Today's Healthcare News

September 21, 2025

Top Headlines

Scientists Reveal the Everyday Habits That May Shield You from Dementia

Sep. 21, 2025 — New studies reveal that lifestyle changes—such as exercise, healthy eating, and social engagement—can help slow or prevent cognitive decline. Experts say this low-cost, powerful approach could transform dementia care and reduce its crushing toll ...

Simple Therapies Outperform Drugs for Knee Arthritis Pain Relief

Sep. 20, 2025 — A sweeping analysis of nearly 10,000 patients reveals that knee braces, hydrotherapy, and exercise stand out as the most effective non-drug therapies for knee osteoarthritis. Unlike common pain medications that carry risks, these low-cost and ...

Hardly Anyone Uses This Surprisingly Simple Fix for High Blood Pressure

Sep. 20, 2025 — Despite strong evidence that salt substitutes can safely lower sodium intake and reduce high blood pressure, very few Americans use them. A new analysis of nearly 20 years of national health data found that usage peaked at just over 5% and then ...

Scientists Finally Reveal the Hidden Mechanism Linking Alcohol to Fatty Liver

Sep. 19, 2025 — Mayo Clinic scientists uncovered how excessive drinking triggers fatty liver disease by disrupting the enzyme VCP, which normally prevents harmful protein buildup on fat droplets in the liver. ...

Alcohol’s Hidden Shortcut Lets Gut Bacteria Wreck the Liver

Sep. 19, 2025 — Alcohol-associated liver disease is becoming a massive health and economic burden, but researchers at UC San Diego may have uncovered a new way forward. They discovered that chronic alcohol use blocks a crucial protein that normally helps keep gut ...

Doctors Warn of a Stealth Opioid 20x More Potent Than Fentanyl

Sep. 18, 2025 — Nitazenes, a powerful and largely hidden class of synthetic opioids, are quickly becoming a deadly factor in the overdose crisis. Over 20 times stronger than fentanyl, these drugs often go undetected on routine drug tests, making overdoses harder to ...

Why so Many Young Kids with ADHD Are Getting the Wrong Treatment

Sep. 16, 2025 — Preschoolers with ADHD are often given medication right after diagnosis, against medical guidelines that recommend starting with behavioral therapy. Limited access to therapy and physician pressures drive early prescribing, despite risks and reduced ...

New Drug Could Be First to Stop Deadly Fatty Liver Disease

Sep. 16, 2025 — Scientists at UC San Diego have identified a new drug, ION224, that could transform the treatment of MASH, a dangerous form of fatty liver disease tied to obesity and diabetes. By blocking a key liver enzyme, the drug reduces fat and inflammation, ...

Daily Eye Drops Could Make Reading Glasses Obsolete

Sep. 15, 2025 — Eye drops combining pilocarpine and diclofenac helped patients read extra lines on vision charts, with effects lasting up to two years. The treatment could revolutionize presbyopia care as a safe, non-surgical alternative to ...

Half of Adults Suffer from Dry Eyes, but Most Never Get Help

Sep. 15, 2025 — Dry eyes are far more common than previously believed, with over half of adults in the US and Europe experiencing symptoms, yet most remain undiagnosed for years. The large-scale NESTS study reveals that sufferers often endure daily discomfort that ...

Sleepless Nights May Raise Dementia Risk by 40%, Mayo Clinic Reveals

Sep. 14, 2025 — Chronic insomnia may do more than leave you groggy, it could speed up brain aging. A large Mayo Clinic study found that people with long-term sleep troubles were 40% more likely to develop dementia or cognitive impairment, with brain scans showing ...

AI Can Now Predict Who Will Go Blind, Years Before Doctors Can

Sep. 14, 2025 — Researchers trained AI on tens of thousands of eye scans, enabling doctors to predict which keratoconus patients need early treatment and which can be safely monitored, cutting down on unnecessary procedures while preventing vision ...

