The hottest Health & Wellness Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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Top Health & Wellness Topics

5 Questions With Medical Students for Size Inclusivity

Weight and Healthcare • 639 implied HN points • 27 Jan 24
🏥 Health & Wellness
  1. Medical students are advocating for size inclusivity in healthcare, aiming for equitable treatment regardless of weight.
  2. Learning about weight-neutral care helps medical students challenge biases and provide comprehensive healthcare to patients of all body sizes.
  3. Resistance to weight-inclusive care exists in the medical field, but progress is being made towards more size-inclusive medical education and practices.

Outbreak Outlook - National - Jan 11

Force of Infection • 70 implied HN points • 11 Jan 26
🏥 Health & Wellness Public Health Infectious Disease Epidemiology Surveillance Vaccination Food Safety Pediatrics
  1. Influenza activity is very high nationwide but shows signs of declining in most regions; children improved most, yet cases, hospitalizations, and deaths remain substantial and precautions are still advisable.
  2. COVID-19 is trending upward — wastewater levels and hospitalizations are increasing, with the Midwest hardest hit, the Northeast and South rising, and the West still low.
  3. RSV and several other respiratory viruses are rising (with RSV test positivity and hospitalizations up), norovirus wastewater signals are high in many regions, and several food recalls mean people should check and discard affected products.

The Next, Episode #51

The Next Brand • 609 implied HN points • 02 Feb 24
🏥 Health & Wellness Obesity Medical Industry Nutrition Chronic Disease Toxicity
  1. Ozempic, a GLP-1 agonist, is being hyped as a solution to obesity, but it may not address the real issues of metabolic health in America.
  2. Ozempic, despite its weight loss claims, may result in serious side effects, including muscle and bone loss, gastrointestinal events, and more.
  3. The push to fund drugs like Ozempic with taxpayer money raises concerns about cost, corruption, and missed opportunities to address root causes of health issues.
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FOI Clinical: A new outbreak monitoring service

Force of Infection • 54 implied HN points • 21 Jan 26
🏥 Health & Wellness Infectious Disease Public Health Epidemiology Health Policy Surveillance
  1. The CDC reported New World screwworm cases on the Mexico side of the Texas–Mexico border; it mainly affects livestock but can infect people, and there are no U.S. cases yet though the threat is approaching.
  2. Front-line clinicians don’t have a quick, recurring, plain-language briefing that tracks reportable diseases, emerging outbreaks, and policy changes that affect patient care.
  3. FOI Clinical is launching a clinician-focused outbreak monitoring service to fill that gap with briefings and alerts, with a first edition expected in February 2026 and subscriptions open to clinicians and medically vulnerable people.

The constant pain that dominated my pre-menopause life

The Shift With Sam Baker • 1198 implied HN points • 25 May 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Women's Health Chronic Pain Menopause Medical Advocacy
  1. Naga Munchetty bravely shared her adenomyosis diagnosis, shedding light on a condition often overlooked.
  2. Adenomyosis causes excruciating pain and heavy periods, often dismissed as 'just one of those things' by healthcare providers.
  3. Many women suffer in silence with adenomyosis, but speaking up, seeking help, and advocating for proper treatment is crucial.

We Need to Talk About Loneliness

Ladyparts • 898 implied HN points • 03 Dec 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Loneliness Marriage Solitude Relationships Mental health
  1. Loneliness can have serious health consequences like Parkinson's Disease and premature mortality.
  2. Not all marriages are happy, and it's important to acknowledge the prevalence of neglect, toxicity, and even abuse in some relationships.
  3. Choosing solitude can be healing and necessary after a breakup, but long-term loneliness can have a significant emotional toll.

Friday Q&A: alcohol and gut health; new COVID guidelines; anxiety about medications; & teens with eating issues

Are You Okay? • 519 implied HN points • 23 Feb 24
🏥 Health & Wellness Gut Health Medications Immune System
  1. Alcohol is likely not good for our gut health and microbiome, which impacts various aspects of our health including immune system.
  2. New COVID guidelines have evolved, suggesting reduced isolation periods, which raises questions and concerns about effective safety measures.
  3. It's important to rethink alcohol consumption for better sleep, mood, weight control, and overall gut health, as excessive drinking can impact many health factors.

Whose Bodies Get Studied

Culture Study • 4373 implied HN points • 28 Feb 24
🏥 Health & Wellness Research Women's Health Body Image
  1. The majority of research studies focus on cis-gender men, leading to biased advice, knowledge, and healthcare.
  2. Women's bodies have historically been considered anomalies in sports and medical research, impacting areas like sports gear design and participation rules.
  3. Excluding women from research studies leads to gaps in knowledge, affecting areas like injury prevention, gear design, and understanding menstrual health.

