A Quarter-Century of Changes in Health & Wellness
Wise & Well launches the 25-Year Checkup, a special series
Welcome back to your weekly dose of wisdom and wellness, helping you make tomorrow a little better than today. As 2025 begins, Wise & Well launches a special series of stories examining 25 years of change in human health and wellness—big developments since the turn of the millennium that have affected us, for better or worse, with a glimpse at what we might expect in the future. Here’s the first installment of our 25-Year Checkup:
Will We Make America Sick Again?
Parents in the early 1960s and before worried like crazy when their kids got measles, which can be deadly, especially for small children. A vaccine ultimately eliminated measles in the US in the year 2000, exactly 25 years ago. You might think that was the end of the story. But 2025 could prove to be a turning point for many communicable diseases that have, until now, been kept under control.
In America, measles cases are the highest they have been in five years. In 2024, there were 284 cases, compared to a 59 the previous year. The rising trend coupled with an incoming administration whose top health official questions vaccine safety, could change the course of measles and other vaccine-preventable diseases in the US. And make a lot of us very sick.
—Emmi S. Herman
THIS WEEK’S OTHER FEATURES
A selection of informative, entertaining and actionable stories by Wise & Well’s team of journalists, topical experts and practicing professionals.
The Brain on Menopause: Reality vs. Myth
Menopause triggers more changes than is often appreciated, and it can be challenging to sort out numerous health and mental health conditions related to hormonal changes, or due simply to aging, genetics or other factors. This psychologist and neuroscientist discusses all this frankly and even humorously, exploring topics that male-dominated medical fields often shy away from.
Science is only beginning to understand how changes in levels of reproductive hormones might influence thoughts and behaviors. But what they are finding has implications for all of us, in a world full of influences pushing our brains in evermore-ADHD-like ways.
— John Kruse MD, PhD
The Science Behind TikTok’s ‘Fart Walk’ Craze
Social media influencers are known to put forth crazy health and wellness tips, many of which are total bunk, some even dangerous. But every now and then a silly-sounding suggestion is backed by smart science. Here, a scientist explains the beneficial gastrointestinal details of taking a walk after dinner, an adventure you’ll never again be able to call “just a walk.” Among the tidbits he reveals:
Specifically, individuals with a shorter average intestinal transit time are more likely to have a gut microbiome dominated by bacteria in the Bacteroides genus… some of the microbes most commonly associated with intestinal gas.
—Sam Westreich, PhD
Airplane Yoga Eased the Pain of My Long-Haul Flight
During my corporate years, I took cross-country flights every few weeks, trips that caused back pain and general body tightness and exhaustion that left me miserable after each leg. I’ve since taken up yoga, which has done amazing things for my physical well-being. If only I’d known then about airplane yoga — I’ve no doubt it would’ve made my travels so much less awful.
Naturally, I was skeptical — not just because Airplane Yoga sounds woo-woo, but because it seems impossible. As a longtime practitioner, I know yoga is all about lengthening your limbs and taking up space — antithetical to being squished into a tiny airline seat. Yet those tight quarters are exactly why yoga can be useful at 36,000 feet.
—Kathleen Murphy
The FDA Has Red Food Coloring All Over Its Hands
“If you were told that a chemical was too harmful for your face, but totally safe to eat, would you eat it?” That’s how this story starts. We could ask similar questions about a lot of toxic additives in our food, but this particular one — Red №3 — has been blessed by the FDA for more than three decades. Now, it appears, officials may finally listen to science.
There are 3,200 products sold in the US that contain Red №3. California is being proactive by banning it before the FDA, because some studies show links between food coloring and behavioral disorders, including ADHD, in children. Vyvanse, a leading ADHD medication, even uses Red №3 in their capsules. While the FDA decides on its course of action, the public continues to consume a potentially toxic food ingredient.
— Dr. Julian Barkan
How to Make New Year’s Resolutions Stick
It’s that time of year when many of us ponder fresh resolutions like exercising more, eating better, or saving money. Such vague goals rarely pan out, research has shown. So I’ve gathered up the science that explains how to make and execute against successful resolutions—handy for the New Year or anytime you wish to try and succeed at something new.
The trick to self-improvement goals is to choose them thoughtfully and have a plan to execute against. Recent research also reveals that a positive attitude — an “I can” approach — is crucial to succeeding at any new endeavor.
— Robert Roy Britt
Let Happiness Find You
Happiness, in particular, can be hard to find, and in fact science tells us that pursuing it often leads to disappointment, even misery. If you’re looking for a resolution for the new year, you might consider aiming to do more of the things that actually bring happiness. I explain:
During 2024, I wrote about dozens of new scientific findings that illuminate the stupid things we humans think and do to make ourselves miserable, as well as several wise behaviors we might instead lean into for improved mental health. Here are some of the key insights, so that in 2025 you (and I) can act with purpose in ways that allow happiness to find us.
— Robert Roy Britt
Why Does Red Wine Cause Headaches?
I do love red wine. I don’t love the headaches it often causes. There’s been a lot of scientific speculation about the specific chemical culprit, but new research suggests a previously unrecognized cause. It’s great news, because certain wines can be avoided, saving headaches and money. In this story, you’ll also learn about the chemistry of a hangover.
First, ethanol is converted to acetaldehyde. Then, the enzyme ALDH converts the acetaldehyde to acetate, a common and innocuous substance. This second step is slower for people who get flushed skin, since their ALDH is not very efficient. They accumulate acetaldehyde, which is a somewhat toxic compound also linked to hangovers.
—Andrew Waterhouse and Apramita Devi
15 Things to Know About Chronic Pain
The writer Randall H. Duckett suffers severe chronic pain and has become kind of an expert on the topic. He knows pain, and he knows the research related to causes and remedies. Here he looks back on some of the most hopeful and helpful studies from 2024.
I hope we’ve helped make your tomorrow a little better than today.
Cheers,
Rob