All women deserve great sex and doctors are finally saying it
Sexual health has long occupied an awkward space in medicine, discussed in hushed tones if at all, treated as secondary to what gets called “real” health concerns. Nicole Cirino, M.D., is a reproductive psychiatrist, certified sex therapist, and co-director of the Menopause and Sexual Medicine Program at OHSU’s Center for Women’s Health, which is recognized […]
Heart attack risk is higher than most people want to admit
A heart attack is not a singular event so much as a cascade. It begins when blood flow to the heart is suddenly cut off or severely reduced, starving the heart muscle of oxygen. Without that steady supply, muscle tissue starts to die. The longer the blockage stays in place, the more damage accumulates and […]
Lung inflammation and the treatments that work
The lungs are not passive organs. They are constantly exposed to whatever moves through the air — bacteria, viruses, allergens, pollutants, smoke — and the tissue responds accordingly. When that exposure tips into something the body can’t easily clear, inflammation sets in. Medically, this condition is called pneumonitis or pneumonia depending on the cause, and […]
Leukemia is more common than most people realize
Leukemia is a cancer that begins not in an organ or a tumor, but in the bone marrow itself, the soft tissue buried inside bones where every blood cell in the body gets its start. When the DNA of a single developing cell mutates, something breaks in the system. That cell starts multiplying without stopping, […]
Shingles vaccine linked to lower dementia risk in new research
For years, the shingles vaccine has been recommended to older adults as protection against a painful viral flare-up that can follow anyone who has had chickenpox. New research now suggests that protection may extend well beyond nerve pain. A study published this week in the peer-reviewed journal Annals of Internal Medicine found that elderly nursing […]
Alzheimer’s disease research finds new promise in an old psychiatric drug
Alzheimer’s disease affects roughly 32 million people worldwide, and that number is expected to climb to 152 million by 2050. Despite decades of research and billions in pharmaceutical investment, there is still no cure. The medications that exist today manage symptoms, and mostly in the early stages. They do not stop the disease from progressing. […]
Health information that actually serves the African American community
The internet did not make health care simpler. It made it louder. Between wellness influencers, Facebook groups, and algorithmically pushed content, finding medical information that is actually grounded in evidence has become its own full-time job. For African Americans, who already contend with a health system shaped by historical exclusion and ongoing disparities, the stakes […]
Vitamin C may hold a key to a sharper aging brain
Vitamin C has long been associated with immune support and a defense against the common cold, but a new study adds the brain to the list of organs that may depend on it. Researchers have found a connection between blood levels of vitamin C and the volume and connectivity of gray matter, the tissue responsible […]
Sugar free diet study reveals an unexpected twist
A study presented this year by researchers at the Dasman Diabetes Institute in Kuwait is complicating one of the more popular assumptions in modern nutrition. Cutting sugar entirely, it turns out, might not be the clear win many dieters expect. The findings, shared at the ENDO 2026 meeting of the Endocrine Society, focus on mice […]
Glioblastoma the brain tumor that changes by location
Glioblastoma carries a reputation that few other diagnoses match, and for good reason. The World Health Organization classifies it as a grade 4 astrocytoma, the most aggressive label the agency assigns to tumors that begin in the brain’s star shaped support cells, known as astrocytes. What makes glioblastoma especially difficult to treat is its variety. […]