Author: healthtost

Recent global crises have exposed the limits of a universal mortality threshold for declaring famine—an approach that can obscure how famine actually plays out in different populations. In a paper published in the Lancetresearchers at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health and colleagues are calling for a fundamental rethinking of how famine thresholds are defined. The mortality thresholds used by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) were developed for rural African areas, not middle-income urban populations. There are marked differences in how famine mortality is assessed in different contexts.’ LH Lumey, MD, PhD, Professor of Epidemiology…

Reading: 4 minutes Your skin is constantly evolving. Even if you don’t notice it, it’s always working to regenerate, repair, and stay healthy. Each cell follows a cycle: it is created, does its job, and then makes room for a new one. This process is known as skin cell renewal cycleand plays an important role in how your skin looks and feels today. The texture, shine and even performance of your skin care products depend on how well this cycle works. That’s why understanding it is important. When you know how your skin works, it’s easier to make smarter choices—when…

Valentine’s Day is supposed to be a romantic holiday — but in my experience, it often inspires feelings of despair, inadequacy, and loneliness. Whether you’re single or in that vaguely amorous and romantic but ill-defined dynamic with someone we like to call a situation, Valentine’s Day is a time when people who expect grand romantic gestures, bouquets and dates can realize lack flower deliveries to their door. Instead of spending this February 14 feeling sorry for yourself, envying other people’s relationships, or planning an anti-Valentine’s Day celebration with your girlfriends, spend the evening doing something healthier and obviously pleasurable: masturbating!…

Last update: February 2026 Quick answer: If you’re in weeks 5-12 on a GLP-1 journey, eating often starts to seem more predictable. Many people notice more consistent appetite cues, fewer portion surprises, and a routine that’s easier to repeat. In this guide, you’ll get a simple daily routine, protein food ideas, and practical meal categories that you can rotate in to stay consistent without overthinking it. This phase is often less about “adjusting” and more about building habits you can maintain. Many people do best with protein choices, simple planning, and hydration between meals. In weeks 5-12, your routine may…

The book Growing Better Not Bigger by Dr. Sean O’Mara caught my attention given my interests in this blog. He is a doctor who at 40 was sedentary and not very healthy. Discover the importance of visceral fat, which is the fat that accumulates around our organs, as opposed to subcutaneous fat (“under the skin”). Aesthetically, we usually worry about the subcutaneous tissue, as in trying to lose “love handles” or a “beer belly,” but it’s the viscera that has the worst health consequences. Dr. O’Mara found that this is often seen on MRI scans, but is not often noted…

Humans develop sharp vision during early embryonic development thanks to an interaction between a vitamin A derivative and thyroid hormones in the retina, Johns Hopkins University scientists have discovered. The findings could overturn decades of conventional understanding of how the eye develops light-sensing cells and could inform new research into treatments for macular degeneration, glaucoma and other age-related vision disorders. Details of the study, which used laboratory retinal tissue, are published today in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. “This is a key step toward understanding the inner workings of the center of the retina, a critical part of…

After the inevitable over-indulgence of the festive season, many people enter January determined to “eat less and move more”, but emerging research shows that this age-old advice overlooks a crucial factor in weight management: empty calories – foods that provide energy without nourishment, leaving us hungry again very soon. That’s where the fresh mushrooms come in. Naturally low in calories but rich in plant fibers, plant proteins and phytonutrients, Mushrooms help boost fullness while adding real nutritional value — a combination increasingly supported by science. New research suggests mushrooms can also support the body’s natural production of GLP-1, the hormone…

Recent changes in US foreign aid policy mark a major escalation in how anti-rights ideology shapes global health and development financing. In a new episode of the Sexual and Reproductive Health Matters podcast, SRHM convenes leading experts and advocates to clarify the implications of three new US foreign aid rules and what they mean for sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) worldwide. The episode examines three newly issued US foreign aid rules—the Protection of Life in Foreign Assistance (PLFA) Rule. the Rule to Combat Gender Ideology in Foreign Assistance (CGIFA).and the Anti-Discrimination Equality Ideology in Foreign Assistance…

A new artificial intelligence tool that accurately predicts the need for a feeding tube could transform patient care and improve quality of life for people living with motor neurone disease (MND). The new tool, developed by a team at the University of Sheffield, will improve patient care by providing doctors and patients with the critical information to plan life-prolonging intervention at the ideal time. MND – also known as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) – is a devastating, progressive and fatal condition that attacks the nerve cells that control muscles. As the disease progresses, many patients find it difficult to swallow,…

A discussion with Dr. Jayne Morgan on What Black Women Need to Know About Menopause and Cardiovascular Disease Let’s talk about something that doesn’t get nearly enough attention: the connection between menopause and heart disease. Not just as separate chapters of our health journey, but as deeply intertwined experiences that Black women need to understand — especially during Heart Health Month. Dr. Jayne Morgan, a cardiologist and VP of Medical Affairs at Hello Heart, has been sounding the alarm about this for years. And recent findings from the Black Women’s Health Imperative Menopause Survey—the largest ever conducted with black women—make…