Authored by: Srijita Kommaraju On a summer vacation to my home country, India, I was astonished by how casually my relatives manage their health. Heaping plates full of white rice, rotis, and curries were eaten thoroughly, followed by metformin tablets and insulin injections. This was so normalized that no one thought to question it. And for a while, I didn’t either.  But then it hit me.  Everywhere I looked, my uncles, grandparents, and even strangers passing down the street

Authored by: Sophie Elijovich Art by: Grace Liu Some packaged foods in supermarkets proudly flaunt labels which declare their contents to be “Non-GMO Project Verified”. But what does it mean for a food to be GMO? Are non-GMO foods really so superior? Genetically modified organisms (GMOs), are plants, animals or other living things whose DNA has been edited through genetic engineering [1]. In this process, scientists take the gene for a desired trait from one organism and inse

Authored by: Sophia Li Art by: Mia Hsu Every American, no matter their race, gender, age, class, or all else, will be touched by the actions of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). HHS oversees agencies that pay for medical care for vulnerable populations, such as the elderly and disabled, protects our population against domestic and international health threats, and oversees the regulation of our food and pharmaceutical products [1]. Stemming from its humble be

Authored by: Rma Polce Art by: Priscilla Liu When we think of a healthy person, we often envision someone who exercises regularly, eats nutritious meals, and has access to preventive care. But imagine you’re in a place where an outside run means exposure to harmful pollutants, the healthiest food nearby is a fast-food sandwich, and the closest clinic is an hour away. This is the reality for millions of Americans who live in medically underserved communities. In these areas, y

Authored by: Reese Visaya Art by: Rachel Jacob On July 4th, 2025, President Donald Trump signed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) into law , marking a pivotal shift in U.S. healthcare policy. This widely debated budgeting mega-bill includes reforms to SNAP (Supplement Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits; eliminating some taxes on tips, overtime, and social security; a significant increase in funding for immigration enforcement; and many other budgeting adjustments [1]

Authored by: Qi An Art by: Vanessa Chen Hsieh Prior research indicates that an estimated 6.9 million Americans age 65 and older are living with Alzheimer's dementia today. This number could grow to 13.8 million by 2060, approximately 14.7% of the total elderly population in the United States. [1] Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia in individuals over the age of 65. Unfortunately, There’s currently no cure for Alzheimer’s disease except medications that h

Authored by: Nora Sheu Art by: Grace Liu In today’s digital era, TikTok is rapidly becoming the prominent social media platform for Gen Z in America. Viral trends flood people’s “For You Page” (FYP), encouraging them to go on juice cleanses or tape their mouths overnight to promote nose breathing [1]. Studies show that one in five Americans report turning to health influencers on TikTok before consulting their doctor [2]. As 64% of TikTok users identify as Gen Z, what does th

Authored by: Nicole Loy Art by: Grace Liu Various health-related myths love to circulate in our common culture. One popular example is lovingly, but incorrectly, quoted by moms everywhere: “One glass of red wine a day is good for your health." While many have shaken off this myth as correlation and not causation, another secretly pervasive myth remains: the idea that cleaning too much has increased allergies and asthma in children.  This myth is based on the "hygiene hypothes

Authored by: Natalia Collins Art by: Aleena Naeem Joel Eisiminger was fighting the Northern California wildfires when his coworkers noticed one side of his face was drooping. Joel was soon after diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia, a fatal blood cancer, at only 25 years old. He had no known risk factors for this form of cancer, except for his work as a wildfire firefighter. Joel’s cancer was attributed to chemicals from long term smoke inhalation over his 6 years of wildfir

Authored by: Natalie Bushell People rarely questioned the quality of their “skin, nail and hair health” until advertisements on social media and television told them they needed supplements and vitamins to "enhance their health.”  Public pronouncements of quick fixes with a tasty gummy vitamin lure in consumers. Not only will the gummy make your skin glow, but it is a delicious berry treat, and you only have to spend $14 to improve your health! These marketing tactics, along

