National Center for Health Research

10/13/2026

Pope Leo had surgery today to remove a lung adenocarcinoma. We are sad to hear that the Pope was treated for lung cancer, but glad to share the news that this is a type of lung cancer that is often caught early so it can be successfully removed before it has spread.

Our thoughts and prayers are with Pope Leo, who has lifted up so many people around the world. We look forward to hearing of his speedy recovery.

This type of lung cancer has many possible causes, and many are not caused by smoking. Other common causes are ones that we often can't control, such as exposure to second hand smoke, air pollution, and many different types of toxic chemicals.

https://apnews.com/article/vatican-pope-surgery

The Vatican says Pope Leo XIV has lung cancer and had the lower lobe of his right lung removed. The surgery Tuesday confirmed a diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma.

10/13/2026

The blood test promises early detection of 50+ types of , but how reliable are the results? And is it worth nearly $1,000 per test?

NCHR President Dr. Diana Zuckerman explains the concerns about its accuracy and whether it can actually save lives.

You can’t make this stuff up!

10/12/2026

NCHR president Dr. Diana Zuckerman never expected to be in Rolling Stone. It's not because of her music, and she's not a big celebrity. Instead, it is in an interesting article about vaccine wars in West Virginia that could affect vaccine laws across the country. A major focus is RFK Jr's friend and lawyer, Aaron Siri.
Siri doesn't trust vaccine experts to help keep children safe.

When Siri’s law partner vetted Dr. Zuckerman for a role on the U.S. Advisory Committee on Vaccines, she was asked if she would be comfortable saying that vaccine decisions should be made solely between parents and a doctor, without the involvement of any laws or experts.

She disagreed — and that was all they wanted to know. Guess what? The newly chosen members of that Committee all publicly stated exactly what she had refused to say: vaccine decisions should be made solely between parents and a doctor.

Dr. Zuckerman's experience was described in Rolling Stone because it was an affidavit in a lawsuit by the American Academy of Pediatrics against changes in vaccine policies.

You can read the entire article here if you have a subscription

West Virginia has had a “halo” of protection, thanks to a compulsory-vaccine law. But lawyer Aaron Siri has brought a lawsuit that could change things

10/07/2026

Everyone knows that air pollution kills thousands of Americans every year. And yet the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has already repealed most limits on climate pollution from coal and gas power plants and is now proposing to eliminate the remaining greenhouse-gas limits. The Trump administration says the rules are too expensive and that getting rid of them will help meet the country’s growing demand for electricity.

But pollution has a cost too. Power plants are a major source of greenhouse gas emissions that result in climate change, causing floods, wildfires, and hurricanes. Air pollution from fossil fuels can worsen asthma, heart disease, and lung disease.
Saving money sounds good. But we, the people, will pay the price -- in medical bills, our health, and our lives.

EPA is asking the public to comment on the proposal by Nov. 2. Will you take a minute or 2 to express your views here?
https://www.regulations.gov/document/EPA-HQ-OAR-2025-0124-2920/comment

10/06/2026

We agree with Dr. Welch that the FDA should not approve Galleri.

In addition to all the problems that this article describes, Galleri missed more than 84% of Stage 1 cancers. Even for Stage 4 cancers, it still missed almost 40%.

Those patients will think they don't have cancer. But they do. When their symptoms start to appear, they are likely to ignore them for a while, and that can be deadly.

“Telling more people they have cancer is not progress; progress is having fewer people die from cancer,” H. Gilbert Welch writes of Grail’s multicancer screening test.

10/05/2026

Who would come up with such a mind-boggling idea?

The plans to cut disability questions from the National Health Interview Survey, one of the federal government’s main tools for tracking Americans’ health. The proposed survey would eliminate a question asking whether a doctor has told someone they have an intellectual or developmental disability or autism.

Disability advocates warn that the survey already undercounts people with disabilities. Cutting these questions would make it even harder to track health problems and decide where funding and services are needed.

Sen. Darline Graham spent decades helping people with disabilities find jobs and live independently, including leading the South Carolina Commission for the Blind.

Sen. Graham, have you talked to President Trump about this proposal? Given your career helping people with disabilities, we hope you will speak out about what losing this information could mean for the people you spent your career serving. If you have talked to him, what did he say?

We don't all have the President's ear, but CDC is asking the public to express their views on this proposal by Oct. 19. You can tell them in your own words at https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/08/20/2026-17040/proposed-data-collection-submitted-for-public-comment-and-recommendations

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as part of its continuing effort to reduce public burden and maximize the utility of government information, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on a continuing information collection, as...

10/02/2026

What’s in the disposable touching your baby’s skin? Starting in 2029, California parents will have more information.

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed AB 1901, a new law requiring children’s diaper manufacturers to disclose all intentionally added ingredients. Online disclosure must begin in January 2029, followed by product packaging requirements in July 2029.

The law will give families clearer information to compare products based on their child’s needs and sensitivities. But the 2-year delay means the information will be too late for many of today's babies.

10/01/2026

may be convenient, but they can cause serious injuries — especially in kids.

The most dangerous injuries -- requiring hospital admissions -- nearly doubled from 2021 to 2023, rising from more than 2,000 to over 4,000.

Thousands of additional injuries were minor or moderate, but 16% of patients needed ICU care and 11% needed surgery. And 88% of injured riders were not wearing a helmet. Riders who wore helmets were less likely to need hospital intensive care.

Kids may be especially vulnerable. In a separate study, about 2 in 3 injuries among riders under 16 were considered major, sometimes requiring ICU care. Younger children had more severe injuries even though they generally rode at slower speeds.

What parents should know: An e-scooter is not a toy. Make sure kids wear a helmet, slow down, and follow traffic rules.

09/30/2026

Are weight-loss drugs medications or a way to look and feel better? If they keep getting advertised as "lifestyle" products rather than medical treatments, your health insurance may not pay for them.

A recent study found that more than 1 million Americans are using weight-loss drugs without a documented medical indication. Some may simply be looking to lose a few pounds or hoping for other potential benefits.

But these drugs aren’t risk-free. Whether people are overweight or not, concerns include poor nutrition and muscle loss.

And the drugs are expensive. If health insurance pays for these drugs whether medically needed or not, then everyone's monthly insurance premiums will increase. If they don't pay for them, who can afford them?

09/29/2026

Could dramatically cutting back on help ? Maybe — but this study was VERY small.

Researchers enrolled just 20 people with depression, and 19 completed the study. Participants made a major change to their diets and cut back significantly on ultra-processed foods. During that period, their depression and anxiety symptoms improved compared with when they ate their usual diets. No adverse events were reported.

But this was a small pilot study designed mainly to see whether this kind of diet change was practical enough to study further. It does not prove that cutting ultra-processed foods treats depression.

What we know so far: The results are interesting, and there were no reported safety problems, but we can't assume the results are accurate until a larger study with a better control group is conducted. But we know ultraprocessed foods are not as healthy as food in a more natural state, so if you're feeling down, why not give it a try?