Staff News Writer

What if joy or amusement could improve your health? In a TEDMED presentation, a psychology researcher explores human emotions and why our feelings they may predict that state of our health.

Engineer Peter Janicki was asked to clean up sewage wastelands in developing countries. A creative way of thinking about sanitation led to a groundbreaking invention that solved a public health problem and turns tons of sewage into clean, drinkable water.

The Food and Drug Administration has approved a nasal spray version of naloxone—the medication that can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose and save thousands of lives by restoring breathing and preventing death. The approval marks another gain in the effort to curb the opioid overdose epidemic.

Being a physician requires a level of altruism unlike that in any other profession. Suzie Brown, MD, knew emotional suppression was draining her wellness. So she began writing songs. The cardiologist-songwriter recently performed at TEDMED2015. Here’s how she says music restored her self-awareness and strengthened her relationships with patients.

Citing some of the medical and environmental consequences of nuclear war—no matter how “limited”—the AMA urged the U.S. Department of State to eliminate nuclear weapons and work to reduce nuclear arms in a letter sent earlier this month.

The burden of meaningful use regulations and the associated problems with electronic health record (EHR) technology have hindered physicians ability to attend to patients. At the 2015 AMA Interim Meeting, physicians took action with the goal of removing these barriers to physicians’ ability to provide quality care to patients.