Screenshot 2025 07 25 at 7.12.19 am

Student loan caps might worsen the national doctor shortage, critics worry

Some congressional Republicans say that students need to be working harder to pay for higher education, like medical school, on their own. Others say the caps put the onus back on colleges and universities to rein in the rising cost of tuition. But critics of this legislation say the loan caps are only going to harm students, especially from lower-income backgrounds, and will exacerbate physician shortages.

Continue reading
Illustration of a bowl of rice with a spoon to the side.

Single-food ‘mono diets’: are they effective, pointless, or just plain dangerous?

With summer in full swing, many people will be tempted by supposedly miraculous dieting tricks to lose those excess kilos that prevent them from enjoying the perfect physique. Among them are so-called “mono diets”: restrictive regimes that consist of exclusively eating one type of food for a period of time, with the aim of quickly losing weight and “detoxing”.

Continue reading
Infant swimming underwater Version

How germy is the public pool?

Swimming, especially in public pools and water parks, comes with its own unique set of risks — from minor skin irritations to gastrointestinal infections. But swimming also has a plethora of physical, social and mental health benefits. With some knowledge and a little vigilance, you can enjoy the water without worrying about what might be lurking beneath the surface.

Continue reading
Photo of an infant with a measles rash.

Measles isn’t just dangerous – it may erase your immune system

Emerging research suggests that the measles vaccination may offer surprising additional health benefits. Children who receive the vaccine have been shown to have a significantly lower risk of infections from diseases unrelated to measles. One explanation for this broader benefit is the idea of “measles amnesia.” This refers to the ability of the measles virus to erase parts of the body’s immune memory.

Continue reading
Screenshot 2025 07 17 at 9.55.05 am

How 17M Americans enrolled in Medicaid and ACA plans could lose their health insurance by 2034

As a public health professor, I see these changes, which will be phased in over several years, as the first step in a reversal of the expansion of access to health care that began with the ACA’s passage in 2010. About 25.3 million Americans lacked insurance in 2023, down sharply from 46.5 million when President Barack Obama signed the ACA into law. All told, the changes in the works could eliminate three-quarters of the progress the U.S. has made in reducing the number of uninsured Americans following the Affordable Care Act.

Continue reading