Where to go to sleep after all of this?

Escaping Flatland • 1179 implied HN points • 20 Feb 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Mental health Grief Family End of Life Care Reflection
  1. Grandma shared a story about a dream of having a stroke and her increasing liveliness as death approached.
  2. Grandma had a challenging life, caring for sick family members and living with regrets about her education.
  3. The family gathered and supported each other during grandma's final moments, reflecting on memories and finding solace.

The NHS - Making it Better

Rory’s Always On Newsletter • 1230 implied HN points • 26 Oct 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Healthcare Improvement Communication Management Software
  1. Patients and healthcare practitioners have had similar experiences of delays and poor communication within the NHS.
  2. Minor software tweaks can lead to significant time and cost savings for the NHS.
  3. Driving change within the NHS requires incentives, a vision for improvement, and individuals committed to pushing through the changes.

ex150nosauce+ACV-2 review: Blasted through plateau, new record low weight

Experimental Fat Loss • 148 implied HN points • 28 Nov 25
🏥 Health & Wellness Nutrition Diet Fitness Weight Loss Lifestyle
  1. The experiment with a low-sauce diet and apple cider vinegar helped to break a weight plateau, resulting in a loss of over 7 pounds. It's encouraging when you can surpass previous weight goals.
  2. Cheating with extra meat and changing ingredients sometimes interrupted weight loss, but overall the plan seemed to still work effectively. It's a reminder that even small changes can impact results.
  3. The lack of sauce made meals less tasty, leading to cravings. Finding the right balance in diet is key to sustainability, so considering the flavor of food is important.

A Haircut Can Save a Life

Seven Senses • 479 implied HN points • 02 Mar 24
🏥 Health & Wellness Mental health Self-care Therapy Community support Interpersonal Relationships
  1. Small actions can have a big impact on people's lives, just like a simple haircut. Listening and being present for someone can truly make a difference during tough times.
  2. We often underestimate our influence on others. Kind words and thoughtful gestures can lift someone's spirits and change their day, sometimes even their life.
  3. You don't need to do grand things to create change. Our everyday interactions can have meaningful ripple effects that connect us more deeply with others.

Vitamin C, Whole Food Vs. Synthetic: Does It Matter?

Harnessing the Power of Nutrients • 1018 implied HN points • 07 Nov 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Nutrients Supplements Medical Advice
  1. Whole food vitamin C is preferred because it provides important nutrients, but it is not fundamentally different from ascorbic acid.
  2. Plant sources of choline and flavonoids do not have high levels of vitamin C, and the absorption of flavonoids in plants is low.
  3. Synthetic ascorbic acid is not structurally different from natural vitamin C; however, natural sources like whole food supplements offer additional nutrients and benefits.

Morning reductionism, mental health edition

Disaffected Newsletter • 1438 implied HN points • 15 Aug 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Mental health Psychology Trauma Wellness Self-help
  1. Being a reductionist means finding common patterns across different issues. It can help make sense of complex topics, especially in mental health.
  2. The way we label mental health issues can sometimes complicate things unnecessarily. Many diagnoses might just be different expressions of the same underlying problem.
  3. Understanding mental health as linked to root causes, like trauma, might be more helpful than viewing each disorder as separate. It's important to look at the bigger picture.

"Every part of my body hurt"

The Shift With Sam Baker • 1118 implied HN points • 19 Oct 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Pain Diagnosis Fertility
  1. Hilary Mantel experienced years of pain before being diagnosed with endometriosis, impacting her fertility.
  2. Exercise was thought to be helpful for menstrual pain, but Mantel's condition led her to feel like she was leaving normal life behind.
  3. The Shift With Sam Baker is a reader-supported publication that offers both free and paid subscriptions.

Start Here for MTHFR and Methylation

Harnessing the Power of Nutrients • 1677 implied HN points • 04 Apr 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Methylation Nutrition Supplementation Genetics Holistic health
  1. Methylation is crucial for physical, mental, and emotional health. It involves the transfer of methyl groups and plays a role in synthesizing important molecules like creatine and phosphatidylcholine.
  2. Balancing methylation is vital; too much can have negative consequences. Proper nutrition, including methionine, vitamins B12 and folate, betaine, and glycine, is essential.
  3. To optimize MTHFR status, focus on foods and supplements that support methylation. Searchable databases and related articles provide valuable information on this topic.

