Архив рубрики: Здоровье Америка

Several months ago, Dr. Andrew Clark, a psychiatrist in Boston, learned that an increasing number of young people were turning to AI chatbot therapists for guidance and support. Clark was intrigued: If designed correctly, these AI tools could increase much-needed access to affordable mental-health care. He decided to test some of the most popular bots on the market, posing as teenage patients in need.

[time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”]

The results were alarming. The bots encouraged him to “get rid of” his parents and to join the bot in the afterlife to “share eternity.” They often tried to convince him that they were licensed human therapists and encouraged him to cancel appointments with actual psychologists. They also crossed the line into sexual territory, with one bot suggesting an intimate date as an “intervention” for violent urges.

Clark shared his report exclusively with TIME; he also submitted it for publication to a peer-reviewed medical journal, though it has not yet been ..

If your dad is a man of few words, you’ve probably already figured out that silence doesn’t necessarily mean distance. “Some men were taught to love in presence, not paragraphs—and that still counts,” says Melanie Preston, a therapist in Atlanta whose dad has always shown up strong but quiet. She remembers him comforting her during life’s hard times with a pat on the back or a hand on her knee.

“That was all I needed, because it spoke volumes,” she says. “We’re talking even when we’re not speaking.”

[time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”]

Still, sometimes it would be nice to hear, well, actual words. A Pew Research Center survey found that dads are more likely than moms to say they communicate with their kids less often than they’d like—and many young adults feel the same desire to connect more with their fathers.

We asked experts to share simple strategies to get silent dads to talk more (and maybe even enjoy it).

Meet him where he is—literally

Some dads are doers who like to keep thei..

When Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. began his tenure as Health and Human Services Secretary, he pledged, “We won’t take away anyone’s vaccines.” However, recent policy changes under his leadership—coupled with the unprecedented dismissal of all 17 members of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) on June 9—have proven that statement false, raising grave concerns for our nation’s COVID-19 response and broader vaccine policies. These shifts not only jeopardize public health but also threaten to erode trust in our health institutions at a critical time.

[time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”]

In May 2025, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) introduced a new COVID-19 vaccine framework, limiting access to updated vaccines for Americans aged 65 and older or those with specific risk factors. Furthermore, Secretary Kennedy announced that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) would no longer recommend COVID-19 vaccines for “healthy” children or pregnant wome..

Doctors at Columbia University Fertility Center have reported what they are calling the first pregnancy using a new AI system, in a couple that had been trying to start a family for nearly two decades.

The pregnancy was possible due to an advance developed by the Columbia team, led by Dr. Zev Williams, director of the center, to address azoospermia, or a lack of detectable sperm in the ejaculate. Male factors account for about 40% of infertility in the U.S., and azoospermia is responsible for about 10% of those cases. Until recently, there was little doctors could do to address the lack of sperm needed to fertilize an egg, other than using donor sperm.

[time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”]

While to the naked eye, a sperm sample from a man with azoospermia might look normal, the microscope tells a different story, Williams says. Highly trained technicians rarely find any sperm in these samples, which are often filled with other debris. Add to that the fact that sperm are the smallest cell..

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), said on Monday that he would be retiring all 17 members of a committee that offers recommendations on vaccines to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

[time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”]

Kennedy announced the news in an opinion column for The Wall Street Journal, claiming that HHS “is putting the restoration of public trust above any pro- or antivaccine agenda.” The experts’ removal marks the latest action Kennedy, one of America’s most notorious vaccine skeptics, has taken to radically change the country’s immunization policy.

“Today, we are taking a bold step in restoring public trust by totally reconstituting the Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices (ACIP). We are retiring the 17 current members of the committee, some of whom were last-minute appointees of the Biden administration,” Kennedy wrote in the column. “Without removing the current members, the current Trump..

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said on Monday that he would be retiring all 17 members of a committee that offers recommendations on vaccines to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Writing in The Wall Street Journal, the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said the move was aimed at restoring public trust above any pro- or antivaccine agenda.”

[time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”]

The experts’ removal marks the latest action Kennedy, one of America’s most notorious vaccine skeptics, has taken to radically change the country’s immunization policy.

“Today, we are taking a bold step in restoring public trust by totally reconstituting the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). We are retiring the 17 current members of the committee, some of whom were last-minute appointees of the Biden administration,” Kennedy wrote in the column. “Without removing the current members, the current Trump administration would not have been able to appoin..

Cancer is generally a disease of old age. But researchers are increasingly finding that certain types—including colon, breast, stomach, and pancreatic cancers—are hitting people younger than 50 far more commonly than they used to.

In a new report, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, researchers at Vanderbilt University focus on a relatively rare cancer—appendiceal cancer, which occurs in the appendix—and found that its rates are also rising, especially among millennials.

[time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”]

Andreana Holowatyji, assistant professor of hematology and oncology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and her colleagues analyzed data from the National Cancer Institute’s Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results program, a cancer registry that includes patients from 1975 to 2019. The scope of the dataset allowed them to look for generational differences in cancer rates. They specifically tracked appendix cancer, which for many years was misclassified as colorectal..

Going to the dentist is essential for preventing and detecting cavities, gum disease, and other oral issues. But few people go enough: According to the latest federal data, only 65% of adults had a dental exam or cleaning in the past year.

How often do you really need to visit the dentist? Here’s what oral health experts say.

[time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”]

Why go at all?

Research shows a strong link between oral diseases and systemic ones. “Regular dental visits are critical for early detection of oral health issues before they escalate or spread to other parts of the body,” says Dr. Kemia Zeinali, founder of Dreamhouse Dental in Bell Gardens, Calif. “For example, untreated cavities, tooth decay, and gum disease can lead to serious health problems like heart disease and diabetes.”

Read More: America’s Dental Health Is in Trouble

Dentists also perform oral cancer screenings for people with risk factors or symptoms, which are “critical to catching such cancers early in their deve..

Cavities and dental costs are at risk of skyrocketing as a growing number of states consider banning the use of fluoride in public water—and children from low-income households are likely most vulnerable.

In March, Utah became the first state to prohibit adding fluoride to drinking water. A couple months later, Florida followed suit. Several other states are now considering similar bills.

[time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”]

In a recent study published in JAMA Health Forum, researchersprojected what would happen if the entire country were to stop adding fluoride to the water supply. The potential impact on both people’s oral health and their dental bills was substantial: Tooth decay, the study found, would increase by about 7.5%—representing about 25 million more cavities—and the U.S. would face about $9.8 billion in additional costs over five years, including both what families would have to pay out-of-pocket for dental care and what the government would need to pay for public health ..

Tornadoes can tear down a home and hurricanes can flood entire towns. But when it comes to weather dangers, extreme heat is the great deceiver. It isn’t acute; it’s literally a matter of degrees. A 100-degree day looks pretty much like one that’s 85. The skies don’t darken in warning and the danger isn’t instantaneous, like a gunshot. It’s slow-moving and cumulative, like a poison.

[time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”]

Defending against extreme heat is a growing problem, as I learned when researching the frontiers of weather forecasting and how to protect people from nature’s hazards. In some cases, climate change is driving extreme events in regions where people have little experience with or preparation for the health and other effects of high heat. We saw this with the 2021 heat wave that left hundreds dead across the Pacific Northwest.

As it turns out, the science of meteorology has gotten quite good at forecasting high temperatures—but society has far to go when it comes to using th..