One Clinic Tracks the Heavy Toll Trump's Immigration Crackdown Takes on Mental Health
Data from Zócalo Health, a Los Angeles clinic serving Medicaid‑insured Latino families, shows a sharp increase in anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts since the Trump administration intensified immigration raids in 2025. More than half of screened patients report severe anxiety, three‑quarters depression, and 1 in 8 experience suicidal ideation—double the national rate. The clinic attributes the surge to immigration enforcement acting as a real‑time public‑health stressor, affecting both adults and children who already face higher baseline mental‑health risks.
New Research May Lead to Hearing Aids with the Ability to Select One Voice Among Many
Researchers at Columbia University have demonstrated a brain‑controlled hearing‑aid prototype that uses auditory‑cortex signals to isolate a single speaker in a noisy environment. By monitoring neural activity, the system automatically amplifies the desired voice while suppressing others, improving comprehension and...
Forest Therapy: Why a Physician Wants More Doctors to Train in Nature-Based Medicine
Former hospital administrator Dr. Susan Abookire, now a certified forest‑therapy guide, organized a two‑hour forest‑bathing session for 11 Boston physicians at the Arnold Arboretum. Participants practiced mindful walking, sensory exercises, and tree‑contact techniques designed to lower stress and improve immune...
Marketers Say NAD+ Pills and Infusions Can Boost Longevity. What's the Evidence?
NAD+ supplements and IV infusions have become a booming segment of the wellness market, promising everything from anti‑aging effects to improved energy. While animal studies consistently show metabolic and mitochondrial benefits, human trials remain small and inconclusive, with modest improvements...
Doomscrolling Too Much? Try These Tips to Put the Phone Down and Plug Into Real Life
NPR Life Kit’s Marielle Segarra offers a step‑by‑step guide to curb doomscrolling, starting with self‑awareness of the emotions that trigger scrolling. The segment introduces “urge surfing,” a technique from addiction research that helps users ride out cravings. It recommends adding friction—screen‑time...
How a Pill Approved 25 Years Ago Transformed Cancer Treatment
Gleevec, the brand name for imatinib, emerged from Dr. Brian Druker's vision of a targeted cancer therapy that switches off the BCR‑ABL enzyme driving chronic myeloid leukemia. After early‑stage trials showed 100% response with mild side effects, Novartis accelerated the...
Contact Tracing Could Be Key in Halting the Spread of Hantavirus. Here's How It Works
An international public‑health team is tracing more than two dozen passengers who left the MV Honius cruise ship after a hantavirus case was identified. Because the virus requires close, prolonged exposure and transmits only briefly, officials assess the risk of...
As Federal Government Pulls Back, Colorado Charts Independent Course with Vaccines
Colorado enacted a new law allowing the state to diverge from federal CDC vaccine recommendations, letting Medicaid purchase vaccines based on national medical societies and granting pharmacists authority to prescribe and administer shots. The legislation is part of a broader...
Cancer Warning Labels on Alcohol May Motivate People to Drink Less, Study Says
A Stanford-led study tested eight new alcohol warning labels that explicitly cite cancer, liver disease, dementia and hypertension. Over 1,000 weekly drinkers viewed the labels, and all outperformed the generic 1989 warning in teaching new health risks and boosting motivation...
With Legal Briefs in, Supreme Court Weighs Telehealth Access for the Abortion Pill
The Supreme Court issued a one‑week stay on the 5th Circuit’s May 1 ruling that would have ended telemedicine prescribing of the abortion pill mifepristone nationwide. The pause keeps the FDA’s 2023 rule—allowing mail‑order and pharmacy dispensing—alive until at least May 11,...
Studying These Young Alzheimer's Patients Led to Breakthroughs. Trump Cut the Funding
The Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer Network (DIAN) has leveraged over 200 families with rare early‑onset Alzheimer’s gene mutations to uncover how the disease begins and to test amyloid‑targeting drugs that later reached the market. Its international registry, funded by the NIH...
These Companies Help Parents Try to Pick Their Babies' Traits. Experts Are Wary
Companies such as Herasight, Orchid Health and Nucleus Genomics now offer polygenic embryo screening that estimates disease risk and predicts traits like height, BMI, longevity and IQ. The service relies on polygenic risk scores derived from DNA samples of parents...
Preserving Pollinators Is Good for Health -- and Income
A new study in Nepal links wild pollinators to more than 20% of key vitamin intake and 44% of small‑holder farm income. Researchers tracked 776 residents for a year, matching diets to crops and the insects that pollinate them. They...
Midwives Saved His Mom's Life -- and Inspired Him to Pursue the Profession
Ethiopian assistant professor Dawit Tamru credits midwives with saving his mother’s life, a moment that set him on a career path. He now leads the School of Midwifery at Haramaya University, where Ethiopia has grown its midwife workforce from roughly...
Anti-Poverty Program Is Effective Even in One of the World's Toughest Settings
A USAID‑funded "graduation" program delivered cash, coaching and asset transfers to 5,000 ultra‑poor households in Baidoa, Somalia, from 2021‑2024. Participants received six monthly $42.50 cash grants and could choose a one‑time asset, most opting for goats. Follow‑up research shows 68%...