Authored by: Mina Kanburlar Art by: Mia Hsu Parkinson’s disease (PD) is increasingly becoming a major global health issue. From 1990 to 2021, the disability-adjusted life years (total healthy years lost from illness and early death) due to PD per 100,000 people rose from 53.51 to 94.68, nearly doubling [1]. This increase highlights that medical management alone will not suffice; prevention and risk-reduction strategies, known as primary interventions, must be central to effor

Authored by: Max Turtz Art by: Camille Parisot Every day, people consume thousands of small plastic pieces without even realizing it [Leslie et al., 2022; Amato-Lourenço et al., 2021]. These small fragments, once thought to stay in the environment, are now found within our bodies, and what used to be seen as a problem for oceans has now become a problem for us as well. Microplastics, the name given to plastic pieces less than five millimeters in size, are abundant. They orig

Authored by: Mary Wall Art by: Grace Liu In February, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was appointed Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under the Trump administration. Since assuming this role, he has generated considerable controversy [1]. Critics have targeted his funding cuts to the National Institutes of Health and his restructuring of the CDC’s vaccine advisory panel [2]. Supporters have praised his efforts to limit processed foods in the American diet an

Authored By: Maia Phillips Art By: Chloe Lee According to the American Cancer Society, melanoma is a skin cancer that is highly preventable, so why do almost 105,000 people get diagnosed with melanoma and over 8,000 die per year [1]? The field of melanoma has made major strides since 2000, going from a largely incurable disease to having many treatment options [2]. Despite these improvements, there are still prevalent socioeconomic and racial disparities. A major tool of mela

Authored by: Kendall Eddington Art by: Chloe Lee When you search #birthcontrol on TikTok, you’ll be flooded with thousands of videos of young women bashing birth control’s side effects, and self-described fertility experts cautioning against its use. This anti-birth control narrative is a surprising shift, given contraception’s historic roots in sexual liberation, and especially in the current political and legal landscape. Once a tool for the feminist movement, there has bee

Authored by: Jennifer Chen Art by: Eileen Cho Although the more known phase of COVID-19 ended, for millions of people, the battle was far from over. While public attention has largely shifted away from the pandemic, a substantial population continues to deal with persistent neurological and cognitive symptoms, which are now recognized as long COVID. These long-term brain-related symptoms affect those who were severely ill and individuals who experienced relatively mild initia

Authored by: Isabella Fiutak Art by: Kenneth Li Organ transplantation is a marvel of modern medicine, offering patients a second chance at life. To consider it miraculous, however, is to underappreciate the complexities of the United States organ transplant system— known as the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network, or OPTN. Following the passage of the National Organ Transplant Act in 1984, the OPTN was established as a public-private partnership under the authority

Authored by: Evelyn Caputo Art by: Kendall Eddington Since the first organ transplantation in December 1954, the scientific community has experienced numerous breakthroughs which now enable healthcare professionals to transplant approximately 19 different organs and tissues into the human body [1][2]. According to Mayo Clinic, one organ donor can save up to eight lives and improve the lives of 75 people through tissue and cornea donation [3]. This statistic demonstrates the i

Authored by: Emma Davila Art by: Fiona Reilly Social media has become a dominant force that has transformed the landscape of modern advertising. On platforms like Instagram and TikTok, influencers leverage their fame and partner with major brands to market products directly to their followers [1]. The practice has become a powerful business model that shapes global consumer behavior. Influencer marketing has recently expanded across nearly every industry with sponsored produc

Authored by: Ella Levy Art by: Laura Lee For many Americans, opening a health insurance bill has become an exercise in frustration. Premiums continue to rise, often faster than wages, leaving families and employers struggling to keep up. According to data from the Kaiser Family Foundation, the average annual premium for family coverage reached over $24,000 in 2024, a figure that has nearly tripled since the early 2000s (1). These costs are not only straining household budgets