Read Online | February 14, 2026

(Kinga Krzeminska/Getty Images)

When older veterans developed leg swelling after starting gabapentin—the United States’ fifth-most-prescribed drug—only about 4 percent of their physicians recognized the swelling as a side effect of the medication, according to a recent study. The rest prescribed diuretics for what they thought was heart failure or vein problems. Those “water pills” caused dizziness, dangerous drops in potassium, and depleted sodium levels. Six patients ended up in the emergency room.

(Read more)

• The largest current measles outbreak in the United States may be slowing down. 
• Researchers may have found a way to detect childhood asthma through a breath test that detects microbes in a child’s gut.
• Dementia may be caused by the brain’s waste removal system malfunctioning, a recent study suggests.
• Researchers have discovered the human heart can regenerate heart muscle after a heart attack, challenging long-standing beliefs.

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🏥 Health News

A “first-of-its-kind” medical device that uses electrical fields to treat locally advanced pancreatic cancer among adults has been approved for use in the United States, the Food and Drug Administration said in a Feb. 12 statement.

“Optune Pax, developed by Novocure, is a portable, non-invasive device that delivers alternating electrical fields, known as tumor treating fields (TTFields), to the abdomen. TTFields work by physically disrupting the rapid cell division that is characteristic of cancer cells, while minimizing damage to healthy tissue,” the FDA said.

The device works through insulated adhesive patches attached to the patient’s skin and connected to an electric field generator. The patient carries the generator with them as they go about their daily life.  (More)

More Health News:

• The National Institutes of Health is funding studies exploring whether ivermectin can help cancer patients.
• AI models frequently provide incorrect advice to users regarding medical questions, a study found.
• Sunlight may help people with Type 2 diabetes keep their blood sugar levels more stable, a recent study suggests.

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💕 Relationships

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Chemistry requires physical proximity. Rather than rushing out to create a dating profile ahead of Valentine’s Day, evidence shows that greater success and satisfaction come from a tried-and-true approach: in-person dating. 

In an era when more than half of singles younger than 30 use dating apps, evidence suggests that a digital approach to romance may be fundamentally flawed because it can’t predict what happens when two people are finally face-to-face. (More)

More Relationships:

• Neuroscientist Ben Rein calls social connection one of the brain’s most powerful internal “drugs.” Close relationships aren’t just emotionally rewarding—they’re essential fuel for a healthy brain and protection against cognitive decline. His work, and a growing field of social neuroscience, shows how friendships help the brain feel safe, stimulated, and primed to heal.
• A person’s social calendar might be a better predictor of their lifespan than their cholesterol levels, according to a growing body of research. Chronic loneliness doesn’t just feel bad—it kills, triggering the same inflammatory cascades as chronic disease and increasing the risk that a first heart attack will be fatal. Building connection doesn’t require grand gestures or packed social calendars, just a few creative approaches.

☀️ A Couple Good Things

• ✍️ Health Viewpoint: The Devil’s Playbook: Five Ways We Sabotage Ourselves—and How to Win Back Control by Jonathan Miltimore  
• 🍿 Watch: Your body doesn’t need added sugar. Not even a little bit. Yet the average American eats 17 teaspoons every day. Here’s what happens when you quit. (Watch on EpochTV)

🔬 Premium Article of the Week 👇

Illustration by The Epoch Times, Shutterstock

⏳Longevity

We’ve been told that our genetic destiny is written in our DNA. However, research is gradually dismantling this fatalistic view.

Genetics may influence approximately 25 percent to 30 percent of how we age. The remaining portion is influenced by factors entirely within our control: what we eat, how we move, and how we handle stress, others, and ourselves.

Lucia Aronica is an epigenetics and nutrigenomics scientist at Stanford University School of Medicine. Her research shows how the balance of nature and nurture plays out over the course of our lives.

“You are not just a passive reader of your genetic code, but an active writer of your health story every day with every choice.”

(More)

🍵 Food & Nutrition

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The new Dietary Guidelines for Americans made headlines by turning the original 1992 food pyramid upside down, placing protein-rich foods and whole-fat dairy at the top. What most people missed is that the decades-old 10 percent cap on saturated fat as a percentage of total daily calories remains firmly in place.

You can enjoy grass-fed beef, whole-fat Greek yogurt, and dark chocolate—all in the same day—with what nutrition experts call “fat budgeting.”

How to Eat Within the Saturated Fat Cap

With strategic meal planning, you can comfortably fit in steak, eggs, whole-fat dairy, and even dessert while staying under the limit.

Lean: Prioritize sirloin over ribeye and skinless over skin-on poultry. A 6-ounce sirloin has roughly 6 grams of saturated fat, leaving you 16 grams for the rest of the day. Removing the skin from chicken or turkey reduces saturated fat by 50 to 70 percent.

Clean: Focus on whole foods, such as steak and yogurt, rather than processed meats such as bacon and sausage. Processed meats contain sodium and nitrates that compound the cardiovascular risk of the saturated fats they carry.

Green: Use plant-based unsaturated fats such as olive oil and avocado to lower the saturated fat intake from your meat.

The ‘Dilution’ Method: Drain fat after browning ground beef and mix meat with plant-based “bulkers” such as lentils or mushrooms to lower the saturated fat density per serving while maintaining a meaty flavor and texture.

Swap the Food Matrix: Research suggests that fermented dairy products, such as yogurt, kefir, and aged cheese, have a neutral or even protective effect on heart health compared with butter, even when their saturated fat content is similar. Swap butter for extra virgin olive oil when cooking meat.

(A 2,000-calorie plan)

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Have a wonderful day!

- Matthew Little and Wanlun Lu.

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