Microdosing For Depression Appears To Work About As Well As Drinking Coffee
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Wired: About a decade ago, many media outlets – including WIRED – zeroed in on a weird trend at the intersection of mental health, drug science, and Silicon Valley biohacking: microdosing, or the practice of taking a small amount of a psychedelic drug seeking not full-blown hallu … ⌘ Read more

Oracle May Slash Up To 30,000 Jobs
An anonymous reader shares a report: Oracle could cut up to 30,000 jobs and sell health tech unit Cerner to ease its AI datacenter financing challenges, investment banker TD Cowen has claimed, amid changing sentiment on Big Red’s massive build-out plans.

A research note from TD Cowen states that finding equity and debt investors are increasingly questioning how Oracle will finance its datacenter bui … ⌘ Read more

US Life Expectancy Jumps To a Record 79 Years
An anonymous reader shares a report: U.S. life expectancy rose to a record high of 79 years in 2024, an increase of six months from the previous year, reflecting a sharp decline in deaths from COVID-19 and drug overdoses, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Thursday.

According to a report from the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics, life expectancy improve … ⌘ Read more

Google’s ‘AI Overviews’ Cite YouTube For Health Queries More Than Any Medical Sites, Study Suggests
An anonymous reader shared this report from the Guardian:

Google’s search feature AI Overviews cites YouTube more than any medical website when answering queries about health conditions, according to research that raises fresh questions about a tool seen by 2 billion people each m … ⌘ Read more

California Becomes First State To Join WHO Disease Network After US Exit
California became the first U.S. state to join the World Health Organization’s Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN), one day after the U.S. formally exited the WHO. The Hill reports: This announcement comes just one day after the U.S.’s withdrawal from the WHO became official after nearly 80 years of membership, havin … ⌘ Read more

US Formally Withdraws From WHO
The United States formally withdrew from the World Health Organization on Thursday, making good on an executive order that President Trump issued on his first day in office pledging to leave the international organization that coordinates global responses to public health threats. The New York Times: While the United States is walking away from the organization, a senior official with the Department of Health … ⌘ Read more

‘Active’ Sitting Is Better For Brain Health
alternative_right shares a report from ScienceAlert: A systematic review of 85 studies has now found good reason to differentiate between ‘active’ sitting, like playing cards or reading, and ‘passive’ sitting, like watching TV. […] “Total sitting time has been shown to be related to brain health; however, sitting is often treated as a single entity, without considering the specific … ⌘ Read more

HHS Announces New Study of Cellphone Radiation and Health
An anonymous reader quotes a report from U.S. News & World Report: U.S. health officials plan a new study investigating whether radiation from cellphones may affect human health. A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said the research will examine electromagnetic radiation and possible gaps in current science. The initiati … ⌘ Read more

Congress Wants To Hand Your Parenting To Big Tech
An anonymous reader quotes a report from the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF): Lawmakers in Washington are once again focusing on kids, screens, and mental health. But according to Congress, Big Tech is somehow both the problem and the solution. The Senate Commerce Committee held a hearing [Friday] on “examining the effect of technology on America’s youth.” Witnesses war … ⌘ Read more

Patch Tuesday Update Makes Windows PCs Refuse To Shut Down
A recent Microsoft Patch Tuesday update has introduced a bug in Windows 11 23H2 that causes some PCs to refuse to shut down or hibernate, “no matter how many times you try,” reports The Register. From the report: In a notice on its Windows release health dashboard, Microsoft confirmed that some PCs running Windows 11 23H2 might fail to power down properly af … ⌘ Read more

Study Finds Weak Evidence Linking Social Media Use to Teen Mental Health Problems
An anonymous reader quotes a report from the Guardian: Screen time spent gaming or on social media does not cause mental health problems in teenagers, according to a large-scale study. […] Researchers at the University of Manchester followed 25,000 11- to 14-year-olds over three school years, tracking their s … ⌘ Read more

EPA To Stop Considering Lives Saved By Limiting Air Pollution
An anonymous reader quotes a report from the New York Times: For decades, the Environmental Protection Agency has calculated the health benefits of reducing air pollution, using the cost estimates of avoided asthma attacks and premature deaths to justify clean-air rules. Not anymore. Under President Trump, the E.P.A. plans to stop tallying gains from th … ⌘ Read more

Illinois Health Department Exposed Over 700,000 Residents’ Personal Data For Years
Illinois Department of Human Services disclosed that a misconfigured internal mapping website exposed sensitive personal data for more than 700,000 Illinois residents for over four years, from April 2021 to September 2025. Officials say they can’t confirm whether the publicly accessible data was ever viewed. TechC … ⌘ Read more