Goodbye To Jenny Craig

Weight and Healthcare • 1178 implied HN points • 13 May 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Dieting Weight Loss Body positivity Health Research
  1. Jenny Craig, a popular commercial diet program, is shutting down after decades. Despite its promises of weight loss, it failed to show long-term results in studies.
  2. Commercial diet programs like Jenny Craig often rely on a cycle of success and failure, blaming clients for weight regain without acknowledging the limitations of restrictive diets.
  3. The closure of Jenny Craig is a reminder of the lack of evidence behind many weight loss programs, as clients are left without sustainable results.

An Antidote for Wound Collecting

The Dose • 589 implied HN points • 01 Feb 24
🏥 Health & Wellness Mental health Self-Improvement Wellbeing Therapy Parenting
  1. Focusing on strengths over fragility can help us grow and feel better.
  2. Creating an identity around victimhood can lead to rumination, lack of empathy, and a constant need for recognition of suffering.
  3. Reframing our life story as a hero's journey can increase well-being, resilience, and help us see obstacles as challenges to overcome.

If they can see us, they can fleece us

The Shift With Sam Baker • 878 implied HN points • 30 Nov 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Menopause Marketing Society
  1. Menopause marketing can sometimes be insensitive and ridiculous, like promoting menopause tea with flower pictures.
  2. Society's attitude towards menopause is evolving, but there is still progress to be made in how it is perceived and addressed.
  3. This post highlights the societal shift in embracing menopause and the need for better representation and understanding of menopausal experiences.

Biological Age Clocks: Are They Useful?

Harnessing the Power of Nutrients • 778 implied HN points • 19 Dec 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Interventions Health Testing Longevity
  1. Biological aging clocks can help us monitor the effects of our health choices on how fast or slow we age.
  2. If biological aging clocks are inaccurate, they can potentially misinform us and lead to unnecessary worry or misguided actions.
  3. Understanding the effectiveness and reliability of biological aging clocks is crucial to prevent irreversible health damage and take proactive steps to reverse any harm.

The best psychedelic (survey results)

Knowingless • 1890 implied HN points • 26 Nov 24
🏥 Health & Wellness Psychedelics Mental health Substance Use Therapeutics Addiction
  1. Different people value different effects of drugs. Some want deep life changes, while others prefer milder experiences.
  2. Ayahuasca is often seen as the most intense option, but MDMA is highly rated for pleasure and social experiences.
  3. It's important to consider the risks and benefits when choosing a drug, as different ones can impact your life in various ways.

Weight Loss and the Question Too Many Researchers Aren’t Asking

Weight and Healthcare • 1138 implied HN points • 09 Jul 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Weight Loss Nutrition Weight Stigma
  1. Many weight loss interventions are based on flawed models and fail long-term, leading to weight regain as the body adjusts to food restriction.
  2. The focus on weight loss often overlooks the importance of ensuring that individuals receive adequate nutrition during interventions, potentially putting their health at risk.
  3. Moving towards a weight-neutral paradigm in healthcare can prioritize supporting the health of individuals of all sizes instead of promoting unhealthy weight loss methods and stigma.

Nathalie Martinek on Depression

Disaffected Newsletter • 579 implied HN points • 02 Feb 24
🏥 Health & Wellness Mental health Wellness Self-care Psychology Personal Growth
  1. Nathalie Martinek provides fresh insights on depression that go beyond what's usually discussed. It's important to read different perspectives to understand it better.
  2. Sharing personal experiences can help others feel less alone in their struggles with depression. It shows that it's okay to be open about tough times.
  3. Reading about others' journeys through depression can offer comfort and guidance for those going through similar challenges. It might even help you find new ways to cope.

Common Terminology and Statistics Issues- Part 2

Weight and Healthcare • 738 implied HN points • 27 Dec 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Statistics Obesity Interventions Research Terminology
  1. Using percentages without proper context can be misleading, it's crucial to provide a full picture for accurate interpretation.
  2. Understanding the difference between relative and absolute risk in statistics can prevent manipulation and provide a clearer view of the data.
  3. Different methods for handling dropouts in trials, like LOCF and BOCF, can impact outcomes significantly and need careful consideration in research.

Taking a bite from the red end

Microanimism • 99 implied HN points • 08 Jul 24
🏥 Health & Wellness Emotions Physical health
  1. The author's work involves rescuing and caring for racehorses, including a recent situation with a puma and foals, emphasizing the need for safety measures.
  2. The author reflects on the upcoming anniversary of their beloved horse's death and the impact on their life as a horsewoman.
  3. Updates on the author's publication plans include sharing future writings, like a series on human-microbe relationships, and abstract pieces.