Health

Tell Children the Truth

What I learned when I told my 5-year-old boys that I had cancer

Our Most Reliable Pandemic Number Is Losing Meaning

A new study suggests that almost half of those hospitalized with COVID-19 have mild or asymptomatic cases.

Booster Bandits Are Walking a Fine Line

Getting an illicit third shot has gone mainstream, but it’s still a real ethical dilemma.

Tongue Posture Is a Big Business With Little Evidence

Treatments to address improper tongue position have been hyped as a health remedy, but they may be doing more harm than good.

Don’t Believe the Salad Millionaire

You’re smart enough to pick your own lunch, no matter what Sweetgreen's CEO says.

We’re Asking the Impossible of Vaccines

Complete protection against infection has long been hailed as the holy grail of vaccination. It might simply be unachievable.

The Plan to Stop Every Respiratory Virus at Once

The benefits of ventilation reach far beyond the coronavirus. What if we stop taking colds and flus for granted, too?

2020 Was Almost Worse Than 2008

In a crisis like the one that hit the world in March 2020, only one thing will restore confidence: limitless cash. An excerpt from Shutdown: How Covid Shook the World’s Economy.

Not Even a Pandemic Could Settle One of Medicine’s Greatest Controversies

In the spring of 2020, it looked as though a massive, unprecedented experiment in health care was about to take place. What happened?

No One Really Knows How Many Indians Die Each Year

The country’s unreliable death records are hampering its public-health efforts.

What We Actually Know About Waning Immunity

Reports of vaccines’ decline have been greatly overstated.

Long-Haulers Are Fighting for Their Future

Many people with long COVID feel that science is failing them. Neglecting them could make the pandemic even worse.  

The Wrong Way to Test Yourself for the Coronavirus

Rapid tests can help you stay safe in the Delta outbreak. But you have to use them correctly.

‘We Were Going and I Am Not at All Sorry’

Many Americans booked travel well before COVID-19 cases started soaring. Now what?

The Coronavirus Could Get Worse

Delta is far from the last variant. But what shape the virus takes next depends on us.

The FDA Really Did Have to Take This Long

If vaccine approval feels maddeningly scrupulous, that’s because the alternative is worse.

This School Year Is Going to Be a Mess—Again

We have the tools to keep Delta in check, but schools have to actually use them.

I’ll Tell You the Secret of Cancer

It’s been almost 20 years since my diagnosis, and I’ve learned quite a bit.

All These Simultaneous Disasters Are Messing With Our Brains

The earthquakes and wildfires and wars keep piling up. When does our empathy run out?

Delta Has Changed the Pandemic Risk Calculus

If you’re confused about what you can do right now, you should be.