence on their health risks in people who smoke is limited, sometimes contradictory, and hard to… Read
What’s that rash? Put some thought into asking Google for medical help
Dr Google is often on call for worried patients, but it may not give the best advice. Doctors say internet searches for medical information should be done cautiously, especially with artificial intelligence playing a growing role. Information from the right websites can teach patients about symptoms and prepare them for… Read
Ace your finals – healthwise, at least – with this advice
Even without final exams looming, Andrea Rivera is all too familiar with stress. Rivera, a 23-year-old journalism major, is taking classes at not one but two schools: San Joaquin Delta College in her hometown of Stockton, California, and an hour away at Sacramento State. She's paying her way by working… Read
Cancer research in U.S. is world class but with gov't pulling out, its future is uncertain
Cancer research in the U.S. doesn’t rely on a single institution or funding stream − it’s a complex ecosystem made up of interdependent parts: academia, pharmaceutical companies, biotechnology startups, federal agencies and private foundations. As a cancer biologist who has worked in each of these sectors over the past three… Read
'Gogatsu-byo': Japan’s May sickness & its effect on relationships
With all of the possible upheaval and changes that take place in April, you would think that a month that starts with a week of holidays like May would be a kinder, gentler time. But there is something sinister that may strike at any moment in May: the so-called gogatsu-byo. What Exactly Is… Read
Gates, others launch $500 million maternal, newborn health fund, bucking aid cuts trend
A group of philanthropies including the Gates Foundation has set up a fund backed with nearly $500 million to help save the lives of newborn babies and mothers in sub-Saharan Africa, standing out against a bleak global health funding landscape. The Beginnings Fund was launched on Tuesday in Abu Dhabi,… Read
Genetic medicine can leave people with rare mutations behind. But there's new hope
Emily Kramer-Golinkoff can’t get enough oxygen with each breath. Advanced cystic fibrosis makes even simple things like walking or showering arduous and exhausting. She has the most common fatal genetic disease in the U.S., which afflicts 40,000 Americans. But her case is caused by a rare genetic mutation, so medications… Read
Whooping cough cases rising again in U.S., challenging public health departments
Whooping cough cases are rising, and doctors are bracing for yet another tough year. There have been 8,485 cases reported in 2025, according to preliminary data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That’s twice as many cases as this time last year, based on the CDC's final… Read
Worries about flying seem to be taking off. Here's how to cope with in-flight anxiety
Adelynn Campbell’s last plane trip ended with a panic attack that she got through largely with the help of a kind flight attendant. That was last year — before 67 people died in January when an American Airlines jet collided with a helicopter over Washington, D.C., in the deadliest U.S.… Read
