Chronic disease is the defining health crisis of our time. Despite medical advancements, rates of diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and neurodegenerative conditions continue to rise. The U.S. spends more on healthcare than any other country, yet people are getting sicker, not healthier. This failure stems from conventional medicine’s narrow focus on pharmaceuticals and procedures that only prolong dependence rather than recognizing the role of mitochondrial function and cellular health in preventing and treating chronic disease. It’s time to challenge this system, expose its shortcomings, and demand a shift toward solutions that actually restore health at its foundation. The Financial Toll…

1 What’s one major way modern diets are undermining your health despite providing enough calories? They lack essential nutrients due to being ultraprocessed Modern diets filled with ultraprocessed foods, excessive sugar, and harmful vegetable oils lead to nutrient deficiencies, starving your cells of what they need despite ample calories. Learn more. They overload your system with too much protein They contain too few carbohydrates for energy They rely heavily on low-fat options that disrupt metabolism 2 How much added sugar might you be feeding your baby daily if they’re fully formula-fed, according to researchers? Less than 5 grams, similar to…

Dr. Olena Weaver of MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston looks at mammogram imagery. The regular mammogram on the left shows a woman with dense breast tissue; on the right is a contrast-enhanced mammogram. Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images Joy, a 46-year-old in Pittsburgh, recalls being the same age as her teenage boys, when her own mother diligently got cancer screenings. “She had her mammograms every year,” Joy says. But, Joy thinks her mother likely had “dense breasts,” as she does. That means more concentrated clusters of glands and…

Ginger (Zingiber officinale) has been a staple in traditional medicine for centuries and is valued across cultures for its ability to ease digestive distress and fight inflammation. Its benefits for stomach ailments, nausea and intestinal disorders have been mentioned in Ancient Ayurvedic and Chinese texts. Today, more evidence on ginger’s benefits is being published, and one recent study revealed this food’s ability to manage chronic gut inflammation, including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).1 IBD is an umbrella term for disorders that cause chronic inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract, including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. These conditions are characterized by persistent diarrhea,…

For more than two months, Mary Mayongana, 42, hasn’t been able to consistently take her HIV medication. She says she feels weak and has developed an itchy rash. Ben de la Cruz/NPR hide caption toggle caption Ben de la Cruz/NPR A 10-year-old girl who’ll keep going to the local clinic for the medications to suppress the HIV virus — forgetting that it’s now closed. A house painter who no longer has the strength to do his work. A teenager who finds comfort in religious music as she wonders why it was her fate to be born HIV positive — and…

World Health Organization member states agreed to the treaty after three years of talks. NPR speaks with Precious Matsoso, who served as co-chair of the group tasked with creating the treaty. MILES PARKS, HOST: This week, more than 190 member states of the World Health Organization finalized a treaty to help prevent the next pandemic. It’s the first agreement of its kind in the world. Countries have agreed to share data, technology and vaccines in the event of another disease outbreak. It took more than three years of negotiations before the pandemic treaty was finalized, and it was done without…

In my recent interview with Alexis Cowan, Ph.D., a molecular biologist from Princeton, we explored some cutting-edge ideas that can dramatically impact your health. Cowan’s deep knowledge of molecular biology, particularly her passion for light, circadian rhythms and mitochondrial health, offers a fresh perspective on optimizing your well-being. We discussed topics that are often overlooked in mainstream health discussions but are necessary for understanding how your body truly works and how you can take control of your health journey. Molecular biology is a powerful field for understanding how to optimize your biology. It allows you to get down to the…

“ROMEO” stands for “retired older men eating out” — and it’s one way to keep older guys from being too isolated. Just don’t call it a support group! MILES PARKS, HOST: Self-reliance is a core American trait, and men in particular embrace it. So how do you offer help to someone who doesn’t think they need it? Ashley Milne-Tyte has more from the coast of Maine. And a warning, this story mentions suicide statistics. ASHLEY MILNE-TYTE, BYLINE: Maine has the oldest population in the country. Jess Maurer is executive director of the Maine Council on Aging. She says getting older…

Cuts to support staff at the Food and Drug Administration are shifting work to the agency’s inspectors. Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg via Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg via Getty Images When Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced in March that he would eliminate thousands of jobs from federal health agencies, he promised that he would spare the inspectors who keep America’s food and drugs safe by scrutinizing factories around the world. Kennedy kept his word and didn’t fire inspectors, but key support staffers who handled travel arrangements, reimbursements and more are gone, according to two…

Firefighters are more likely to develop brain tumors known as gliomas — and now we’re learning why. According to research published in the journal Cancer by a team at the University of California, San Francisco, these brain tumors carry a unique genetic signature tied directly to chemical exposure from their jobs.1 Glioma, the most common form of malignant brain tumor, is characterized by aggressive growth and poor survival rates. It causes headaches, vision problems, seizures, personality changes and memory loss. If left untreated, glioma rapidly progresses, often leading to severe disability and death. Researchers found a clear pattern of DNA…