Talking to children about tragedies and scary headlines in the news

The news these days is overwhelming in its awfulness. War is underway in eastern Europe. Climate change looms, contributing to wildfires and flooding. Incomprehensible shootings occur with numbing regularity. The pandemic seems to be shifting from an immediate threat to health to an endemic illness — yet it’s still affecting us. The news has been … Read more

Preventing preeclampsia may be as simple as taking an aspirin

Preeclampsia is a common and dangerous complication of pregnancy that causes high blood pressure and excess protein in urine. Typically, it occurs during the third trimester or very soon after birth, but there may be a simple way to help prevent it. If you’re pregnant, preeclampsia can cause kidney and liver abnormalities, blood clotting problems, … Read more

Can vitamin D supplements prevent autoimmune disease?

You don’t have to look far to find claims that taking vitamin D supplements is great for your health. It’s supposed to be good for everything from preventing cancer and dementia to avoiding infections and heart disease. Unfortunately, many supposed benefits of vitamin D supplements remain unproven. Yet, millions of people take vitamin D regularly, … Read more

The plant milk shake-up: Pea and pistachio join oat and almond

For the longest time, your milk choices were whole, 2%, 1%, and fat-free (or skim). Today, refrigerator shelves at grocery stores are crowded with plant-based milks made from nuts, beans, or grains, and include favorites like almond, soy, coconut, cashew, oat, and rice. Yet the fertile ground of the plant-milk business continues to sprout new … Read more

Comparing traditional and robotic-assisted surgery for prostate cancer

An operation called a radical prostatectomy has long been a mainstay of prostate cancer treatment. Offered most often to men whose cancer has not yet begun to spread, it involves removing the entire prostate gland, and can be performed in different ways. With the traditional "open" method, surgeons remove the prostate through an 8-to-10-inch incision … Read more