Read Online | October 31, 2026 

llustration by Ran / The Epoch Times

Bakers who make sourdough aren’t just making any bread—it’s a labor of love with some real health benefits.   

The yeast used to make it essentially gives digestion a head start, with acids and enzymes beginning to break down components of the bread before it is eaten. (Read more)

• Officials in Florida reported dozens of new cases of dengue fever, a viral disease transmitted by infected mosquitoes, bringing the total up to 425.
  
  
• A federal judge has stopped the federal government’s Medicaid work requirements from applying to those who are “medically frail,” but let its other work requirements stand.   
  
  
• The Department of Health and Human Services is letting pharmacies use unapproved peptides under a decision from Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
  
  
• The CDC is warning about drug-resistant bacterial and fungal pathogens, saying there has been a rise in infections and deaths from more than a dozen different germs.

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🏥 Health News

Unlike the age on your ID, your biological age reflects how your body is holding up: how inflammation, metabolic strain, and the wear on your organs and immune system compare with what’s typical at your age. Two people can turn 40 on the same day and carry very different histories inside them.

Scientists can now estimate that difference, and it appears to be getting worse, generation by generation.

In a cancer study of more than 154,000 people in the UK, people born between 1965 and 1974 had blood profiles that appeared biologically older than those of people born during the 1950s, with a 23 percent greater variation between their chronological age and their biological age. (More)

More Health News:

• A new genetic analysis suggests that taking regular low-dose aspirin may be linked to a lower chance of developing dementia in older adults.
  
  

• Intermittent fasting could help manage Huntington’s disease, a fatal, inherited brain disorder, a small study shows.
  
  

• Nigeria’s first Ebola patient, a Swiss citizen, had flown from Uganda to Nigeria before being evacuated to Switzerland with her husband. 
  
  

• More than 250 hospitals have committed to serving healthier food, part of the Make Hospital Food Healthier Pledge started by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. 
  
  

• A majority of survey participants say they are uncomfortable with doctors using artificial intelligence for decisions on diagnoses and treatments, a newly released survey shows.

👴🏼👵🏼Aging Well

Illustration by Sunny Lo, Shutterstock

Depending on who you ask about which supplement works best for knee osteoarthritis, you may get very different answers. Some researchers point to Boswellia; others point to eggshell membrane. Two of the most familiar joint supplements, glucosamine and chondroitin, often face disagreements between major medical guidelines.

What do these conflicting findings mean for the joint supplements on store shelves? Some may offer pain relief, but much of the evidence is low quality, and specific ingredients and formulations matter. Here’s what the science says about each, the studies’ limitations, and why labels on supplements can be misleading. (More)

More Aging Well:

• Dr. Tsai Song-yen had been trained in mainstream Western medicine, but after a cancerous tumor showed up next to another one he had just had removed from his lung, he looked into traditional Chinese medicine for the root cause of his ailment. Here’s what he discovered.
  
  
• As we go through life, small and large traumatic events can leave us with invisible scars. Over time, those scars can affect our mental and physical wellbeing without us realizing it. Here’s how to revisit those experiences in a meaningful, helpful way. 
  
  
• 1 in 3 older adults have difficulty walking. Here are three leg movements that offer similar benefits.

VIDEO: Why Do Different Mosquitoes Prefer Different People?

☀️ A Few Good Things

✍️ Health Viewpoint: The Medical Insurance Madness Must End by Jeffrey A. Tucker

🍿 Watch: If you’ve been exposed to traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) concepts, you may have heard of the life force energy “qi” (pronounced chee) and wondered how it relates to everyday health. Dr. Jingduan Yang, a fifth-generation TCM practitioner, breaks it down in this video. (Watch on EpochTV)

🎵 Music: Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D minor by Xaver Varnus (Listen)

🔬 Premium Article of the Week 👇

Illustration by Lumi Liu/The Epoch Times

The Surprising Benefits of Talking to Strangers

🍵 Food & Nutrition

Terri Ward/The Epoch Times

Broccoli cheese soup usually gets its body from a roux, heavy cream, or both. This smoky broccoli cheese chicken soup is hearty without being heavy. A potato is simmered until tender and blended into the broth to give it body and texture; ghee or butter and smoked cheese add a little creaminess and rich, savory flavor. The potato’s additional carbohydrates are balanced with fiber from the potato, carrot, broccoli, and onion, plus nearly 50 grams of protein per serving, making for a satisfying, filling meal.

Beyond its hearty flavor, this soup brings together protein, vegetables, and several nutrients to support your body.

Collagen Support: Collagen provides structure and strength to skin, bones, cartilage, tendons, ligaments, and blood vessels. This soup provides vitamin C from broccoli and amino acids from bone broth—both needed to make collagen.

Protein: Chicken and cheese make this an unusually high-protein soup, supplying the amino acids the body needs to maintain and repair muscle and other tissues.

Other Nutrients: Broccoli also provides vitamin K for blood clotting and bone health. Carrots add beta-carotene, which the body converts to vitamin A to support vision and immune function. Potatoes contribute potassium for healthy blood pressure, nerve signaling, and muscle function.

(The Recipe)

🚴 Fitness

Illustration by The Epoch Times, Ceridwen Hunter

Lifting and carrying can make you highly effective at getting things done—if you do them right. Do them wrong, and you can place yourself at risk of tripping and falling or injuring yourself simply through the use of improper biomechanics. Here’s how to do them properly. (See How)

Swinging a golf club or tennis racket may seem to depend primarily on arm strength. However, swinging movements rely on coordinated action across the entire body, especially the trunk muscles. Here’s how to train the trunk muscles for a smoother, stronger swing. (See How)

Thank you for reading 🙏

Have a wonderful day!

- Holly Kellum, Francisco Jin, and Matthew Little

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