OpenAI Launches ChatGPT Health, Encouraging Users To Connect Their Medical Records
OpenAI has unveiled ChatGPT Health, a sandboxed health-focused mode that lets users connect medical records and wellness apps for more personalized guidance. The company makes sure to note that ChatGPT Health is “not intended for diagnosis or treatment.” The Verge reports: The company is encouraging users to … ⌘ Read more

South Korea’s President Identifies a New Enemy: Baldness
South Korea’s President Lee Jae Myung asked at a televised policy meeting last month whether the country’s state-run healthcare plan could cover hair-loss treatment, framing it as a question about whether hair loss qualifies as a disease. The health minister told Lee that baldness is generally considered an aesthetic problem and therefore covered out-of-po … ⌘ Read more

Utah Allows AI To Renew Medical Prescriptions
sinij shares a news release from the Utah Department of Commerce: The state of Utah, through the Utah Department of Commerce’s Office of Artificial Intelligence Policy, today announced a first-of-its-kind partnership with Doctronic, the AI-native health platform, to give patients with chronic conditions a faster, automated way to renew medications. This agreement marks the first s … ⌘ Read more

Economic Inequality Does Not Equate To Poor Well-Being or Mental Health, Massive Meta-Analysis Finds
A new sweeping meta-analysis has found no reliable link between economic inequality and well-being or mental health, challenging a long-held assumption that has shaped public health policy discussions for decades. The study, led by Nicolas Sommet at the University of Lausan … ⌘ Read more

Google AI Overviews Put People at Risk of Harm With Misleading Health Advice
A Guardian investigation published Friday found that Google’s AI Overviews – the generative AI summaries that appear at the top of search results – are serving up inaccurate health information that experts say puts people at risk of harm. The investigation, which came after health groups, charities and professionals raise … ⌘ Read more

Malaria Shows No Sign of Stopping
The World Health Organization’s latest annual malaria report paints a grim picture that’s about to get grimmer, as the United States – which has supplied 37% of global malaria funding since 2010 – pulls back its international health commitments under President Donald Trump. Malaria cases have been climbing since 2015, when progress against the mosquito-borne disease stalled due to insecticide resistanc … ⌘ Read more

New York To Require Social Media Platforms To Display Mental Health Warnings
Social media platforms with infinite scrolling, auto-play and algorithmic feeds will be required to display warning labels about their potential harm to young users’ mental health under a new law, New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced on Friday. From a report: “Keeping New Yorkers safe has been my top priority since taki … ⌘ Read more

How We Ingest Plastic Chemicals While Consuming Food
A comprehensive database built by scientists in Switzerland and Norway has catalogued 16,000 chemicals linked to plastic materials, and the findings paint a troubling picture of what Americans are actually eating when they prepare food in their kitchens. Of those 16,000 chemicals, more than 5,400 are considered hazardous to human health by government and industry sta … ⌘ Read more

Supposedly distinct psychiatric conditions may have same root causes
People are often diagnosed with multiple neurodivergencies and mental health conditions, but the biggest genetic analysis so far suggests many have shared biological causes ⌘ Read more

Roman occupation of Britain damaged the population’s health
Urban populations in southern Britain experienced a decline in health that lasted for generations after the Romans arrived ⌘ Read more

We may finally know what a healthy gut microbiome looks like
Our gut microbiome has a huge influence on our overall health, but we haven’t been clear on the specific bacteria with good versus bad effects. Now, a study of more than 34,000 people is shedding light on what a healthy gut microbiome actually consists of ⌘ Read more

Australia records highest number of Indigenous deaths in custody since 1979
Australia recorded the largest number of Indigenous deaths in custody in the last financial year since 1979. Experts say over-incarceration remains a national crisis and prisons are neglecting the physical and mental health of vulnerable people. ⌘ Read more

WA’s ailing health system turns to AI in bid to free up doctors, nurses
A trial of artificial intelligence at Royal Perth Hospital is announced in an attempt to help health workers focus on patient care, as new data reveals WA’s emergency departments are among the most stretched in the nation. ⌘ Read more

Firefighter rocked by cancer battles ‘outdated’ scheme for compensation
Matthew Petch says firefighters like him are being left behind by an outdated compensation scheme and a lack of health screening. ⌘ Read more

Ongoing prison lockdowns could affect inmates’ health, advocate says
Advocates for prisoners and the union representing correctional officers are calling on the government to reach an urgent pay agreement to help end the statewide prison lockdown. ⌘ Read more

