Ward: Environment

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This popular painkiller may do more harm than good

Tramadol, a popular opioid often seen as a “safer” painkiller, may not live up to its reputation. A large analysis of clinical trials found that while it does reduce chronic pain, the relief is modest—so small that many patients likely wouldn’t notice much real-world benefit. At the same time, trama…

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Blood test could predict who is most at risk from common inherited heart condition

Exclusive: Scientists find a way to forecast hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, which affects millions worldwideScientists are developing a simple blood test to predict who is most at risk from the world’s most common inherited heart condition.Millions of people worldwide have hypertrophic cardiomyopathy …

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Your roommate’s genes may be shaping your gut bacteria

Scientists studying thousands of rats discovered that gut bacteria are shaped by both personal genetics and the genetics of social partners. Some genes promote certain microbes that can spread between individuals living together. When researchers accounted for this social sharing, genetic influence …

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Medicaid paid over $200 million to dead people in 2021 and 2022, federal watchdog says

Tuesday’s report is the first nationwide look at improper Medicaid payments.

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Illinois Health Officials Report First Dog Rabies Case in 31 Years

The affected dog, less than one-year-old, was euthanized last week.

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How Service Dogs Help Treat Veterans’ PTSD

There’s research suggesting that these four-legged “battle buddies” can reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety. But shortages and long wait times pose barriers.

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War-weary Ukrainians seek ‘green’ healing in their vast national parks

With mental health resources in short supply, the traumatized children, wounded veterans and grieving widows turn to Ukraine’s national parks for solace.

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Ex-Sen. Ben Sasse jokes about his tough cancer diagnosis

Former Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.), who publicly announced his stage 4 pancreatic cancer diagnosis with a notably candid message earlier this week, took to X late on Christmas Eve to offer a joke about his condition. “umm, we should talk . . .” Sasse, 53, wrote in response to a post earlier this week.…

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Faith, science and doctors’ struggle with end of life care

If you believe in medical miracles, it can keep you as a physician from giving up too soon.

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How much screen time is acceptable for kids at Christmas?

Parents ponder whether to relax rules totally over the festive period, or find ways to avoid screen time.

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Christmas can be a nightmare for misophonia sufferers like me

Christmas is a difficult time if you suffer from a reduced tolerance to sounds, but there are ways to make it easier.

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The global empathy crisis that confronts us this Christmas

Empathy levels diminished 14% across the U.S. after the pandemic, with the steepest drop among millennials, according to a United Way survey.

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IVF success may depend on how long men abstain from ejaculation

Ejaculating within 48 hours of providing a sperm sample for IVF seems to lead to greater success rates than abstaining from ejaculation for longer

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The potential of GLP-1 drugs to transform medicine exploded in 2025

We knew that GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy did more than just help control type 2 diabetes and aid weight loss, but the extent of that potential really came to light in 2025

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How I learned to keep my brain in better repair this year

Neuroscience columnist Helen Thomson on how she discovered a host of evidence-based ways to keep her brain healthier in 2026

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Chronic fatigue syndrome seems to have a very strong genetic element

The largest study so far into the genetics of chronic fatigue syndrome, or myalgic encephalomyelitis, has implicated 259 genes – six times more than those identified just four months ago

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Scientists found a way to restore brain blood flow in dementia

A new study suggests that dementia may be driven in part by faulty blood flow in the brain. Researchers found that losing a key lipid causes blood vessels to become overactive, disrupting circulation and starving brain tissue. When the missing molecule was restored, normal blood flow returned. This …

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Deaths of despair were rising long before opioids

Long before opioids flooded communities, something else was quietly changing—and it may have helped set the stage for today’s crisis. A new study finds that as church attendance dropped among middle-aged, less educated white Americans, deaths from overdoses, suicide, and alcohol-related disease bega…

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The most damaging taboo about sexual violence

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Recess CEO: Building a Leading Relaxation Beverage Brand

Ben Witte, founder and CEO of Recess, says the company’s thesis is that in an increasingly stressful world, consumers are prioritizing mental wellness and seeking healthier ways to relax. He tells Katie Greifeld and Norah Mulinda on The Close that Recess is positioning its drinks as an evening relax…