Feb 18, 2026

Email 1 Summary:

– Obesity is framed as a symptom of “time poverty,” where financial and work pressures limit healthy lifestyle choices.

– The newsletter includes insights on anxiety, Alzheimer’s caregiving truths, gun violence impact on healthcare workers, and transitioning to direct care models.

– Covers FDA warnings on cardiovascular risks related to tofacitinib.

– Highlights mental health workforce burnout and gender pay disparities in emergency medicine.

– Features poems and personal reflections from healthcare professionals.

– Provides resources like malpractice risk analyses and job listings for physicians.

Email 2 Summary:

– Reports leadership changes at HHS and CDC under Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., with key deputies departing.

– CDC leadership vacuum reduces the agency’s influence in policy.

– A Cochrane review finds little to no weight loss benefit from intermittent fasting in overweight or obese individuals.

– STAT tracks Kennedy’s mixed progress on health policy goals after one year.

– Telehealth usage among Medicare beneficiaries is growing significantly, especially for mental health.

– Discusses ethical frameworks for distributing limited pain medication resources amid shortages.

Email 3 Summary:

– Highlights a gluten- and dairy-free pancake recipe approved by nutritionists for Pancake Day.

– Emphasizes nutritionist tips for sustained energy release via topping choices.

– Promotes Happiful subscription offering science-backed mental health content, neurodivergence, chronic pain tips, and guided journaling focused on gratitude.

– Subscription includes a free Gratitude booklet (UK addresses) and access to an award-winning mental health magazine filled with compassionate articles and stories.

Email 4 Summary:

– Employers seek cost-effective ways to provide access to GLP-1 weight-loss drugs by partnering with telehealth companies like eMed, sharing costs and managing side effects.

– The Department of Government Efficiency released extensive Medicaid spending data to the public, enabling fraud detection but also raising concerns about data quality.

– Health Secretary Kennedy promises a review of ultra-processed foods regulation, focusing on public awareness rather than strict regulation.

– Reports increased illicit stimulant use paired with fentanyl, complicating the overdose crisis.

– Discusses ongoing hiring in healthcare despite a slow overall labor market and shifts in Pentagon biotech contracts.

Email 5 Summary:

– Discovery of one of the earliest vertebrate herbivores, Tyrannoroter heberti, from fossil analysis.

– EU restricts Chinese participation in certain Horizon Europe research programs over security concerns.

– Brain connectivity differences between sexes increase with age, potentially linked to mental health disorder risks.

– Science communicators use influencer strategies on social media to combat misinformation successfully.

– Features a book exploring life’s meaning through stories of polymaths and offers tips for scientists to engage effectively with popular science writers.

– Notes evolving editorial policies to respectfully handle manuscripts of deceased authors.

Email 6 Summary:

– AI readiness in healthcare depends on clear business problems, AI literacy, data infrastructure, measurable pain points, and leadership ownership.

– A Stanford and Google RCT showed AI-assisted cardiologists make fewer errors and miss less content diagnosing rare heart diseases.

– Nonprofit and for-profit health systems show mixed operating margin results in 2026.

– Kaiser Permanente study reveals increasing adoption of asynchronous e-visits for common outpatient issues with low follow-up rates.

– McKinsey analysis forecasts continued financial pressure on healthcare but identifies growth areas like health services tech and specialty pharmacy.

– Resources include survey data on patient trust, behavioral health screening improvements, and health system CIO AI developments.

– Promotes community building for hospital strategy, finance, and operations leaders.

Stay Well!