Legislative session focused on PBM reform, behavioral health coverage
Lawmakers approved sweeping changes to pharmacy benefit managers and removed prior authorization for some behavioral health services during the recently concluded spring session. Below is a roundup of some of the proposals that […]
The Perimenopause Symptom We Don’t Talk About Nearly Enough
FG Trade via Getty Images Brain fog, fatigue and mood changes can all be part of the mental health symptoms you may experience during perimenopause. If your mood fluctuations feel less like your usual stress and anxiety and more like the beginnings of a villain origin story (and you’re also experiencing symptoms like insomnia and […]
Study identifies multi-organ response to seven days without food
New findings reveal that the body undergoes significant, systematic changes across multiple organs during prolonged periods of fasting. The results demonstrate evidence of health benefits beyond weight loss, but also show that any potentially health-altering changes appear to occur only after three days without food. The study, published today in Nature Metabolism, advances our understanding […]
Do sugar-free candy and gum give you gas? Researchers think they know why
Researchers at UC Davis have identified changes in the gut microbiome that can result in an inability to digest sorbitol. Sorbitol, a sugar alcohol, is used in sugar-free gum, mints, candy and other products. It is also found naturally in apricots, apples, pears, avocadoes and other foods. At high levels, sorbitol can cause bloating, cramps […]
HHS Expands Access to Methadone, Buprenorphine
As part of a broader overdose prevention strategy, the Biden administration announced changes to decades-old federal rules, which aim to simplify and expand access to addiction treatment in order to save more lives. Specifically, the final rule, issued by HHS, makes permanent pandemic-era flexibilities that allow eligible patients with an opioid use disorder (OUD) to […]
Switching to vegan or ketogenic diet rapidly impacts immune system
Researchers at the National Institutes of Health observed rapid and distinct immune system changes in a small study of people who switched to a vegan or a ketogenic (also called keto) diet. Scientists closely monitored various biological responses of people sequentially eating vegan and keto diets for two weeks, in random order. They found that […]
Doctors Reveal Exactly What Happens To Your Brain After You Turn 50
Eva-Katalin via Getty Images Experts break down the changes that our brains go through as we age and what we can do about them. No matter our age, most of us are guilty of saying, “I must be getting old,” when we can’t quite find the words to describe something or an important item on […]
Women Over 50 Reveal What Sex Is Actually Like For Them After Menopause
LOADINGERROR LOADING Menopause can bring about a number of mental, physical and emotional changes — including some shifts in your sex life. Clinically speaking, menopause is reached when you’ve gone 12 straight months without a period, marking the end of one’s reproductive years. The average age of the last menstrual period is 51, according to […]
Jet lag disorder associated with shift work can lead to brain changes increasing appetite
Scientists have uncovered why night shift work is associated with changes in appetite in a new University of Bristol-led study. The findings, published in Communications Biology, could help the millions of people that work through the night and struggle with weight gain. Scientists from Bristol and the University of Occupational and Environmental Health in Japan, […]
Retinal Changes Emerge Years Before Parkinson’s Disease
People with Parkinson’s disease had retinal changes that could be seen with optical coherence tomography (OCT) years before diagnosis, cross-sectional data suggested. Both incident and prevalent Parkinson’s disease were associated with reduced ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer (GCIPL) and inner nuclear layer (INL) thicknesses, reported Siegfried Karl Wagner, MSc, MD, of University College London in England, […]