Read Online | November 22, 2025

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Have you ever left the doctor’s office feeling more confused than when you walked in? Nearly three out of four Americans say they have. Many hesitate to even raise their real concerns during the appointment.

In today’s hurried health system, the patients who fare best aren’t necessarily the wealthiest or luckiest—they’re often the most prepared. They’re the ones who arrive with specific goals and make their needs known. In medicine, being your own advocate isn’t optional. It’s survival.

 (Read more)

• Adult heart attack survivors who took specific vitamin D doses reduced their risk of developing another heart attack by more than half.

• People on food stamps may buy healthier food if they’re incentivized, researchers report.

• True gluten sensitivities are rare, if they exist at all, according to a comprehensive review based on decades of research.

• A new study revealed that ultraprocessed foods may be linked to a rise in colon cancers among young people.

• 📝 Quick takeaway: Just over an hour of additional social media use each day is enough to drag down adolescents’ reading and memory scores.

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🏥 Health News

Microplastics are in the air we breathe and the water we drink. They are in our food, our environment, and come from places we may not expect.

“All the polyester and synthetics we wear become our house dust that we inhale and then release millions of microplastics into our water as we wash them,” Dr. Desiree LaBeaud, a pediatric infectious diseases physician at Stanford Medicine and one of the founders of Stanford’s interdisciplinary Plastics and Health Working Group, told The Epoch Times. 

LaBeaud noted that while avoiding microplastics entirely is impossible, people can do things to reduce their exposure. (More)

More Health News:

• Eating foods high in flavanols may help protect blood vessels from the damage caused by sitting.

• The Food and Drug Administration has restricted a gene therapy following reports of two deaths among pediatric users.

• A three-judge panel is weighing two class-action lawsuits that allege a link between acetaminophen and rates of autism and ADHD.

🚶Lifestyle

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These habits are like quiet rhythms that make your life richer and more substantial. They might be old-fashioned, but they’re as important as ever.

1. Rise Early–Before the Sun

There is something motivating about getting a jump on the day. The momentum can propel you toward action.

2. Daily Physical Labor

There’s something nostalgic, gritty, and appealing about work that makes you sweat—the kind of labor that makes you stronger in everyday life.

3. Keep Promises–Even Small Ones

An honest person refuses to break even the smallest of promises.

4. Practice a Frugal Lifestyle

Being frugal also makes you more resourceful and can mean you always have more than you need.

5. Pray Regularly

There’s something particularly strengthening about having your gratitude and pleas for help directed toward a being who knows and loves you.

6. Do Unpleasant Work Without Complaint

There is a time and a place for sharing our troubled feelings, and a time when complaining only makes it worse.

7. Living With Hospitality

Hospitality fosters trust and camaraderie. It creates a sense of community that makes us stronger and more resilient in hard times.

(Read more)

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Illustration by The Epoch Times, Shutterstock

🎯 Daily Habits

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Your blood pressure has likely already spiked a few times today, and you probably didn't even notice.

For decades, treatment has involved medications and low-sodium diets. However, research now shows that everyday habits can lower blood pressure as much as medication for some people. Here are the habits that are elevating your blood pressure:

Skipping Sunlight

Modern life keeps us chronically underexposed to natural light.

“Sunlight lowers blood pressure by releasing nitric oxide from stores in the skin,” Dr. Richard Weller, a dermatologist and cardiovascular researcher at the University of Edinburgh, told The Epoch Times in an email.

Poor Sleep

The body’s clock craves consistency. Irregular sleep jolts cortisol levels, keeping blood pressure high long after the morning's first cup of coffee. Sleep apnea adds another load, and it affects nearly half of people with resistant hypertension. 

Too Much Sitting

Stillness strains the cardiovascular system. A study found that long bouts of sitting made blood pressure swing more from moment to moment—a hidden volatility linked in earlier research to greater risk of hypertension and heart disease.

Not Drinking Enough Water

Movement keeps blood circulating; water keeps it fluid. Even mild dehydration makes the heart work harder. When water levels are low, plasma volume shrinks and vessels constrict—a built-in reflex that helps maintain high blood pressure. 

Too Little Potassium

If water keeps blood moving, potassium helps the vessels relax. Most Americans get far less of it than their bodies need.

(For ways to lower blood pressure, read more)

Thank you for reading 🙏

Have a wonderful day!

- Matthew Little and Wanlun.

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