Latest Headlines

updated 12:12pm EDT

Fatty Liver Breakthrough: A Safe, Cheap Vitamin Shows Promise

Sep. 12, 2025 — Researchers identified microRNA-93 as a genetic driver of fatty liver disease and showed that vitamin B3 can effectively suppress it. This breakthrough suggests niacin could be repurposed as a ...

Blood Test Spots Hidden Mesothelioma That Scans Can’t See

Sep. 11, 2025 — New research suggests that immunotherapy given before and after surgery could help patients with diffuse pleural mesothelioma, one of the most challenging cancers to treat. A phase II clinical trial ...

Surprising Gut Discovery Reveals a Hidden Trigger of Diabetes and Liver Disease

Sep. 10, 2025 — Scientists in Canada have uncovered a surprising culprit behind high blood sugar and liver problems: a hidden fuel made by gut bacteria. This ...

Mapping the Secret Escape Routes of Deadly Brain Tumors

Sep. 10, 2025 — Glioblastoma’s stealthy spread has met a new challenge: MRI-powered fluid flow mapping that reveals where the cancer is likely to invade next. The innovation is now being advanced by a spinoff ...

Metformin’s Secret Brain Pathway Revealed After 60 Years

Sep. 10, 2025 — Metformin, long trusted for diabetes, turns out to work in the brain too. By shutting down Rap1 in the hypothalamus, the drug lowers blood sugar more effectively than previously understood, opening ...

Flamingos Reveal Their Secret to Staying Young

Sep. 7, 2025 — Some animals don’t age at the same pace, and flamingos may hold the key to why. A decades-long study in France reveals that resident flamingos, which stay put, enjoy early-life advantages but pay ...

One Number at Age 7 Could Predict How Long You Live

Sep. 7, 2025 — Children with higher blood pressure as young as age 7 face a sharply increased risk of dying from cardiovascular disease by their mid-50s, according to a massive decades-long study. Researchers found ...

Powerful New Painkiller ADRIANA Shows Promise in Ending Opioid Dependence

Sep. 2, 2025 — Japanese scientists have developed ADRIANA, a non-opioid painkiller that could provide powerful relief without the dangers of addiction. With successful trials already completed, large U.S. studies ...

Scientists Reveal Breakthrough Blood Pressure Treatment That Works When Others Fail

Aug. 31, 2025 — A breakthrough pill, baxdrostat, has shown remarkable success in lowering dangerously high blood pressure in patients resistant to standard ...

Common Heart Drug Taken by Millions Found Useless, Possibly Risky

Aug. 31, 2025 — Beta blockers, used for decades after heart attacks, provide no benefit for patients with preserved heart function, according to the REBOOT trial. The massive study also found women faced higher ...

Rats Walk Again After Breakthrough Spinal Cord Repair With 3D Printing

Aug. 26, 2025 — University of Minnesota researchers developed a 3D-printed scaffold that directs stem cells to grow into functioning nerve cells, successfully restoring movement in rats with severed spinal cords. ...

Common Painkillers Like Advil and Tylenol Supercharge Antibiotic Resistance

Aug. 26, 2025 — Painkillers we often trust — ibuprofen and acetaminophen — may be quietly accelerating one of the world’s greatest health crises: antibiotic resistance. Researchers discovered that these drugs ...

Stopping Time in Cells Exposes Life’s Fastest Secrets

Aug. 24, 2025 — Scientists have developed a groundbreaking cryo-optical microscopy technique that freezes living cells mid-action, capturing ultra-detailed snapshots of fast biological processes. By rapidly ...

Tiny Green Tea Beads Trap Fat and Melt Away Pounds Without Side Effects

Aug. 24, 2025 — Researchers have created plant-based microbeads that trap fat in the gut, helping rats lose weight without side effects. Unlike current drugs, the beads are safe, tasteless, and easy to mix into ...

Too Much Salt Can Hijack Your Brain

Aug. 23, 2025 — Too much salt may inflame the brain, triggering hormones that push blood pressure higher. Scientists found this pathway could explain why many patients resist current hypertension drugs, pointing ...

