Vital Signs • Brendon Fallon

Half the airplane passengers took elderberry, the other half took a placebo… Which group suffered longer and more severe colds after the trip?

Beyond cholesterol, what tests paint a more reliable picture of heart disease risk? Is cutting red meat really the “health measure” that we’ve been told? ntd.com/ntdplus/if-hig…

Today, Dr. Chaffee revisits landmark studies and lesser-known data, raising questions about whether lowering cholesterol alone improves health outcomes. At the heart of the discussion is a larger question: are we focusing on the right signals when assessing heart disease risk?

It’s during slow-wave (or deep), sleep that the brain’s waste-clearing system gets to work, says Dr. Roger Seheult. Large-amplitude slow waves cause a pulsation of the lymphatic system around the brain, taking away its impurities, says Seheult. ntd.com/ntdplus/your-b…

Professional boxing poses risks of concussion-related brain trauma. Yet from “Rocky” to “Creed,” we see boxing persist as a cultural icon. Does boxing’s value as a sport and the lifeline it can offer young people justify its dangers? ntd.com/ntdplus/does-b…

Alongside diet, the role of physical activity is a major determinant of body weight and health, says Dr. Noto. BUT what gives HIIT an edge over other cardio workouts, and how do you ensure safety when starting an intensive diet and/or exercise routine? ntd.com/ntdplus/using-…

Twenty years ago, food anthropologist Michael Mascha was forced to surrender his passion for wine. The last place he expected to find alternate satisfaction was in a bottle of water. Could water RIVAL wine in taste, terroir, and the appeal of its origin? ntd.com/ntdplus/which-…

What if, as Dr. David Rabin suggests, trauma isn’t just a memory we carry—but a state the body learns, shaping how we feel safety long after the event has passed? ntd.com/ntdplus/tune-o…

As new therapies emerge—including approaches that use sound, vibration, and even short-term psychedelic-assisted treatment—the field is beginning to rethink a basic question: If trauma is learned in the body, could healing start there too?

Many who have struggled to lose weight may see weight-loss drugs as their last resort. However, the new class of drugs are still not without their safety concerns. ntd.com/ntdplus/how-ef…

Osteoporosis is often referred to as a “silent disease,” because its symptoms are hard to detect. Suspicions about the disease may not be raised until a fracture appears in the spine, or another load-bearing bone or joint. So, how is osteoporosis detected?ntd.com/ntdplus/treati…

The Habits That Could Add Decades to Your Life, According to Longevity Studies The “longevity project” tracked the lives of 1,500 Americans from childhood through to death. Which character traits are shared by those who lived the longest? ntd.com/ntdplus/longev…

Alongside environmental factors, how can our DNA incline us toward depression? And what major nutritional oversight could be driving the elevated levels of depression that we now see in America? ntd.com/ntdplus/rewiri…

How is COPD detected? Under what conditions can cooking lead to COPD? “Anything that you breathe in that tends to damage those elastic fibers is going to cause your lungs not to deflate, not to come back to a regular size,” says Dr. Roger Seheult. ntd.com/ntdplus/copd-l…

Although lacking modern medical technology, American sanitariums still effectively treated patients during the 1918–1920 flu pandemic. What do their methods tell us about how to counter viral infection today? ntd.com/ntdplus/activa…

The average avocado contains nearly 70% of monounsaturated fat. Studies suggest that when this fat replaces saturated fats and trans fatty acids, the risk of type 2 diabetes comes down. But does this mean we should wipe all saturated fats from our diets? ntd.com/ntdplus/whats-…

The purpose of having our cholesterol tested is to gauge our atherosclerosis risk because certain cholesterol-carrying particles lead to plaque formation. But does the standard test of our LDL level give us a full picture of our heart disease risk? ntd.com/ntdplus/how-to…

Burnout may look like exhaustion, but as James Gordon suggests, it often signals a deeper rupture—where purpose, pressure, and unresolved trauma quietly collide. ntd.com/ntdplus/3-step…

Burnout is often framed as a problem of overwork. But in this Vital Signs interview, mind-body medicine pioneer Dr. James Gordon suggests something more fundamental may be at play: a mismatch between the work people do and the purpose that once motivated them.

What is the role of the lymphatic system in preventing chronic diseases? On Vital Signs, Dr. Gerald Lemole explains how the lymphatic system works and how it can be enhanced through polyphenols, diet, exercise, and other lifestyle approaches. ntd.com/ntdplus/combat…

There is an increasingly broad spectrum of soy products—from edamame to soy protein milk. How soy is consumed also differs broadly across cultures. What relative health risks and benefits do these differences in consumption bring? ntd.com/ntdplus/does-s…