Many Americans believe that healthy food doesn’t taste good, and tasty food isn’t healthy. A chef who is also a cardiologist discusses how to find a balance by seeking out healthy ingredients rather than whole categories of foods.

Since the Covid-19 pandemic began, public health experts have looked to vaccines with the goal of creating “herd immunity,” where so many people are vaccinated that the virus stalls out. Now it is clear we will not reach that goal, meaning the threat of the pandemic may drag on for years. One of the nation’s leading infectious disease experts discusses how we are missing the target and what it means.

Since the Covid-19 pandemic began, public health experts have looked to vaccines with the goal of creating “herd immunity,” where so many people are vaccinated that the virus stalls out. Now it is clear we will not reach that goal, meaning the threat of the pandemic may drag on for years. One of the nation’s leading infectious disease experts discusses how we are missing the target and what it means.

A look at the top medical headlines for the week of May 30, 2021 including: A large new study shows people are in more pain than ever before. Then, one of the hallmarks of diseases like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and ALS is a mis-folding of proteins. now researchers say those folded proteins may be linked to gut bacteria. And finally, a study showing that air pollution from farms contributes to nearly 18,000 deaths per year.

Since the 1980’s, almost all production of generic drugs has moved overseas, where FDA inspectors have a much tougher time making sure they’re following rules for safety. An investigative journalist describes the ways she’s found that many drugmakers cut corners, putting safety at risk, and details what consumers can do to protect themselves.

Covid-19 is usually a respiratory disease, but it can affect virtually any organ in the body. The nation’s top kidney disease expert discusses how Covid can prompt life-threatening kidney effects in the previously healthy, and how those with kidney disease are more susceptible to severe Covid infection.

A look at the top medical headlines for the week of May 23, 2021 including: The stress of the pandemic on healthcare workers has been enormous, but a new study shows critical care nurses were already burning out in large numbers even before it hit. And finally, moms who’ve been working at home during the pandemic won’t be surprised to hear this—they’re shouldering a lot more of the household chores and childcare than dads who are also working at home.

Colon cancer is striking much younger people than it used to, leading experts to lower the age on screening recommendations. A noted colon surgeon discusses screening and treatment options, and the way COVID-19 has changed patients’ approach to getting screened.

The US birth rate has been declining since the Crash of 2008, but it took an even larger decline during the pandemic to levels unseen since the Great Depression. Today fertility rates are below replacement levels, which could have big impacts on education, employment, and the tax base years down the road. Experts discuss how people make fertility decisions and the impacts they can have on the nation.

A look at the top medical headlines for the week of May 16, 2021 including: A study showing that even Covid survivors who were never sick enough to be hospitalized have a 60 percent higher risk of death from other diseases. Then Most people assume that smoke from wildfires affects mostly the heart and lungs, but a new study finds that it increases the odds of eczema as well. And finally… more than a year after the first reports of “zoom fatigue,” we’re getting more insight on who’s most affected