Read Online | August  9, 2025

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As artificial intelligence reaches deeper into our daily lives, its affect on how we learn, think, and create grows. While it makes many tasks astonishingly easy, that ease may be coming at a profound cost.

When MIT researchers monitored the brain activity of students writing an essay, they found that AI users showed significantly decreased neural engagement compared to those using only their own minds. The second group generated nearly double the amount of connections in the alpha frequency band, associated with focused attention and creativity. (More) 

• The FDA has mandated stricter labeling requirements for opioid pain medications that must now clearly warn about long-term risks, including addiction and overdose.
• The CDC has removed outside experts from major medical organizations such as the American Academy of Pediatrics, from vaccine review panels, citing conflicts of interest.
• Kindergarten vaccination rates dropped across four major vaccines during the last school year, the fourth consecutive year of declining immunization, CDC data reveal.
• The CDC issued a travel warning for China's Guangdong Province due to a chikungunya virus outbreak with thousands of reported cases.

• An outbreak of Vibrio vulnificus, "flesh-eating bacteria," has killed eight people and sickened 32 others across four Gulf Coast states this year, with the infection spreading through warm coastal waters and raw seafood.

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🏥 Health News

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. canceled 22 mRNA vaccine development contracts worth nearly $500 million, citing ineffectiveness against respiratory infections such as COVID-19 and the flu. The decision terminates partnerships with Moderna, Pfizer, and universities while redirecting funds toward "safer, broader vaccine platforms." Critics warn this creates national security vulnerabilities and weakens pandemic preparedness, as mRNA technology enabled rapid COVID-19 vaccine development during the emergency. (More)

More Health News:

• The Department of Justice will expunge all employee COVID-19 vaccination records and prohibit future vaccine status discrimination as part of a settlement of a suit filed by federal workers.

• Fasting and GLP-1 drugs may restore the brain's ability to deal with sugar buildup in the brain that contributes to neurodegeneration, finds a new study.

• Fermenting stevia extract with a probiotic creates a compound that selectively kills pancreatic cancer cells, offering hope for treating this deadly cancer, a study finds.

• A 25-year study of 3 million women found that hormone replacement therapy, even used for under five years, increases fracture risk, though the risk declines a decade after stopping.

☀️ Healthy Living

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Research of 73,000+ people shows late bedtimes increase risks of diabetes, hypertension, obesity, and cancer—even for natural night owls getting adequate sleep. Evening types who shifted earlier had better health outcomes. Practical strategies for evening types include morning light exposure, caffeine cutoffs, light evening meals, and sleep-supporting foods to successfully adjust their schedule. (More)

More Health News:

• A study of nearly 40,000 women found that frequent use of beauty products increases adult-onset asthma risk by 19 to 22 percent due to hormone-disrupting chemicals such as phthalates and parabens.

• Magnesium deficiency affects almost half of Americans and significantly increases depression risk, but precision nutrition can restore optimal levels and improve mood.

• Problematic cannabis use increases the risk of benign salivary gland tumors by up to five times compared to non-users, according to a study of nearly 184,000 people.

☀️ A Few Good Things

✍️ Health Viewpoint: I’m an Oncologist–Here’s How I Protect Myself From Prostate Cancer By Dr. Manuj Agarwal

🍿 Movie: Seven guests gather at a manor house on an isolated island and are killed off one-by-one in this classic murder mystery, “And Then There Were None.” (Watch free on Gan Jing World)

🎵 Music: Enrico Sieber plays Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (Listen)

🔬 Featured Article of the Week 👇

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🍵 Food & Nutrition

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Hair loss signals internal imbalances like thyroid dysfunction, inflammation, or nutrient deficiencies rather than being a standalone condition. Naturopathic doctors use comprehensive testing and foundational lifestyle changes—proper sleep, stress management, anti-inflammatory diet—combined with targeted herbs such as rosemary and ginseng to successfully reverse hair loss by treating underlying systemic issues. (More)

Here are some lessons that most people learn too late, but that you can learn right now.

1. Time Is Your Most Valuable Resource
While faith may tell us to believe there is more after this life, our time here is still precious.

2. Health Is Wealth
When you’re young, you take health for granted. Extend this period by treating your body well.

3. Money Can’t Buy Meaning
Many of us chase comfort, convenience, and pleasure and miss out on more meaningful pursuits.

4. It’s Not About You
The best way to matter is to live generously and to love selflessly. 

5. Success Without Contentment Isn’t Success
All of the accolades and praise will feel empty if you’re not satisfied with the person you’ve become.

(Read 5 more lessons)

Thank you for reading 🙏

Have a wonderful day!

- Matthew Little, Hristina Byrnes, and Yan Yang.

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