Canberra doctor ordered to stop botox injections for endometriosis pain
Patients have described the procedure as “life changing” but pelvic botox injections are no longer available publicly in the ACT, with Canberra Health Services ceasing the procedure “as a precaution due to unknown risks”. ⌘ Read more

Corrections, health staff commit to change after grandfather’s death in prison
Senior corrections and health staff will change how they respond to health emergencies inside NT jails, following the coronial inquest into the death of a disabled prisoner. ⌘ Read more

Partial victory for nurse in NHS trans changing room row
A tribunal said NHS Fife harassed Sandie Peggie but dismissed other claims she made against the health board and a transgender doctor. ⌘ Read more

300 million dead in 100 years: How we eradicated a killer
The eradication of smallpox 46 years ago has been cheered as the greatest triumph of global public health. It has also been held up as a model for global cooperation. ⌘ Read more

Too busy to meditate? Microdosing mindfulness has big health benefits
Small bursts of mindfulness practices lasting a minute or less can have unexpected benefits for those with busy lives - here’s how ⌘ Read more

Why picking up her phone made Samantha question her ability as a new mum
Readers share how they approached their online and social media use in the weeks immediately after giving birth. ⌘ Read more

College Students Flock To A New Major: AI
AI is the second-largest major at M.I.T. after computer science, reports the New York Times. (Alternate URL here.) Though that includes students interested in applying AI in biology and health care — it’s just the beginning:

This semester, more than 3,000 students enrolled in a new college of artificial intelligence and cybersecurity at the University of South Florida in Tampa.
At the Unive … ⌘ Read more

Patient ‘traumatised’ after doctor did not wear gloves during pap smear
Two women have told the ABC they believe the health regulator is failing to acknowledge the power imbalance between doctors and patients. ⌘ Read more

Officer’s mental health questioned by insurance doctor he’d never met
A former NSW Police officer with post-traumatic stress disorder had his mental health incorrectly challenged by a doctor who never consulted or examined him during a year-long battle with the force’s insurer. ⌘ Read more

Aging breast screening bus only retired after staff get electric shocks
Tasmania’s health department was aware a 32-year-old breast cancer screening bus was unsafe for years, but continued operating it up until two staff suffered electric shocks. ⌘ Read more

‘Life being stressful is not an illness’ - GPs on mental health over-diagnosis
Hundreds of GPs in England tell the BBC they are also worried about a lack of help for patients. ⌘ Read more

Company pauses plan to release controversial genetically modified mosquitoes
An organisation that planned to sell “friendly” mosquitoes to reduce the spread of diseases like dengue withdraws its licence application after backlash from scientists and health experts. ⌘ Read more

Tattooing may trigger localised damage to the immune system
There is relatively little information on the long-term health effects of tattooing, but a couple of recent studies suggest the art form might trigger prolonged inflammation ⌘ Read more

From 99 to 15 cases: How outback region reduced preventable disease
A lack of access to clean clothes and sheets led to high rates of heart disease in this outback Queensland town. But an Indigenous-led washing initiative is changing health outcomes in the region. ⌘ Read more

Does working from home impact mental health? Here’s what 16,000 people say
Working from home can positively impact the mental health of Australian men and women in different ways, according to a new study of more than 16,000 people. ⌘ Read more

Streeting orders review into rising demand for mental health and ADHD services
The review will look at increased pressure on the NHS and whether there is any evidence of over-diagnosis. ⌘ Read more

‘End-To-End Encrypted’ Smart Toilet Camera Is Not Actually End-To-End Encrypted
An anonymous reader quotes a report from TechCrunch: Earlier this year, home goods maker Kohler launched a smart camera called the Dekoda that attaches to your toilet bowl, takes pictures of it, and analyzes the images to advise you on your gut health. Anticipating privacy fears, Kohler said on its website that the Dekod … ⌘ Read more

‘Read the fine print’: Insurers are short-changing patients, doctors say
A new report from Australia’s peak doctors’ body says private health insurance is increasingly failing to deliver value to the roughly 15 million Australians who hold a policy. ⌘ Read more

Streeting orders review into rising demand for mental health and ADHD services
The review will look at increased pressure on the NHS and whether there is any evidence of over-diagnosis. ⌘ Read more

Streeting orders review into rising demand for mental health and ADHD services
The review will look at increased pressure on the NHS and whether there is any evidence of over-diagnosis. ⌘ Read more

Streeting orders review of mental health and ADHD services as welfare bills rise
The health secretary said the aim was to tackle a rising demand for services and the increased pressure on the NHS. ⌘ Read more

School taught me about bank accounts but not breast exams
Resources will be made available in schools on women’s health topics to reduce the gender health gap. ⌘ Read more