Why Listening May Be the Most Powerful Medicine

Aug. 20, 2025 — In a health system where speed often replaces empathy, researchers highlight the life-changing power of listening. Beyond simple questions, values-driven listening—marked by presence, curiosity, ...

How Low Should Blood Pressure Go? New Study Has the Answer

Aug. 20, 2025 — An aggressive blood pressure target of under 120 mm Hg can significantly reduce heart disease risk, researchers found. Despite more side effects and higher costs, the approach proved cost-effective ...

Forget LASIK: Safer, Cheaper Vision Correction Could Be Coming Soon

Aug. 18, 2025 — Scientists are developing a surgery-free alternative to LASIK that reshapes the cornea using electricity instead of lasers. In rabbit tests, the method corrected vision in minutes without ...

Is Ketamine the Answer for Chronic Pain? New Findings Cast Doubt

Aug. 18, 2025 — A sweeping review of 67 trials has cast doubt on the use of ketamine and similar NMDA receptor antagonists for chronic pain relief. While ketamine is frequently prescribed off-label for conditions ...

A Safe Painkiller? New Research Raises Concerns About Tylenol’s Safety in Pregnancy

Aug. 21, 2025 — A large-scale review finds that acetaminophen use during pregnancy may increase the risk of autism and ADHD in children. The strongest studies showed the clearest links, pointing to biological ...

Tiny Microbes May Secretly Rewire the Brain Before Birth

Aug. 19, 2025 — MSU researchers discovered that microbes begin shaping the brain while still in the womb, influencing neurons in a region critical for stress and social behavior. Their findings suggest modern birth ...

One Small Walking Adjustment Could Delay Knee Surgery for Years

Aug. 16, 2025 — A groundbreaking study has found that a simple change in walking style can ease osteoarthritis pain as effectively as medication—without the side effects. By adjusting foot angle, participants ...

A $2 Gold Nanotech Test That Detects Deadly Diseases in Minutes

Aug. 15, 2025 — Arizona State University scientists have unveiled NasRED, a revolutionary one-drop blood test that can detect diseases like COVID-19, Ebola, HIV, and Lyme with incredible speed and precision. Using ...

Injectable “skin in a Syringe” Could Heal Burns Without Scars

Aug. 14, 2025 — Scientists in Sweden have developed a groundbreaking “skin in a syringe” — a gel packed with live cells that can be applied directly to wounds or even 3D-printed into skin grafts. Designed to ...

Blood Pressure Cuff Errors May Be Missing 30% of Hypertension Cases

Aug. 13, 2025 — Cambridge scientists have cracked the mystery of why cuff-based blood pressure monitors often give inaccurate readings, missing up to 30% of high blood pressure cases. By building a physical model ...

Scientists Discover Brain Layers That Get Stronger With Age

Aug. 12, 2025 — Researchers have discovered that parts of the human brain age more slowly than previously thought—particularly in the region that processes touch. By using ultra-high-resolution brain scans, they ...

The Parasite That Turns Off Your Body’s Pain Alarm and Sneaks in

Aug. 12, 2025 — Scientists have discovered a parasite that can sneak into your skin without you feeling a thing. The worm, Schistosoma mansoni, has evolved a way to switch off the body’s pain and itch signals, ...

Can a Diet Really Ease Lipoedema? Sunniva’s Journey to Pain Relief and Weight Loss

Aug. 10, 2025 — Sunniva Kwapeng struggled with lipoedema, a painful condition causing disproportionate fat accumulation, until finally being diagnosed in her 40s. An NTNU study found that a low-carb diet helped ...

How Much Damage Are Ultraprocessed Foods Really Doing to Your Health?

Aug. 10, 2025 — Many foods we consume today are ultraprocessed, packed with unhealthy ingredients, and linked to major health risks. As consumption of these foods rises, so do chronic health issues, especially among ...

Tiny Eye Implant Becomes the First FDA-Approved Therapy for Rare Blindness

Aug. 29, 2025 — For people with macular telangiectasia type 2 (MacTel), an orphan retinal disorder that gradually destroys central vision, there have long been no approved treatment options. But now, a new study ...