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How for-profit nursing home regulators can use the powers they already have to fix growing problems with poor-quality care

Nursing homes care for more than a million people in the U.S. AP Photo/Richard DrewGovernments at both state and federal levels have yet to fully wield their authority to fight ...
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Opill, the first over-the-counter birth control pill, will be on shelves soon − here are some key things to know

Within weeks, for the first time in the U.S. consumers will be able to find a birth control pill on retail shelves. Bill Oxford/iStock via Getty ImagesThe Food and Drug ...
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Could the days of ‘springing forward’ be numbered? A neurologist and sleep expert explains the downside to that borrowed hour of daylight

While that 'extra' hour of sunlight in the evenings can be exhilarating, it comes with significant health trade-offs. Anna Blazhuk/Moment via Getty ImagesAs people in the U.S. prepare to set ...
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Mounting research shows that COVID-19 leaves its mark on the brain, including with significant drops in IQ scores

Research shows that even mild COVID-19 can lead to the equivalent of seven years of brain aging. Victor Habbick Visions/Science Photo Library via Getty ImagesFrom the very early days of ...
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Early COVID-19 research is riddled with poor methods and low-quality results − a problem for science the pandemic worsened but didn’t create

The pandemic spurred an increase in COVID-19 research, much of it with methodological holes. Andriy Onufriyenko/Moment via Getty ImagesEarly in the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers flooded journals with studies about the ...
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Candidates’ aging brains are factors in the presidential race − 4 essential reads

Joe Biden and Donald Trump are two of the three oldest people ever to serve as president. AP PhotoThe leading contenders in the 2024 presidential election are two of the ...
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Don’t let ‘FDA-approved’ or ‘patented’ in ads give you a false sense of security

Is that really a stamp of approval? iStock/Getty Images PlusIf you’ve ever reached for a bottle of moisturizer labeled “patented” or “FDA approved,” you might want to think twice. In ...
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Breastfeeding benefits mothers as much as babies, but public health messaging often only tells half of the story

Breastfeeding lowers the risk of diabetes as well as breast and ovarian cancers for mothers. Goodboy Picture Company/E+ via Getty ImagesFour babies are born every second in the world, and ...
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Suicide has reached epidemic proportions in the US − yet medical students still don’t receive adequate training to treat suicidal patients

Every year, more than 12 million Americans have suicidal thoughts. Djavan Rodriguez/Moment via Getty ImagesSuicide in the U.S. is a societal epidemic and a staggering public health crisis that demands ...
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Backlash to transgender health care isn’t new − but the faulty science used to justify it has changed to meet the times

Anti-trans legislation adjudicates the bodily autonomy of those who do not conform to gender norms. Carolyn Kaster/AP PhotoIn the past century, there have been three waves of opposition to transgender ...
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