Joshua R. Freeman, Ph.D., M.P.H., is a Researcher in the Research International Unit of the HITAP Foundation. He holds a Ph.D. in Epidemiology and an M.P.H. in Public Health. His research focuses on sleep health throughout the life course, investigating how sleep patterns and circadian rhythms influence health outcomes, and contributing to evidence

Echinacea, a favourite herbal remedy for parents to give children with the sniffles, should not be given to the under-12s, said the Medicine and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency last week.The herb, said to reduce symptoms of colds by boosting scavenger cells called macrophages in the immune sys

We are delighted to invite you to an insightful live webinar on infectious disease modelling, titled “Modelling For Impact: Bridging COVID-19 and Dengue Control Strategies.” This webinar aims to provide valuable discussions and insights into the intersection of pandemic responses and dengue manageme

Doctors often order tests and recommend drugs or procedures when they shouldn’t — sometimes even when they know they shouldn’t. The problem has become so serious that such groups as the American College of Physicians, the ABIM Foundation, the National Physicians Alliance and a coalition of medical s

RIVERSIDE, Calif. — In the Inland Empire, an economically depressed region in Southern California, President Obama’s health care law is expected to extend insurance coverage to more than 300,000 people by 2014. But coverage will not necessarily translate into care: Local health experts doubt there w

Manuel Alexander Haasis1*, Joyce Anne Ceria1, Wantanee Kulpeng2, Yot Teerawattananon2, Marissa Alejandria3 1 National Center for Pharmaceutical Access and Management (NCPAM), Department of Health, Manila, Philippines, 2 Health Intervention and Technology Assessment Program (HITAP), Department of

For the first time, researchers have determined virtually the entire genome of a fetus using only a blood sample from the pregnant woman and a saliva specimen from the father.The accomplishment heralds an era in which parents might find it easier to know the complete DNA blueprint of a child months

Sedentary behavior and physical inactivity increase the risks of non-communicable diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases, which contribute to approximately 70% of all-cause mortality among Thais. There is a misunderstanding that exercise in leisure time can n

Public policy for kidney replacement therapy eludes most low- and middle-income countries owing to the seemingly low number of cases and high cost. Countries such as Thailand have shown that public health authorities can effectively provide treatment and elevate health care for populations by overco

For the first time in 13 years, the Food and Drug Administration has put diet pills back on the market. Will you take them?If your doctor could offer a prescription pill to help you lose weight, would you take it?As more than a third of US adults struggle with obesity, a pill may seem like an easy a