Every spring, I start hearing the same things: "My eyes are itchy and I can't stop sneezing." "I wake up feeling like I didn't sleep at all." "I feel exhausted and I can't think straight." If that sounds familiar, you are not imagining it. Allergy season is here, it is already running ahead of schedule, and here in the Triangle, we are dealing with one of the most aggressive pollen environments in the country. Why Allergies Are So Bad in the Triangle The Pollen Trifecta Most

Over the past few weeks, many of you have asked me about measles. Some of you are vaccinated. Some of you are not. Many of you are simply unsure what to think. When several of you bring up the same concern, I pay attention. So I reviewed the CDC surveillance data myself. What the Data Shows Confirmed measles cases in the United States have increased compared to recent years. Early 2026 case counts are already significantly higher than typical early-year baselines from prior o

When people think about longevity, they usually think about cholesterol, blood pressure, blood sugar, supplements, or the latest medication trending on social media. Very few people think about muscle. But muscle is one of the strongest predictors of how long we live and, just as importantly, how well we live. Muscle Is Not Just for Movement Skeletal muscle is often viewed as a mechanical tissue that helps us walk, lift, and move. Muscle functions more like a metabolic and en

What a New Metformin Study Reveals About Aging Joints Osteoarthritis is often described as a simple consequence of aging, with joints wearing out, cartilage breaking down, and inevitable pain. But if osteoarthritis were purely a mechanical problem, we would expect it to progress at roughly the same pace in everyone. In reality, we see enormous variability. Some patients remain active and relatively pain free well into older age, while others develop significant joint pain and