Conversations on Health Care

The environment for the use of psychedelics in psychotherapy is moving quickly.  In mid-September, the Food & Drug Administration held a hearing about potential future therapeutic use of psychedelics in supervised and supportive settings.  Psychedelic psychotherapy combines mind-altering substances like psilocybin or MDMA with talk therapy; researchers are studying it as a potential treatment for […]

The post Psychedelics: Can They Help Treat PTSD? Researcher Rachel Yehuda, Ph.D. Explains appeared first on Healthy Communities Online.

This week is the 17th anniversary of our first “Conversations on Health Care” and our guests have been part of the community health center movement before we even started our interviews. They have the battle scars that prove they know how to fight and win on behalf of community health centers. Now, they’re rallying the […]

The post Community Health Center Legends Richard Bohrer & James W. Hunt, Jr.: Lessons for Today appeared first on Healthy Communities Online.

The common speculation has been that GLP-1s would ultimately save patients and the entire health care system millions of dollars by reducing waistlines and the associated costs with obesity. But research found that during the first year, patients accumulated about $6,500 in GLP-1 spending, while their other medical spending increased by about $585. Much of […]

The post High Cost of Losing Weight With GLP-1s: Researcher Kosali Simon, Ph.D., Explains appeared first on Healthy Communities Online.

“I’m quite frankly, flabbergasted…” That’s the reaction of Dr. Reed Tuckson to the White House’s recent decision on childhood vaccines. An Executive Order has called for separating the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine into three different single-disease shots and giving all childhood immunizations at separate appointments when possible. Tuckson is the co-founder of both the […]

The post Dr. Reed Tuckson: Health’s Truth Evangelist on MMR, COVID & Flu Vaccines appeared first on Healthy Communities Online.

As we get ready to enjoy the Labor Day weekend, author Rowan Jacobsen is taking on dermatologists and the skin care industry. He explains that doctors have long told us to avoid sun exposure, in order to reduce rates of skin cancer. Yet the research indicates that moderate sun exposure leads to lower rates of many diseases, […]

The post Here Comes the Sun — And Is Too Much Exposure a Worry? appeared first on Healthy Communities Online.

We’re about four months away from the beginning of the new federal Medicaid rules on Jan. 1 (although some states are allowed to implement them earlier). Earlier, we heard from an Administration leader on efforts to support states with getting the paperwork in order. Now, we have a guest providing a different perspective. Feygele Jacobs, […]

The post Countdown to Crisis? The Looming Community Health Center Budget Threats appeared first on Healthy Communities Online.

Some people are turning to TikTok and Instagram before seeing or even going to health care providers. Who are these online influencers and who is looking at their content? Pew Research Center identified 6,828 individuals with at least 100,000 followers on YouTube, TikTok or Instagram that regularly post about health and wellness and analyzed their social media […]

The post Who Are the Health Influencers Influencing? New Research Explains appeared first on Healthy Communities Online.

This past July was the warmest month on record across the contiguous United States. That’s giving Dr. Lisa Patel and her colleagues even more urgency in their climate change awareness work.   Dr. Patel is the executive director of the Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health, which is focused on “mobilizing health voices for climate […]

The post How Health Care Makes the Climate-Health Connection appeared first on Healthy Communities Online.

When there’s a breaking health story, millions of people turn to CBS News medical correspondent Dr. Céline Gounder for her insights. Now, we’re learning about Dr. Gounder’s unique story, which includes co-founding International Health Group, which connects health care providers with opportunities to serve disadvantaged people around the world.  On the news beat, Dr. Gounder […]

The post How Dr. Céline Gounder Reports the Stories Shaping Our Health appeared first on Healthy Communities Online.

Dr. Elias Zerhouni, who used to lead the National Institutes of Health, has tough words for those trying to change some of its processes. He’s not in favor of a proposed rule that would switch who decides which federal grants get funded. “What’s the intent here? What’s the good that will come out of this? […]

The post We Have to Fight Back’: Bush NIH Dir Dr. Zerhouni on Challengers appeared first on Healthy Communities Online.