Health and Wellness | Opinion

Science and stories about how we live and how we die.

Guest Essay
Polio Threatens Gaza Today. Tomorrow, It Could Be Cholera.
The success of the polio vaccination campaign in Gaza shouldn’t obfuscate the threat of other diseases.
By Mohammed Aghaalkurdi
Guest Essay
Food Is What We Have In Common. Why Don’t We Hear More From the Candidates About It?
Food is the springboard to talk about a host of issues, including climate, economic justice, public health and labor.
By Mark Bittman
Guest Essay
TV Medical Dramas Are Not Like Real Life. Maybe They Should Be.
On television, medical stories end with a diagnosis and a return to normalcy. In reality, they are far more complicated.
By Daniela J. Lamas
Guest Essay
The Complicated Legacy of Betty Ford’s Breast Cancer Story
As with many stories of celebrity illness, Ms. Ford’s was inspirational but complicated.
By Barron H. Lerner
Guest Essay
What to Expect if Kennedy Is Promoted to a Position of Power
Giving him a top health job would entrench partisanship around public health.
By Rachael Bedard
David Wallace-Wells
The Simple Stories About the Opioid Epidemic Are Wrong
Overdose deaths are finally coming down. Why?
By David Wallace-Wells
Guest Essay
Both My Abortions Were Necessary. Only One Gets Sympathy.
There are many reasons to terminate a pregnancy.
By Sarah Elaine Harrison
Guest Essay
I’m a Doctor, and I’m Worried About What Comes Next for Our Health Care System
The next fights over health care won’t be legislative brawls or executive actions — they will be a deluge of battles in the courts.
By Danielle Ofri
Guest Essay
Are We Thinking About Obesity All Wrong?
Experts are rushing to redefine obesity amid soaring demand for new weight-loss drugs.
By Julia Belluz
Guest Essay
Humanitarians Are Dying. Why Doesn’t the World Care?
The president of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies makes an impassioned plea for protecting humanitarian aid workers.
By Kate Forbes