The internet has been inundated witha press tour moment from the film "Wicked" that's been memed around the world: ActressCynthia Erivo, overcome with emotion, shares she's stunned to hear people have been taking lyrics from the "Wicked" song "Defying Gravity" and "really holding space with that."
The big picture: If that sounds like gibberish, you're not alone.The meaning of "holding space" — a way of creating judgement-free, safe spaces for healing — was lost on many social media users, but spoofs of the early-November interview became a yellow brick road to viral status.
The Biden administration on Tuesday proposed requiring Medicare and Medicaid to cover anti-obesity drugs.
Why it matters: The rule would expand access to medications known as GLP-1 agonists for millions of Americans struggling with obesity, who are at higher risk of diabetes, stroke and cardiovascular disease, according to a White House fact sheet.
Why it matters: Cyberattacks affecting health care providers and vendors have become more common in recent years, often exposing individuals' private health information.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. could use Health and Human Services' vast bureaucracy to put a distinct stamp on vaccine policy, drug approvals and food regulation if he's confirmed. But with so many legal requirements and bureaucratic layers baked into the process, it's hardly a foregone conclusion he will.
Why it matters: Experts say RFK Jr.'s public calls for more transparency and vows to shore up the trustworthiness of federal health agencies may translate into more requests for vaccine safety data and into appointing like-minded individuals to advisory panels that could influence coverage of drugs, services and devices.
Roughly 1 in 7 Americans 65 and older are meeting federal physical activity guidelines during their leisure time, a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows.
Why it matters: Older Americans will make up more than 20% of the U.S. population by 2030. Regular physical activity could help more of them maintain physical function, reduce their risk of chronic conditions and falls and lower health care costs.
Older adults have the same targets for physical activity as all adults, including 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity per week, the researchers say.
But older adults also have guidelines such as performing "multi-component physical activity" that includes balance activities, such as tai chi, in addition to the aerobic and muscle-strengthening activities.
What they found: More senior men (16.9%) met the guidelines compared to women (11.5%).
Greater percentages of seniors living in the West met physical activity guidelines compared those living in the Northeast or South.
Seniors who had more education and greater incomes were more likely to meet the exercise guidelines, as did seniors who lived in metropolitan areas.
Across income levels, white seniors in the U.S. are more likely to use hearing aids than Black and Hispanic seniors, a new study found.
Why it matters: Hearing aids can help people with hearing loss live independent lives and communicate more easily. But the new data suggests seniors aren't benefiting equally.
Florida's surgeon general issued guidance on Friday recommending communities in the state stop adding fluoride to their water.
Why it matters: There is ample evidence fluoride in water improves dental health and is safe at the level recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While the federal government can't require municipalities to remove fluoride from their water, earlier this month Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump's pick to lead Health and Human Services, said the administration could issue national guidance advising against it.
President-elect Trump has unabashedly surrounded himself with men who've said, done or been accused of things that would disqualify them under any other U.S. leader in our lifetimes.
It begs the question: Why? Why go to the mat to pick and defend people Trump knows will raise questions about his judgment, heart or morality? In almost every case, there are similarly loyal and tested alternatives. Yet he often goes with the bad boys.
President-elect Trump's nominees to lead the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention appear amenable to Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s desire to disrupt key health agencies and, especially at the CDC, to helping him raise concerns about vaccines despite reams of data on their safety.
Why it matters: The nominees' views are nuanced and, in some cases, vary significantly, including on the topic of vaccines. But they're all choices outside of the mainstream and suggest big changes are coming to the country's health agencies.
