Jan 21, 2026

1. Email from KevinMD (Subject: Your nervous system doesn’t need another hacks)

   Summary: This newsletter emphasizes that rather than seeking complex health hacks, the overstimulated nervous system benefits most from simple activities like walking. It also shares personal stories such as how an invisible illness like severe iron deficiency anemia affected a man’s mental health and marriage, and highlights various medical topics including high-risk pregnancy care, physician wellness, AI’s role in clinical notes, and summer heat’s impact on kidney stone risk.

2. Email from STAT News (Subject: The little known vaccine panel that could have big consequences)

   Summary: The newsletter discusses recent changes in federal vaccine advisory panels, including the firing of members and potential shifts in policy, such as possibly adding autism to vaccine injury compensation programs. It covers evolving meanings of “shared decision-making” in vaccine contexts, personal essays on rotavirus vaccination benefits, and research debunking Tylenol’s alleged pregnancy risks. Additional topics include dietary guideline conflicts, lingering effects of mpox infection, persistent opioid stigma, and a clinical trial favoring bariatric surgery over medication in treating type 2 diabetes.

3. Email from Axios Vitals (Subject: 🏥 The problem with ERs)

   Summary: The focus is on pediatric emergency care, highlighting that only 17% of hospitals meet high pediatric readiness standards, risking care quality as childhood illnesses surge. Updated guidelines urge hospitals to improve pediatric care readiness. Other headlines include progress on a bipartisan health care package addressing drug pricing and hospital billing reforms, political developments impacting Senate health policy with Trump’s endorsement controversies, lagging childhood flu vaccinations amid a severe flu season, and new research indicating that acetaminophen use during pregnancy is unlikely linked to autism.

4. Email from Happiful (Subject: Have I wasted my life?)

   Summary: A psychotherapist answers a reader’s question about feeling life has been wasted due to uncertainty in early years and advises exploring self-knowledge through therapy. The response highlights that discovering personal wants often requires deep reflection and professional support, even later in life, and encourages readers not to lose hope but to engage in self-exploration to find fulfillment in their later years. The email also promotes Happiful’s print magazine offering expert-led mental health content and wellbeing practices.

5. Email from STAT News Marketing (Subject: Explore the next decade of science and medicine)

   Summary: This email offers a free download of STAT’s latest e-book compiling coverage from the 2025 STAT Summit, which addressed future challenges and breakthroughs in science, medicine, and policy. It promises insights from leading voices on how advances in science and shifting policies will shape patient care and the healthcare landscape, inviting readers to engage with this independent, forward-looking journalism.

6. Email from Nature Briefing (Subject: First documented case of tool use in cattle by lovely Austrian cow named Veronikas)

   Summary: The newsletter reports the first documented case of tool use by a cow named Veronika, who uses various implements to groom herself. It also covers efforts to quantify ‘toxic masculinity’ in New Zealand men, NASA’s preparation for the Artemis II Moon mission, Japan’s plans to restart the world’s largest nuclear power plant, a review of economist Branko Milanovic’s book on nationalism and greed in globalization, and a historical scientific controversy over the hydra’s regenerative molecule. Additional features include insights from a physical oceanography researcher, and an anatomical quote about the human body’s topological nature.

Stay Well!