A field called epigenomics looks at chemical modifications that do not change our DNA sequence but can affect gene activity. What are the limitations, and can biomedicine use this to our advantage?
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Health – Articles, Analysis, Opinion
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Double standards about sexual activity not only make life difficult, but they also complicate STD research. As we observe STD Awareness Month, it’s good to think about how to get to the truth.
There is typically no fever, no broken bone, no lesion to examine under a microscope when evaluating mental illness. Diagnosing disorders therefore is hard. A new way to classify disorders could help.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions recently echoed the 1980s philosophy to ‘just say no’ to drugs. It’s important to remember, however, that the policy was ineffective.
With changes to health care insurance on hold, now may be a good time to focus not on health insurance but on health. More and more studies show that we do have some control over that. Here’s how.
The U.S. has been arguing about health care for decades. Critics have argued that insurance for all is a sign of weakness or even Communist. Here’s a look at how the thinking has evolved – or not.
President Trump has threatened and criticized federal judges and House representatives. In a typical workplace, this would be called bullying. Here’s why it’s important to stop it.
Cigarette smoking kills about 480,000 Americans annually and costs nearly US$170 billion in health care each year. Is it time we considered financial incentives to help people quit?
Chain restaurants vowed to make children’s menus healthier. But our analysis of menus across the country shows that kids’ choices still aren’t very good for them.
Essential health benefits under Obamacare are suddenly the center of controversy in the proposed replacement bill. If certain health benefits are so essential, why are they so loathed? Here’s a look.
Tuberculosis transmitted from animals to humans is a growing concern in poor countries. As we observe World Tuberculosis Day, it’s worth asking why.
A study that suggested Chronic Fatigue Syndrome was more psychological than physical has been debunked. How did the data get doctored?
While many groups of people stand to lose health insurance benefits under the new health care bill, smokers would be particularly harmed. Here’s how cutbacks in cessation programs could harm them.
Diabetes, which afflicts 29 million people in the U.S., remains a difficult disease to treat. Read how an algorithm devised by MIT researchers could help.
Recently revised guidelines on mercury in seafood suggest cutting bait on some fish but making sure you eat other types. Then there are omega-3s to consider. Here are some tips to help you choose.
The Orphan Drug Act was enacted 34 years ago to encourage the development of drugs for rare diseases. Drug companies were guaranteed seven years of exclusivity. Then the rush was on to run up prices.
People with neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s often have difficulty swallowing, a dangerous condition. Here’s why treatment of these illnesses should include attention to swallowing problems.
You don’t often see many of the nation’s 75 million seniors hanging out in parks. There may be a reason. Most parks are not designed with seniors in mind. Here are some ways to change that.
A gene controlling cell identity in corn kernels is the same one that controls progression to specific cancers in humans. Here’s why.
The Republican House plan for health care has been decried for its effect on the poor, the aged and the sick. Ultimately, though, it could affect everyone, if healthy people don’t sign up.
House Speaker Paul Ryan called the new health care proposal an ‘act of mercy.’ The bill could help the healthy and wealthy, but it is unlikely to be merciful to the poor.
Guidelines galore suggest how we can take care of ourselves in concert with our doctors. Here’s why it’s not as easy as it may seem (and how those guidelines get written)
March 11 marks the anniversary of the Fukushima earthquake. Natural disasters here in the US also have wreaked havoc. There may be a way to improve response to these natural disasters.
Republicans opposed Obamacare’s mandate as much as they decried any part of the bill. How would their replacement idea, pegged to incentives, work?
Women are paid 20 percent less than men in the US but live about five years longer than men. You might be surprised at the reasons that men, on average, die at a younger age.